The Florida Bar

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9TH CIRCUIT JNC ANNOUNCES COUNTY COURT JUDICIAL VACANCY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2025
CONTACT: Christian W. Waugh, Chair; [email protected]
Ninth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission
TELEPHONE: 321-800-6008

This notice amends and supersedes the prior notice dated December 28, 2024.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has requested the Ninth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission provide him with names of highly qualified nominees for one (1) Orange County Court vacancy.

The Commission requires interested candidates to submit a completed application for consideration to the Chair, Christian W. Waugh at [email protected] on or before Thursday, Jan. 31, 2025 (4 p.m. ET). Incomplete applications and untimely submissions will not be considered by the Commission. Applicants in need of guidance should direct inquires to the Chair. Applicants must qualify to hold office for County Court under Article V, Section 8 of the Florida Constitution. Those qualifications include having been a member of the Florida Bar for the preceding five years, being a registered voter in the State of Florida, and the applicant must reside in Orange County at the time of appointment.

Anyone who has already submitted an application before the previous deadline need not apply again; the application has been received and will be considered.

Applications may be downloaded from the Office of the Governor at www.flgov.com, and must include a recent photograph, preferably as a cover page. Applicants must also include current contact information, including e-mail addresses, for themselves, as well as for all co-counsel, opposing counsel, and references to facilitate the requisite background investigation.

All applications must be submitted in one file in .pdf format. A second .pdf version of the application must also be provided with redactions to protect personal information not subject to public disclosure as permitted by Section 119.071, Florida Statutes. The two .pdf files should be named in a “last name.first name” format. For example, a qualified applicant named Douglas MacArthur should submit two files named: (1) MacArthur.Douglas.pdf and (2) MacArthur.Douglas-REDACTED.pdf. Applications not submitted in the correct format may be rejected and paper applications will not be accepted.

All interviews will be held on Feb. 18, 2025 at the offices of DownsAaron PLLC, 200 S. Orange Ave, Suite 2250, Orlando, Florida 32801. The exact time of interviews, to the extent granted, will be set at a later date. Applicants will be notified of their interview time but it is expected that interviews will take place in the afternoon.

Further information regarding applicants and schedule of interviews will be posted on Gov. DeSantis’ executive website soon after the application deadline. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Chair, Christian Waugh, at his contact information below.

Members of the bench, the Bar, and the public are encouraged to contact the members of the Commission concerning applicants for judicial positions. Letters of recommendation should be e- mailed or mailed to all Commissioners at any time before the interviews begin. The contact information for the commissioners is:

Christian W. Waugh, Chair

Waugh PLLC

201 E. Pine Street, Suite 315

Orlando, FL 32801

Office: 321-800-6008

Email: [email protected]

Michael A. Sasso, Vice Chair

Sasso & Sasso, P.A.

1031 W Morse Blvd., Ste. 120

Winter Park, FL 32789

Office: 407-644-7161

Email: [email protected]

Jeffrey Aaron

DownsAaron PLLC

200 S. Orange Ave, Suite 2250

Orlando, FL 32801

Office: 407-349-3949

Email: [email protected]

Eric Jontz

Fishback Dominick LLP

1947 Lee Road

Winter Park, FL 32789

Office: 407-262-8400

Email: [email protected]

Matthew Klein

Signature Aviation

13485 Veterans Way, Suite 600

Orlando, FL 32827

Office: 407-206-5291

Email: [email protected]

Michael Nardella

Nardella & Nardella, PLLC

135 W. Central Boulevard, Suite 300

Orlando, FL 32801-2435

Office: 407-966-2680

Email: [email protected]

Tim Schulte Zimmerman Kiser Sutcliffe, P.A.

315 E. Robinson Street, Suite 600

Orlando, FL 32801

Office: 407-425-7010

Email: [email protected]

Joseph Towne

Wilson Elser Moskowitz, et al

111 N. Orange Ave, Suite 1200

Orlando, FL 32801

Office: 407-203-7599

Email: [email protected]

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