Mike Colombo is running for Circuit Court Judge in the 20th Judicial Circuit, encompassing Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Hendry, and Glades Counties. With over 23 years of legal experience, Colombo has participated in more than 100 trials to verdict, representing plaintiffs, defendants, and the State.
His campaign emphasizes justice, experience, and integrity.
Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Italian immigrant parents, Colombo attended Fairfield College Preparatory High School. His mother, Lydia Colombo, was a renowned seamstress in New York City during the late 1960s, creating custom dresses for notable clients including Jacqueline Kennedy and Lynda Bird Johnson.
Despite her successful career, she prioritized raising her children in Connecticut. Colombo's father worked for 30 years installing and fixing furnaces in Fairfield County.
Colombo graduated from Fairfield College Preparatory School in 1990. He earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology with a concentration in Criminal Justice from the University of Scranton in 1994.
He then attended Quinnipiac University School of Law, graduating in the top third of his class in May 2000. Despite being advised against pursuing law due to dyslexia, Colombo overcame these challenges and succeeded in his legal education.
After passing the Connecticut bar in July 2000, Colombo began his career as a trial attorney at the State Attorney’s Office in Connecticut, where he never lost a jury trial in four years. He later worked as a criminal defense attorney and civil plaintiff’s attorney, arguing in front of the Connecticut Supreme Court and setting a precedent in firefighter promotional testing.
In June 2009, Colombo joined the Department of Homeland Security as a Special Agent, gaining Top Secret Clearance and handling a variety of cases. He was also sworn into the Florida Bar.
Injuries led him back to trial law, and he moved to Southwest Florida to be near his wife’s family. In May 2012, Colombo began working as an Assistant State Attorney in the 20th Judicial Circuit, handling thousands of cases ranging from misdemeanors to life sentences.
He worked in the Special Victims Unit, taught CLE courses, and trained SANE nurses in Charlotte County.
Colombo is currently in private practice at Suarez, Rios, & Weinberg and serves on the Professional Ethics Committee with the Florida Bar. He has three boys who play baseball, and his wife, Susan, is on the Board for San Carlos Babe Ruth Baseball.
Colombo enjoys volunteering, fishing, attending baseball games, and spending time with his two dogs.