Backyards of Key West Podcast with Mark Baratto 127: The Ed Scales Radio Show with Judge Ed Scales, III
In the episode, Mark Baratto sits down with Judge Edwin A. Scales, III to the Third District Court of Appeal, who also happens to be a DJ on local station 104.1.
We talk about his love for music and how he never gave up on his dream, while still being a local District Court Judge.
More on Ed Scales, III
Ed’s show—oddly named “The Ed Scales Show”—airs on US-1 Radio most Sundays from 11am-2pm. The show has aired on US-1 Radio for over two decades and continues the station’s tradition of nontraditional radio, Florida Keys-style. No one (other than Bill Becker) has been on-the-air at US-1 Radio longer. Management of the station is as puzzled as everyone else as to why this is the case. No matter how often we change the locks to keep Ed out, Ed finds a way into the studio to do his show. Trust us, if it weren’t for his impeccable musical taste, we’d call the cops!
While it’s hard to describe Ed’s show with any particularity, suffice to say that he plays a wide variety of great rock and roll. Ed regularly sneaks down into the US-1 Radio music vault to play stuff you just don’t hear every day, and he also mixes in the hits so that there’s truly “something for everyone”. He even peppers the show with entertaining features like “Ed’s Peeve of the Week” and “This Date in Rock and Roll History”. So, tune in on Sundays for “The Ed Scales Show”…..and give us a shout if you know a good locksmith.
Now on to the Judge part…
On October 18, 2013 Governor Rick Scott appointed Judge Edwin A. Scales, III to the Third District Court of Appeal, making him the first Monroe County attorney ever appointed to the Court.
Before his appointment, Judge Scales was a sole practitioner in Key West, Florida. His practice concentrated in the areas of appellate litigation, commercial and real estate litigation, administrative law, and mediation. Additionally, through his “of-counsel” affiliation with the GrayRobinson law firm, Judge Scales served as the General Counsel to the Florida Citrus Commission.
Prior to moving to Key West, Judge Scales was a shareholder in the Lakeland, Florida law firm of Lane, Trohn, Bertrand, & Vreeland, P.A. In 1998, Judge Scales became the General Counsel for Historic Tours of America, Inc., a national site-seeing company with headquarters in Key West, Florida.
From 2011 thru 2013, Judge Scales served on the Florida Commission on Ethics and was its vice chairman. In 2005, Monroe County’s attorneys elected Judge Scales to serve on the Florida Bar’s Board of Governors, and he was re-elected to that position four times. He served on the Bar’s Executive Committee for three years and chaired both the Bar’s Legislation Committee and Citizen’s Forum.
In 2006, Judge Scales was appointed by Florida Governor Jeb Bush to the Board of Trustees of the Florida Keys Community College. He was reappointed to the Board by Governors Crist and Scott. He chaired the Board from 2007 to 2009, and again in 2011 and 2012.
From 2000 to 2005, Judge Scales served on the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission for Florida’s Southern District. In 2009, he was appointed by Governor Charlie Crist to the Judicial Nominating Commission for Florida’s 16th Judicial Circuit, and was reappointed to the JNC by Gov. Rick Scott in 2012.
In 2001, he was elected to serve a four-year term on the Key West City Commission, and in 2003 was appointed to the Florida Keys Tourist Development Council, where he served two years as Treasurer. Since 1999, Judge Scales has hosted the weekly “Ed Scales Show” heard on Keys radio station US-1 (104.1 FM – www.us1radio.com). He has an extensive background in both radio and television, hosting “The Legal Beagles” radio program in the Tampa Bay area from 1996 to 1998.
Since joining the Court, Judge Scales has been appointed by the Florida Supreme Court to represent Florida’s judiciary on the Florida Bar Foundation Board of Directors, where he chairs the Foundation’s Audit Committee. Chief Justice Charles Canady appointed Judge Scales to serve on Florida’s Judicial Management Council, the long-range planning committee for Florida’s judicial branch of government. Judge Scales also served on the Board of Directors of the University of Florida Alumni Association, taught the complex civil litigation courses at Florida’s College for Advanced Judicial Studies, has taught courses as part of the faculty of the National Judicial College, and regularly presents continuing legal education seminars to local bar associations.
Judge Scales was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and was raised in Lakeland, Florida. He received his B.S. in Telecommunications with Honors from the University of Florida in 1988. While an undergraduate at the University of Florida, he was appointed by Governor Bob Martinez to serve on the Florida Board of Regents from 1987 to 1988, and was tapped into the Florida Blue Key leadership honorary. He also served as the “mike man” for the Florida Gators and is a 2-year UF Varsity Letterman. In 1988, he was named the University of Florida’s outstanding male graduate and was named to the University of Florida Hall of Fame. In 1991 he received his J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law. While in law school, Judge Scales served as President of the University of Florida Student Body, he received the Bill Fleming Memorial Award for outstanding service to the University of Florida community, and he received the Book Award for Florida Administrative Law demonstrating academic excellence in that area.
