Background
Rose Hernandez grew up in Fort Myers, Florida. She moved to Central Florida in 2008 while in high school. After graduating from Celebration High School in 2010, she attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she studied Criminology and Linguistics. She also obtained a teaching certificate to teach English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). During this time, she worked with a non-profit organization tutoring at-risk elementary, middle, and high school students in Micanopy, Florida.
After graduating from the University of Florida in 2014, Rose returned to Central Florida. She spent some time teaching ESOL in Orlando before returning to school to pursue her law degree. In 2015, Rose began attending Florida State University College of Law in Tallahassee, Florida. During law school, she participated in clinical programs with FSU Law’s Public Interest Law Center, where she worked on juvenile dependency, immigration, and criminal cases. She also worked for the Florida Department of Financial Services in the Office of the General Counsel, where she helped prosecute insurance agents for violations of their licensure requirements. During this time, she was a member of the Journal of Transnational Law and Policy, and President of the student organization Advocates for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
After graduating from FSU College of Law in 2018, Rose accepted a position as an Assistant Public Defender with the Office of the Public Defender in Kissimmee, Florida. During this time, she handled over 1,000 cases from arrest to case resolution. She represented clients facing misdemeanor and felony charges including Driving Under the Influence (DUI), Possession of a Controlled Substance, Burglary, and Aggravated Assault. She handled every aspect of criminal law practice including initial appearances, violations of probation, and post-conviction motions. She took many cases to trial and obtained favorable verdicts for clients facing charges including Petit Theft, Felony Battery, Aggravated Fleeing and Eluding, and Aggravated Child Abuse.
Education
Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee, FL
Degree: J.D., 2018
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Degree: B.A., 2014
Honors: Cum Laude
Majors: Criminology, Linguistics
Professional Memberships
The Florida Bar
Languages
English, Spanish