Hon. Debra K. Behnke (deceased) was a judge for the 13th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Hillsborough County. She was appointed to the bench by former Governor Lawton Chiles in 1992. Behnke resigned in 2015.
Prior to her appointment, she presided as a judge for the Hillsborough County Court, a position to which she was named in 1988.
Behnke received a B.A. in German and history from Indiana University in 1974. She went on to complete a J.D. at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 1978.
After graduating from law school, she began her legal career as an assistant public defender with the Office of the Public Defender for the 13th Judicial Circuit. She served in that capacity until 1981, at which time she joined the Office of the State Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit. Then, in 1984, she entered into private practice.
Her memberships included the Hillsborough County Bar Association, the Hillsborough County Association of Women Lawyers, and the Florida Association of Women Lawyers.
Behnke, who was born in New Jersey, was one of six children and had an identical twin sister, Denise. She passed away in 2021.