About Cord Byrd
Jacksonville Beach attorney Cord Byrd has announced his candidacy for State House in the newly-redrawn eleventh district, covering parts of Duval County including the Jacksonville Beaches and Nassau County. Cord is asking First Coast voters to send him to Tallahassee where he will fight to defend and restore the core government functions of public safety, education and the courts while also working to remove unnecessary and burdensome laws and regulations that stifle job creation and growth. “No one has ever said to me we don’t have enough laws the problem is that we have too many.”
Cord believes the first responsibility of any elected official is to be a good steward of the voters’ trust and tax dollars. We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history, the federal and state governments are too big, and our task is to restore the rightful balance between the national government and the states and the states and the people. In order to ensure liberty, champions are needed in Tallahassee that have an understanding of the proper boundary between the state and federal governments and who will stand up and fight for citizens when that line is crossed. For too long, politicians have promised one thing and done another. Floridians can no longer afford the 'go-along to get-along' attitude in Tallahassee.
Cord, a Jacksonville native, has strong ties to the First Coast and specifically the beaches communities. His grandmother, parents, uncles and cousins are all graduates of Fletcher High School, and the tradition continues with two family members currently enrolled. His grandfather and father owned and operated Beaches Sporting Goods in the 1970’s and his great uncle served as the city clerk for Jacksonville Beach.
Following graduation from the University of North Florida with a degree in political science and history, Cord began his professional career as a public school teacher in Miami teaching civics and history. Next, Cord attended law school at St. Thomas University where he was recognized for outstanding academic achievement in several classes, including Constitutional Law.
Cord has practiced law for the past fourteen years and is licensed in Florida and the federal courts. He began his legal career in South Florida in 1998, returning to his hometown in 2007, where he opened his current office in Jacksonville Beach. His practice is varied, having represented some of the largest employers in the state as well as private individuals. Cord led the charge in fighting workers’ compensation fraud in Florida and actively defends the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. His sense of duty and public service extend beyond his day-to-day practice. Since 1998, Cord has volunteered his legal skills on Election Day in Florida and Nevada to ensure that our elections are open, fair and honest. In addition, he regularly speaks to civic organizations on topics pertaining to the law and the United States Constitution. In his spare time, Cord is an avid sportsman - hunting and fishing as much as possible, and also enjoys the study of military history.
Cord lives in Neptune Beach with his wife Esther who served her state and nation as a United States Marine.