Florida Bar News

86 judicial races to appear on fall ballots

86 judicial races to appear on fall ballots

Three Supreme Court justices and 28 district court of appeal judges — including 10 of the 15 judges on the Second DCA — have filed for merit retention on the November general election ballot.

For circuit court races, 151 seats were up for contention and 25 — or one sixth of the total — will have contested elections. In county court races, there are 30 contested judgeships, while 68 were settled without balloting.

On the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Jorge Labarga and Justices Charles T. Canady and Ricky L. Polston filed their papers for merit retention.

For the DCAs, on the First DCA, Ross Bilbrey, Susan Kelsy, Lori S. Rowe, Kent Wetherell, Bo Winokur, and Jim Wolf filed for retention.

For the Second DCA, John Badalamenti, Marva L. Crenshaw, Patricia J. Kelly, Nelly N. Khouzam, Matt Lucas, Robert Morris, Stevan Travis Northcutt, Samuel Salario, Jr., Craig C. Villanti, and Douglas Alan Wallace are on the ballot.

And while 10 judges are up for merit retention in the Second DCA, only two are on the Third DCA: Edwin A. Scales and Linda Ann Wells.

On the Fourth DCA, Judges Cory J. Ciklin, Dorian K. Damoorgian, Jonathan D. Gerber, Robert Marc Gross, Spencer D. Levine, and Melanie G. May filed for retention.

On the Fifth DCA, Judges Jay Cohen, James A. Edwards, Brian Lambert, and Vincent G. Torpy, Jr., qualified for the November ballot.

For circuit court judgeships, there are contested races in the Third, Fourth, Seventh, Ninth, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 18th, and 19th circuits.

The contested races are:

• In the Third Circuit, Seat 1, Judge Paul S. Bryan is being challenged by T. Bradley McRae.

• In the Fourth Circuit, Seat 9, Bruce R. Anderson and David P. Trotti have filed. In Seat 25, Judge Mark Hulsey is facing Gerald L. Wilkerson.

• In the Seventh Circuit, Seat 4, Chris France, Sebrina L. Slack, and Stasia Warren have filed. In Seat 10, Malcolm Anthony, Judge Scott DuPont, and Jim Riecks are on the ballot. In Seat 13, Judge David Hood is being challenged by A. Kathleen McNeilly. In Seat 17, Linda L. Gaustad is running against Judge Howard O. McGillin, Jr.

• In the Ninth Circuit, Seat 4, Orley Burey, Lius Calderon, and Joseph Haynes Davis are on the ballot. In Seat 14, Lorraine Elizabeth DeYoung has filed against Judge Dan Traver.

• In the 11th Circuit, Seat 9, Judge Jason Edward Bloch is facing Marcia Del Rey. In Seat 34, Mark Blumstein, Renee Gordon, Denise Martinez-Scanziani, and Luis Perez-Medina have filed. In Seat 52, Rosy A. Aponte, Carol “Jodie” Breece, and Oscar Rodriguez-Fonts are on the ballot. In Seat 66, Judge Robert Joshua Luck is being challenged by Yolly Roberson. In Seat 74, Elena Ortega-Tauler has filed against Judge George “Jorge” A. Sarduy.

• In the 13th Circuit, Seat 3, Robin Fernandez Fuson and Carl Hinson have filed. In Seat 24, Isabel Cissy Boza Sevelin, Gary Dolgin, Melissa Polo, and Lanell Williams-Yulee are on the ballot.

• In the 15th Circuit, Seat 1, Judge Dina Keever is being challenged by Robert “Rob” Ostrov. In Seat 4, Luis “Lou” Delgado, Gregory Tendrich, and Jeremy M. Zubkoff have filed.

• In the 17th Circuit, Seat 9, Andrea Ruth Gundersen, Lea P. Krauss, and Maxine K. Streeter have qualified. In Seat 15, Haccord James Curry, Jr., Judge Matthew Isaac Destry, Barbara Roseann Duffy, Brian Frederick Greenwald, and Abbe Sheila Rifkin have filed. In Seat 23, Judge Barbara McCarthy is facing David A. Salomon. In Seat 24, Doreen Turner Inkeles and Michael Lynch are facing off.

• In the 18th Circuit, Seat 9, Steve Henderson, Bob Moletteire, and Christina Sanchez have qualified.

• In the 19th Circuit, Seat 1, Beth Elaine Allen has filed against Judge James W. “Jim” McCann. In Seat 6, Michael J. McNicholas, Robert “Bob Meadows, Kiernan Patrick Moylan, and Leonard Silvio Villafranco are on the ballot.

All the contested elections will appear on the August 30 primary ballot. Any runoffs will be resolved on the November 8 general election ballot.

Following are those who were elected without opposition. Those with an asterisk (there are three) were not incumbents:

• First Circuit: John Thomas Brown, Michael A. Flowers, Coleman Lee Robinson, and William Francis Stone.

• Second Circuit: Karen Gievers, Dawn Caloca-Johnson, James C. “Jimmy” Hankinson, and Jonathan Sjostrom.

• Fourth Circuit: Marianne Lloyd Aho, Russell Healey, Angela M. Cox, Steven Fahlgren, Mark Mahon, Jack Marvin Schemer, and Linda F. McCallum.

• Fifth Circuit: Robert W. Hodges, Lawrence J. Semento, Thomas Ralph Eineman, Donald E. Scaglione, Ann Melinda Craggs, Sandra Sue Robbins, Willard Ira Pope, and William Henry “Bud” Hallman III.

• Sixth Circuit: Peter Ramsberger, Sherwood S. Coleman, Patricia A. “Trish” Muscarella, Jack Helinger, Patrice Moore, Cynthia Newton, Keith Meyer, Michael Francis Andrews, and Kimberly “Kim” Todd.

• Seventh Circuit: Matt Foxman, Craig Dennis, and Dawn D. Nichols.

• Eighth Circuit: David Kreider, Robert E. Roundtree, Jr., Donna M. Keim, Mark W. Moseley, James M. Colaw, and Monica J. Brasington.

• Ninth Circuit: A. James Craner II, Christi Underwood, Alice L. Blackwell, Renee Roche, Don Myers, Robert Egan, Julie O’Kane, Greg Allen Tynan, Patricia Strowbridge, and Lisa T. Munyon.

• 10th Circuit: Donald G. Jacobsen, Kelly P. Butz, Keith Peter Spoto, Michael E. Raiden, Ellen S. Masters, Reinaldo Ojeda, J. Kevin Abdoney, Angela Jane Cowden, and James Alan Yancey.

• 11th Circuit: John Charles Schlesinger, Rudolfo “Rudy” Armando Ruiz II, Scott Bernstein, Bertila A. Soto, John W. Thornton, Jr., Jennifer D. Bailey, Rosa I. Rodriguez,, Barbara Areces, David Young*, William Thomas, Milton “Milt” Hirsch, Samantha Ruiz Cohen, Nushin G. Sayfie, and Monica Gordo.

• 12th Circuit: Diana Lee Moreland and Thomas W. Krug.

• 13th Circuit: Liz Rice,Wesley Tibbals, Chris Nash, Denise D. Almeida-Pomponio, Mark Kiser, Emmett Lamar Battles, and Tom Barber.

• 14th Circuit: Tim Register*, Pete Mallory, Christopher N. Patterson, and Brantley S. Clark, Jr.

• 15th Circuit: Howard Kelly Coates, Jr., Laura Johnson*, Cheryl Annette Caracuzzo, Edward Artau, Krista Marx, Meenu Sasser, Scott Suskauer, John S. Kastrenakes, Kirk Volker, Donald W. Hafele, and Lisa Small.

• 16th Circuit: Timothy J. Koenig.

• 17th Circuit: Kenneth L. Gillespie, Elijah Harold Williams, Carlos A. Rodriguez, Hope Tieman-Bristol, William W. “Bill” Haury, Jr., Carlos Rebollo, Lisa Porter, Stacy Michelle Ross, Michael L. Gates, Sandra Perlman, and Edward Harold Merrigan, Jr.

• 18th Circuit: Kelly Jo McKibben, Jessica J. Recksiedler, David Dugan, Michael J. Rudisill, and Morgan Laur Reinman.

• 19th Circuit: Gary L. Sweet, Janet Carney Croom, and Charles Schwab.

• 20th Circuit: Jim Shenko, Nick Thompson, Jay B. Rosman, Ramiro Manalich, Alane Laboda, James D. Sloan, Lauren L. Brodie, and Robert J. Branning.

County judge race information was assembled from individual supervisors of elections’ websites and it’s possible some information is missing or erroneous. Any additional information should be sent to Senior Editor Gary Blankenship at [email protected]. Also, those websites usually do not indicate incumbent judges, so they are not labeled on the following lists.

Here are the contested county court races:

• In Bradford County, John Cooper, Tatum Davis, Curtis A. “Lex” Sanders, Paul Sanders, and Dan Sikes.

• In Brevard County, Group 2, Francis D. DeMuro, Oscar Hotusing, Kelly McCormack Ingram, and Rodney Miles Kernan.

• In Broward County, Group 2, Kal Le Var Koble Evans and Phyllis Pritcher. In Group 3, Florence Taylor Barner, Adam Geller, W. Dale Miller, and Rhoda Sokoloff. In Group 7, Brenda Di Ioia, Nina Weatherly Di Pietro, and Ian Richards. In Group 8, Kathleen McCarthy and Stephen J. Zaccor. In Group 13, Betsy Benson and Mark D. Kushner. In Group 14, Alfreda D. Coward, Samuel D. Lopez, Kim Theresa Mollica, and Bradford Alan Peterson. In Group 21, Deborah Carpenter-Toye and Russell Miller Thompson.

• In Hendry County, Scott H. Cupp is facing Daniel R. Paige, Sr.

• In Hernando County, Donald M. “Sonny” McCathran, Jr., and Kristie Ruppe have filed.

• In Hillsborough County, Group 10, Shelton Bridges and Miriam Velez Valkenburg have qualified.

• In Holmes County, Roseanna Bronhard, Lucas (Luke) N. Taylor, Timothy H. Wells, and Brandon J. Young have filed.

• In Lake County, Group 2, Benjamin Michael Boylston, Brian J. Welke, Cary Frank Rada, Jonathan P. Olson, and Judy Ann Stewart are running.

• In Lee County, Group 4, Leah Harwood and Archie B. Hayward, Jr., have qualified.

• In Leon County, Group 2, Monique Richardson and J. Layne Smith are on the ballot.

• In Miami-Dade County, Group 5, Milena Abreau and Fred Seraphin have filed. In Group 7, Lizzet Martinez and Ed Newman are on the ballot. In Group 15, Ruben Y. Alcoba and Linda Luce will face off. In Group 35, Wendell Graham and Antonio “Tony” Jiminez are competing.

• In Monroe County, Group 3, Sharon Hamilton and Rob Stober have filed.

• In Orange County, Group 1, Eric DuBois, Michael Gibson, and Roger Scott qualified. In Group 4, David Johnson, Kafi D. Kennedy Swanson, and Tom Young are on the ballot. In Group 5, Mark Anthony Arias, Harold M. Bacchus, Frank George, and Evellen Jewett will face off.

• In Pasco County, Group 4, Debra Roberts, Scott S. Tremblay, and Michael P. Wilson filed.

• In Pinellas County, Group 8, Dora Komninos and Curtis “CK” Korsko are on the ballot. In Group 9, Dwight Dudley and Myriam Irizarry qualified.

• In Polk County, Group 4, Mary Catherine Green and L. Mark Kaylor are facing off. In Group 8, Susan Lee Barber, Carson Bassett, and Michael P. McDaniel filed.

• In St. Lucie County, Group 3, Ed Alonzo and Nirlaine Tallandier Smartt are on the ballot.

Here are those elected without opposition to county judgeships:

• In Alachua County, Susan Miller-Jones, Walter M. Green, and Tom Jaworski.

• In Bay County, Tommy Welch.

• In Brevard County David E. Silverman, Rhonda E. Babb, and David C. Koenig.

• In Broward County, John D. Fry, Daniel Joseph Kanner, John “Jay” Hurley, Mindy Solomon, Kenneth A. Gottlieb, Mardi Anne Levey Cohen, and Giuseppina Miranda.

• In Citrus County, Mark Yerman.

• In Clay County, Timothy Collins

• In Collier County, Michael Provost.

• In Desoto County, Don T. Hall

• In Duval County, John A. Moran, Lester B. Bass, Eleni E. Derke, Ronald Higbee, and Eric Roberson.

• In Escambia County, Pat Kinsey and Jennifer Frydrychowicz

• In Hillsborough County, Artemeus E. McNeil and Paul T. Jeske,

• In Manatee County, Doug Henderson.

• In Marion County, Jim McCune.

• In Martin County, Darren Steele.

• In Miami-Dade County, Michaelle Gonzalez-Paulson, Carroll Kelly, Diana Vizcaino, and Laura Anne Stuzin.

• In Monroe County, Peary Fowler and Ruth Becker.

• In Okaloosa County, James Ward and T. Patterson Maney.

• In Orange County, Elizabeth Starr, Wayne J. Shoemaker, Gisela T. Laurent, and Tanya Davis Wilson.

• In Palm Beach County, Marni Bryson, Mark Eissey, Paul A. Damico, Caroline Shepherd, Barry M. Cohen, Sheree Cunningham, and August Bonavita.

• In Pinellas County, John D. Carballo, Holly T. Grissinger, Paul Levine, Dorothy Vaccaro, and Kathleen “Kathy” T. Hessinger.

• In Polk County, Robert G. Fegers, Sharon M. Franklin, and Gerald P. Hill II.

• In Santa Rosa County, Robert Hilliard.

• In Sarasota County, Phyllis Galen, MaryAnn Boehm, and Erika Quartermaine.

• In Seminole County, Fred Schott.

• In St. Johns County, Charles J. Tinlin.

• In Suwannee County, William F. “Lin” Williams.

• In Volusia County, Robert A. Sanders, Jr.

• In Wakulla County, Jill Walker.

• In Walton County, David Green.

• In Washington County, Colby Peel.