West Palm Beach – Palm Beach County native Alexcia Cox took office as state attorney on Tuesday, calling her historic swearing-in “a big moment” and asking her assistant state attorneys to embrace a unified purpose to serve the community.

15th Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Glenn Kelley administered the state attorney oath of office to Cox, and retired Judge Krista Marx administered the oath for all 112 assistant state attorneys.

State Attorney Cox, a career prosecutor elected to a four-year term, also recognized her new leadership team and led the administration of a leadership pledge.

“This moment does not just belong to me. This is our moment,” Cox said. “The voters in Palm Beach County gave us a blank piece of paper and together we get to write the next chapter in the story of our office’s history.

“Every day when you grab your files or your laptop and you head over to court, remember that people all across Palm Beach County are looking to us for safety, for justice, for help, for restitution, for fairness.”

Cox told her prosecutors that she looked forward to working together on “holding those who commit crimes in our community accountable for their actions. We get to continue standing up for victims. We get to continue working with our law enforcement partners and community stakeholders to keep our community safe.”

Judge Marx noted that State Attorney Cox is the first woman and African American person to lead the office.

“I hope that there’s a day when a black female takes a position of this significance that we call it ordinary, but it is extraordinary today and we are here witnessing history,” Marx said “And Alexcia Cox has earned this through years and years of hard work and dedication.”

A former assistant state attorney in the office, Judge Marx also offered words of wisdom to the prosecutors: “You have a solemn responsibility to all of the citizens of Palm Beach County that their rights will be upheld and that the law will be applied equally to all, regardless of their background or circumstances …

“You have to be committed not to getting convictions, but to seeking justice.”