News Releases

FLORIDA BAR REPORTS ELECTION RESULTS FOR BOARD OF GOVERNORS, PRESIDENT-ELECT

In elections for The Florida Bar’s governing board, 15 incumbent members of the Board of Governors were re-elected to additional two-year terms without opposition; four new board members were elected without opposition; and there are five contested elections.

Board of Governors members Paige Greenlee of Tampa and Jeff Rynor of Miami Beach have qualified as candidates for Florida Bar president-elect in the Bar’s 2026 elections.

The Florida Bar News will publish platform statements and a Q&A with the candidates, both online and in the February printed edition.

Voting begins March 1, 2026, and ballots must be received prior to midnight (EST), March 15, 2026. Any runoff elections will be conducted in April 2026. New terms will begin in June 2026.

Incumbents re-elected without opposition for additional two-year terms, 2026-28, are:

• Geddes D. Anderson, Jr., Fourth Circuit, Seat 1

• Philip Bonamo, Seventh Circuit, Seat 1

• Frank M. Bedell, Ninth Circuit, Seat 1

• Victor Ramsey Smith, 10th Circuit, Seat 1

• Karl Klein, 11th Circuit, Seat 1

• Jordan A. Dresnick, 11th Circuit, Seat 3

• Alice Sum, 11th Circuit, Seat 7

• John A. Schifino, 13th Circuit, Seat 1

• Theodore R. Howell, 14th Circuit, Seat 1

• Grasford Smith, 15th Circuit, Seat 1

• Robin Bresky, 15th Circuit, Seat 3

• Alison Smith, 17th Circuit, Seat 1

• John D. Agnew, 20th Circuit, Seat 1

• Donald A. Workman, Out-of-State, Seat 2

• Brian D. Burgoon, Out-of-State, Seat 4

New members elected for two-year terms beginning in June 2026 are:

• Tisheena Rickerson of Jasper replacing Kris Robinson in the Third Circuit’s Seat 1.

• Zackary Zuroweste of Clearwater replacing Josh Chilson in the Sixth Circuit’s Seat 1.

• Mark J. Criser of Tampa replacing Paige Greenlee, who is a candidate for Bar president-elect, in the 13th Circuit’s Seat 4.

• Kurt E. Alexander of Merritt Island replacing James Vickaryous in 18th Circuit’s Seat 1.

The contested elections include:

• In the First Circuit, Seat 1, Randle D. Thompson will face Adam J.T.W. White. Both are from Pensacola and are seeking to replace Jeremy Branning, who is not seeking another term.

• In the Second Circuit, Seat 2, Elizabeth Desloge Ellis will face Benjamin J. Gibson. Both are from Tallahassee and are seeking to replace Melissa VanSickle, who is not seeking another term.

• In the Ninth Circuit, Seat 3, Michael A. Sasso will face Thomas A. Zehnder. Both are from Orlando and are seeking to replace Tad Yates, who is not seeking another term.

• In the 11th Circuit, Seat 5, Robert J. Beccera of Coral Gables, Benjamin Mordes of Miami, Michael Shelley of Miami Beach, and Vanessa Vasquez de Lara of Miami have qualified to replace Jeffrey Rynor, who is a candidate for Bar president-elect.

• In the 17th Circuit, Seat 4, incumbent Kyle S. Roberts is being challenged by Daniel E. Forrest. Both are from Ft. Lauderdale.

The Board of Governors is the governing body of The Florida Bar with exclusive authority to formulate and adopt matters of policy concerning the activities of the state bar, subject to limitations in the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar. The Florida Bar is an arm of the Florida Supreme Court charged with lawyer regulation and other professional activities.

The 52-member board is composed of:

• The president and president-elect (one-year terms)
• The president and president-elect of the Young Lawyers Division (one-year terms)
• Representatives elected by members of the Bar from each of the state’s 20 judicial circuits
• Four out-of-state representatives elected by members who reside outside of Florida
• Two public/non-lawyer members appointed by the Florida Supreme Court.

As of Dec. 1, The Florida Bar has 115,196 members, with 99,527 members in good standing.

###

About The Florida Bar

Founded in 1949, The Florida Bar serves the legal profession for the protection and benefit of both the public and all Florida lawyers. As one of the nation’s largest mandatory bars, The Florida Bar fosters and upholds a high standard of integrity and competence within Florida’s legal profession as an official arm of the Florida Supreme Court. To learn more, visit FloridaBar.org.