State Attorney Bernie McCabe launches re-election bid

Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe filed for re-election this month. He is seeking his eighth term in office.

The Republican is currently unopposed, though the election isn't until next year. The office is on a four-year term.

McCabe, 71, has been the Sixth Circuit state attorney since 1992. Before that, he was an assistant state attorney there.

As the top prosecutor in Pinellas and Pasco counties, McCabe oversees an office of 165 lawyers that handle roughly 80,000 felony, misdemeanor, traffic and juvenile cases a year.

He dismissed the notion that there's value in a new face. He said what's valuable is experience, and having historical perspective.

"To understand the system, you have to understand why it is the way it is," he said.

McCabe's counterpart, Pinellas-Pasco Public Defender Bob Dillinger, is set to retire at the end of his term. Assistant Public Defender Sara Mollo is running to replace him. She is also a Republican and is currently unopposed.

Contact Josh Solomon at jsolomon@tampabay.com or (813) 909-4613. Follow @ByJoshSolomon.