5TH CIRCUIT JNC ANNOUNCES JUDICIAL VACANCIES
The Fifth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission announces two vacancies in the Fifth Judicial Circuit:
- One County Court position in Sumter County; and
- One Circuit Court position in Lake County.
Applicants must have been a member of The Florida Bar for the preceding five (5) years and must be a qualified elector. All appointees must meet residency requirements at the time of assuming office.
Residency Requirements for County Position: Resident of Sumter County.
Residency Requirements for Circuit Position: Resident of the Fifth Judicial Circuit.
The Judicial Application may be downloaded from the Office of the Governor website. For application inquiries, please contact the Chair:
Matthew A. Foreman
5308 Spring Hill Drive
Spring Hill, FL 34606
Telephone: 352-686-6278
Email: [email protected]
Applicants must submit a complete application to the Chair at [email protected]. The deadline for submitting the applications is Feb. 16, 2026, at noon. No applications will be accepted after such date and time. Applications deemed incomplete may be rejected in their entirety in the Commission’s discretion. Applicants who are in need of guidance may contact the Chair. A current photo of each applicant must be submitted with the application.
Applications must be in .pdf form with a second .pdf version of the application with personal information not subject to public disclosure – such as the social security number – redacted as permitted by Section 119.071 of the Florida Statutes. The two .pdf files should be named in a “last name.first name” format. For example: Bob Smith should submit two files names: (1) Smith.Bob.pdf and (2) Smith.Bob-REDACTED.pdf. No paper applications will be accepted. Searchable PDF formats are preferred.
All interviews are scheduled for March 6, 2026, with the location of the interviews to be announced shortly. Information regarding applicant interview times will be established and advertised at a later date. All proceedings of the Commission are open to the public except for deliberations.
Members of the bench, bar and public are encouraged to contact members of the Commission concerning applicants for judicial positions. Members of the Fifth Judicial Nominating Commission are: Matthew A. Foreman (Chair), Nicole Blumenauer (Vice Chair), Robert Batsel, Zachary McCormick, Shanta Matthews, David Jordan, Richard Mutarelli Jr., and Bill Gladson. A complete listing and contact information for each member is available on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ website.
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EDITORS: Please note The Florida Bar is not an association and "Association" is not part of our name. Proper reference is "The Florida Bar." Local bar organizations are properly termed "associations."