Pahokee City Attorney Gary Michael Brandenburg, 68, of Palm City, Florida, died Feb. 2, 2022.

Brandenburg was born in Detroit, Mich. He attended Michigan State University and graduated cum laude. He received his Juris Doctor degree in 1978 from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. He sat for and passed the Florida bar in 1978. After moving to Florida, he worked as an associate to a sole practitioner in Jupiter before being hired as an Assistant County Attorney for Palm Beach County.

He left the Palm Beach County Attorney’s office in 1981, moving to Vero Beach to establish the Indian River County Attorney’s office, where he became the first in-house Indian River County Attorney. In 1985, he returned to Palm Beach County to serve as the Palm Beach County Attorney.

He left the county in 1988 to enter private practice, working for two prestigious law firms: first joining Gunster Yoakley & Stewart in West Palm Beach; then in 1991 joining Carlton Fields as a Shareholder, helping to establish their West Palm Beach office. Shortly thereafter he was appointed Managing Partner of the West Palm Beach office of the Firm.

In 2003, he decided to move out on his own and founded Brandenburg & Associates, Penn. He served as City Attorney for both the City of Clewiston and the City of Pahokee. He also served as a Special Magistrate for numerous local municipalities.