Chief Judge Belvin Perry, who presided over the Casey Anthony trial, announced Monday his plan to retire on Aug. 31, 2014.

Perry, of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, has served has a circuit judge since 1989 and as chief judge for 18 years. During a news conference Monday afternoon, Judge Perry said his health was not an issue, this was simply the time.

"There’s a thing called mathematics," Perry said. "I’ve got 36 years in the system. When you do the numbers, you ask yourself why are you working? We haven’t had raises in eight years.”

In a letter of resignation to Gov. Rick Scott, Perry said it has been an honor and a privilege to serve the citizens of Orange and Osceola counties, as well as Floridians.

"I will be forever grateful to the citizens for their support and faith in me during my 36 years of public service both as a judge and an assistant state attorney," the letter states. "The citizens of this circuit are simply the best."

Perry is an Orlando-area native. His father, Belvin Perry Sr., was born and raised in Sanford. He was one of two men to become the first black policemen in Orlando. Perry graduated from Jones High School in Orlando.

Perry attended Tuskegee University, located in Tuskegee, Alabama, where he received a bachelor's degree in 1972 and a master's degree in 1974. He then got a law degree in 1977 from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University.

Perry became a prosecutor with the Ninth District in 1977. He was lead prosecutor in the case of Judy Buenoano, sometimes known as the "Black Widow," who was convicted of killing her husband, a common law husband, her son, and trying to kill her fiance. Perry sought the death penalty, and Buenoano became the first woman to be executed in Florida's old electric chair in 1998.

Perry also provided over the construction of Orange County's Courthouse, which was considered a state-of-the-art facility and a model for courthouse security for the nation.

But he's also been a strong critic of the way the justice system is funded in Florida. In 2008, Perry said a lack of funding for the courts meant fewer courtroom staff members. He thought more criminals were getting back on the street because of that.

"If you average 532 cases each month, that basically means that you can try anywhere from 30 to 40 cases in a year, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out you're going to have to plea bargain the rest of them," Perry said.

In 2011, the state's court system faced a $50 million budget shortfall that threatened to close courtrooms. Perry said the state needed to find a more stable funding source for the courts, and it should come from general revenue.

In the news conference Monday, Perry said Florida needed diversity among its judges.

"My only concern is a concern that has been voiced by a number of people -- that we have more diversity in the bench that reflects this community," Perry said. "And, that’s my major concern. That's an issue that was worked on by the Florida Bar. And, we've had some recommendations. I was very encouraged by the governor’s last appointment of Judge Tanya Wilson to the bench. But, there's still much to be done."

Perry made the news again last year after he shut down Orange County's GPS monitoring and home confinement program because he said the system did not have the right foundation to make sure suspects out on bond did not violate their pre-trial conditions.

Perry also helped to reconvene the domestic violence commission in Orange County to come up with ways to protect more domestic violence victims.

Most recently, Perry accepted the John Young History Maker award for his impact in the lives of Central Floridians.

Perry was re-elected by voters in 2012. His term was supposed to end Jan. 7, 2019.

"I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life after 36 years of public service," Perry wrote.