The Florida Bar News - September 15, 2010

Voters decide judicial races

By Mark D. Killian
Managing Editor

If this was supposed to be the year the electorate was poised to unseat incumbents, you’d never know it from the results of the August judicial primaries.

In all, 30 of 33 incumbent judges turned back challenges to their seats. Fourteen sitting judges in Broward alone drew opposition — nine 17th Circuit judges and five on the county bench. Yet all 14 won reelection.

Ballots were cast in 58 county and circuit court races throughout Florida during the August 24 primary. There were 32 circuit court races on the ballot, and seven of them wound up as runoffs for the November ballot. In the 26 county court races, six are going to runoffs.
Besides those runoffs, voters will be casting merit retention votes for four Supreme Court justices and 27 district courts of appeal judges.

Here, based on unofficial numbers, are the results for the circuit court races:

• First Circuit — Group 3, Michael A. Flowers with Alishia W. McDonald with 17.45 percentmade the runoff, defeating Mike Lawson with 14.62 percent, Clint Davis with 12.65, Kenneth L. Brooks, Jr., with 11.12 percent, Robert E. McGill III with 10.56.

• Second Circuit — Group 9, Karen Gievers with 29.01 percent and Barbara Hobbs with 26.93 percent made the runoff, defeating J. Layne Smith with 20.74 percent, Bruce Leinback with 13.72 percent, and Eddie Evans with 9.61 percent.

• Fourth Circuit — Group 25, Mark Hulsey with 54.02 percent of the vote defeated Samuel P. Garrison, who received 45.98 percent.

• Fifth Circuit — Judge Robert W. Hodges won 57.87 percent to defeat challenger Denise Lyn, who received 42.13 percent of the vote in the race for Group 1.

• Sixth Circuit — Patricia “Trish” Muscarella with 39.55 percent and Kathryn Marie Welsh with 35.81 percent made the runoff for Group 18, defeating Edward J. Liebling with 24.63 percent. In Group 20, Patrice Moore defeated Tom Ramsberger 51.04 percent to 48.96 percent. In Group 27, Keith Meyer with 31.07 percent and Jeff O’Brien with 26.85 made the runoff, defeating Kelly Ann McKnight with 25.07 percent, and LeAnne Lake with 17.02 percent. In Group 29, Judge Michael Francis Andrews with 53.77 percent held off a challenge from Deborah Moss, who received 46.23 percent. In Group 30, Kimberly “Kim” Todd with 54.05 percent defeated Susan St. John who received 45.95 percent.

• Seventh Circuit — In Group 3, Matt Foxman defeated George S. Pappas 52.15 percent to 47.85 percent. In Group 5, Dennis Craig with 25.89 and Joe Horrox with 24.84 percent made the runoff, defeating Marc Dwyer with 19.01 percent, John M. Selden with 14.71, Sid Nowell with 10.21 percent, and Ed Haenftling, Jr., with 5.33 percent. In Group 10, Don Holmes with 44.70 and Scott DuPont with 31.88 made the runoff, defeating Eric K. Neitzke with 23.42 percent of the vote.

• Ninth Circuit — Group 6, Judge Rand Wallis defeated Elahi Shayan 82.64 percent to 17.36 percent.

• 11th Circuit — In Group 45, Samantha Ruiz Cohen with 70.29 percent defeated Judge Peter Adrien who received 29.71 percent. In Group 62, Monica Gordo defeated Robert Kuntz 64.37 to 35.63 percent.

• 13th Circuit — In Group 4, Judge Liz Rice with 68.6 percent defeated Zilia C. Vasquez with 31.4 percent.

• 14th Circuit — In Group 2, Pete Mallory defeated Mike Reiter by 53.99 percent to 46.01 percent.

• 15th Circuit — In Group 33, Lisa Small with 55.06 percent of the vote defeated Jaimie Goodman who garnered 21.85 percent, Kenneth D. Lemoine with 17.55 percent, and Andrew J. Daire with 5.55 percent.

• 17th Circuit — In Group 2, Judge Kenneth L. Gillespie with 70.77 percent defeated Oliver Parker who received 29.23 percent. In Group 4, Judge Elijah H. Williams with 55.09 percent of the vote defeated Alan B. Schneider with 44.91 percent. In Group 6, Judge Carlos A. Rodriguez with 57.95 percent defeated Frieda M. Goldstein with 42.05 percent. In Group 9, Judge Susan Lebow with 68.8 percent defeated Jill Tamkin Refilovich with 31.2 percent. In Group 15, Judge Matthew Isaac Destry defeated Robert Abraham Jakovich by 64.48 percent to 35.52 percent. In Group 22, Judge Carlos Rebollo with 50.64 percent defeated Robert “Bob” Nichols with 49.36 percent. In Group 23, Judge Barbara Ann McCarthy with 65.6 percent defeated Alan Bernstein with 34.4 percent. In Group 24, Judge John T. (Jack) Luzzo with 56.22 percent defeated Olga Levine with 43.78. In Group 47, Judge Lisa Porter defeated Laura Renee Seidman 70.25 percent to 29.75 percent. In Group 51, Sandra Perlman with 68.08 percent defeated Lee Jay Seidman with 31.92 percent. In Group 53, Judge Eileen M. O’Connor with 71.38 percent of the vote defeated Rhoda Sokoloff with 28.62 percent.

• 18th Circuit — Group 3, Jessica Recksiedler with 48.10 percent and Oscar Hotusing with 34.74 percent made the runoff, defeating Carsandra D. Buie who got 17.17 percent. In Group 16, Judge Michael J. Rudisill with 51.6 percent defeated Jeff Dowdy with 48.4 percent. In Group 24, Linda Schoonover with 51.78 percent defeated Judge Clayton Daniel Simmons who received 48.22 percent.
The following list of county court races was compiled unofficially by the Bar News from Supervisor of Elections websites:

• Alachua — Group 5, Judge Tom Jaworski with 71.48 percent defeated Michael Becker with 28.52 percent.

• Broward — Group 1, John D. Fry with 36.66 percent and John Robert Howes with 36.45 percent made the runoff, defeating Jason Allen Rosner with 26.89 percent. In Group 3, Judge Peter Barry Skolnik with 59.95 percent defeated Debra L. Steinsaltz with 40.05 percent. In Group 4, Judge Edward H. Merrigan, Jr., with 70.40 percent, defeated Lloyd Harris Golburgh’s 29.60 percent. In Group 12, Judge John “Jay” Hurley with 66.83 percent defeated Melissa Beth Minsk Donoho with 33.17 percent. In Group 13, Judge Linda R. Pratt with 75.19 percent defeated Heidi Berkowitz with 24.81 percent. In Group 14, Judge Mary Rudd Robinson with 74.26 percent defeated Jordan Howard Breslaw, with 25.74 percent. In Group 15, Mindy Solomon defeated Roshawn Banks 67.44 to 32.56 percent. In Group 20, Kenneth “Ken” Gottlieb defeated Steven A. Schaet 64.85 to 35.15. In Group 26, F.J. McLawrence with 38.06 percent and Mardi Anne Levey Cohen with 34.52 percent made the runoff, defeating Nathaniel Adam “Nate” Klitsberg with 27.46 percent.

• Dixie — Judge Frederick L. Koberlein defeated M. Michael O’Steen 58.96 percent to 41.04 percent.

• Hillsborough — Dick Greco, Jr., defeated Lanell Williams-Yulee 79.85 to 20.15 percent in Group 10.

• Lake County — Judge Donna F. Miller defeated Michael L. Odette 57.25 to 42.75 percent.

• Lee County — Frank Mann, Jr., with 47.59 percent and Miguel Fernandez III with 24.18 percent made the runoff, defeating Robert J. Branning with 21.95 percent and David Shestokas with 6.29 percent in Group 3. In Group 4, Judge Archie B. Hayward, Jr., defeated Eric P. Feichthaler 50.13 percent to 49.87 percent.

• Miami-Dade County — Judge Edward Newman defeated Manuel “Manny” Alvarez 52.20 percent to 47.80 percent in Group 7. In Group 11, Michaelle Gonzalez-Paulson with 56.71 percent of the vote unseated Judge Flora Seff, who received 43.29 percent.

• Monroe County — Judge William Reagan Ptomey, Jr., defeated Demetrios Efstratiou 64.9 to 35.1 percent.

• Palm Beach — Laurie Stilwell Cohen with 30.77 percent and Marni A. Bryson with 29.06 percent made the runoff, defeating Jane Frances Sullivan with 21.39 and Lloyd Comiter with 18.78 percent in Group 7.

• Pasco County — Judge Debra Roberts defeated Gerald Ferenchik 67.24 to 32.76 percent for the Group 4 seat.

• Pinellas County — Judge Thomas B. Freeman defeated Wayne C. Mineo 68.72 percent to 31.28 percent for the Group 8 seat.

• Sarasota County — Maryann Boehm defeated Tracy Lee in Group 3, 62.42 to 37.58 percent.

• Seminole County — Fred Schott with 36.46 and Debra L. Krause with 27.9 percent made the runoff, defeating Greg Hass with 25.84 percent and Amir A. Ladan with 9.81 percent for the Group 5 seat.

• St. Lucie County — Judge Clifford H. Barnes with 56.08 percent of the vote defeated George D. Dugan III, who garnered 43.92 percent of the vote for the Group 1 seat.

• Suwanee County — Gary E. Brown with 33.1 percent and William F. “Lin” Williams with 29 percent made the runoff, defeating Alexander D. Prins with 21.4 percent and Thomas Jason Kennon III, with 16.3 percent.

• Volusia County — Robert A. Sanders, Jr., defeated Judge Mary Jane Henderson 50.04 percent to 49.96 percent for the Group 9 seat.

Those who won their races in the August primary, or do so in November balloting, will begin their new terms in January.

The four Supreme Court justices, all appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist in 2008 and 2009, will be making their first appearances on the merit retention ballot in November as well. They are Chief Justice Charles Canady, Justice Jorge Larbarga, Justice James E.C. Perry, and Justice Ricky L. Polson.

Here are the judges who qualified for merit retention on the five district courts of appeal:

• First DCA — Judges Nikki Ann Clark, Paul M. Hawkes, Charles J. Kahn, Jr., Phil Padovano, Lori S. Rowe, Kent Wetherell, and Jim Wolf.

• Second DCA — Judges Marva L. Crenshaw, Patricia Kelly, Nelly N. Khouzam, Robert Morris, Stevan T. Northcutt, Craig C. Villanti, and Douglas A. Wallace.

• Third DCA — Judges Frank A. Shepherd and Linda Ann Wells.

• Fourth DCA — Judges Cory J. Ciklin, Dorian K. Damoorgian, Jonathan D. Gerber, Robert M. Gross, Spencer D. Levine, and Melanie G. May.

• Fifth DCA — Judges Jay Cohen, Jacqueline R. Griffin, Bruce W. Jacobus, David A. Monaco, and Vincent G. Torpy, Jr.