Kevin Ambler has been a long-time resident of Tampa for nearly 40 years. He attended Cornell University on a four-year Air Force ROTC scholarship, where he received his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Economics and Business Administration. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. His entry to active duty was delayed to permit him to attend law school.
Kevin received his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California. Soon after, he was appointed as a U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate (JAG) and assigned to the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida, where he served on active duty for nearly 5 years. During this time, he was also appointed by the U.S. Attorney General as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, handling criminal prosecutions and civil litigation in federal court.
Kevin has been in the private practice of law in Tampa since 1991, and he continued his military service in the Air Force Reserves as a JAG officer for the next 17 years. During his first year as a reservist, he was awarded the Harmon Award by the Air Force Judge Advocate General as the Top Reserve Judge Advocate in the U.S. Air Force. Additional military honors include the Air Force Achievement Medal, two Air Force Meritorious Service Medals, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the National Defense Services Medal.
As founder and president of Ambler Law Group in 1996, Kevin’s law firm primarily focuses in the areas of complex civil litigation, including medical malpractice, serious personal injuries, wrongful death, product liability, and federal tort claims. Kevin also routinely handles matters in the areas of entertainment and sports law, complex business litigation, government contracting, construction defects, contract disputes, and transactional matters. Through the Ambler Advocacy Group, the firm also handles governmental affairs and public policy and advocacy before federal and state legislative and executive branches of government, on a variety of public policy issues, including entertainment industry financial incentives for productions and implementing legislation. In addition to The Florida Bar, Kevin is a member of the Georgia and D.C. Bars; he is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. District Courts for the Middle District of Florida and North District of Florida, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
Kevin served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010, representing Northwest Hillsborough County. During his 4 consecutive terms in elected office, he served on over 47 legislative councils and committees, including serving as Chairman of the Health Appropriations Committee, in which he was responsible for nearly $20 billion dollars in appropriations for more than 3 million Medicaid beneficiaries, 80,000 health care providers, and 15,000 health care facilities. He also served as Chairman of the Public Safety and Domestic Security Policy Committee during the time of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. During his tenure in the House of Representatives, Kevin received numerous awards and accolades from professional organizations, boards, and foundations as the top legislator of the year for his outstanding accomplishments in championing numerous important legislative issues. In 2019, in recognition of his prior accomplishments as a legislator when he sponsored the Florida Film and Entertainment Incentive bills in 2002 and 2010, the President of the Florida Senate appointed Kevin to the Florida Film and Entertainment Advisory Council, on which he served until his appointment ended in May 2023. In 2023, Kevin was appointed by the President of the Federal Bar Association to the Government Relations Committee, which advocates on federal legislation in Washington, D.C. affecting the Federal Bar and judiciary.
Kevin has been an adjunct law professor on the faculty for Stetson University College of Law since 2011, and he has been an adjunct professor at Florida State University, College of Motion Picture Arts (the “Film School”) since 2025, where he also serves as outside general counsel for the Film School’s Torchlight Studios. Kevin previously served as an independent director on the Board of Directors for the publicly traded visual effects conglomerate Digital Domain Media Group (NYSE: DDMG) and its subsidiaries. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Tampa Film Institute d/b/a the Gasparilla International Film Festival for the past 18 years. In 2021, Kevin was hired on as Executive Producer and outside General Counsel for the production company producing the full-length motion picture feature titled “Rachel Hendrix”, starring Lori Singer, and written and directed by the esteemed filmmaker Victor Nunez. The film has won numerous awards at film festivals around the world.
Prior to serving in the Florida Legislature, Kevin served for 7 years, 6 of which as President, on the Board of Trustees for the Northdale Special Taxing District in Hillsborough County, Florida. Kevin was also appointed by the Hillsborough County Commission to serve on the 14-member Hillsborough County Charter Review Board, which meets every 5 years to review and propose revisions to the County Charter.
Kevin and his wife, Mindy, have been married for 40 years and have two adult children, Jason and Jami, and three grandchildren.
