20 elected without opposition, four Board of Governors seats contested
20 elected without opposition, four Board of Governors seats contested
Four Board of Governors seats – one in the Second Circuit, two in the 11th Circuit, and one in the 17th Circuit — will be decided by members in the Bar’s 2016 elections while 20 lawyers have been elected or reelected to the board without opposition.
In the Second Circuit, Mary Ellen Clark, Steven E. Sellers, and Melissa VanSickle, all of Tallahassee, filed to replace retiring board member Bill Davis.
In the 11th Circuit, Ricky Patel filed to oppose incumbent Dennis G. Kainen in Seat 5, and Oscar A. Sanchez and Nikki Lewis Simon filed to oppose incumbent John H. Hickey in Seat 7.
In the 17th Circuit, Jay Kim of Ft. Lauderdale, Morrie I. Levine of Hollywood, and Charles A. Morehead III of Sunrise filed to replace retiring board member Skip Campbell.
Ballots will be mailed around March 1 and must be returned to the Bar’s election company before midnight March 21. As in past years, members will have the option of voting with a paper ballot or online. Instructions will be included with the ballots.
If any of the races result in a runoff, those ballots will be mailed around April 1 and must be returned by April 22.
Those elected to two-year terms without opposition were: Stephen Echsner of Pensacola in the First Circuit, Bruce Robinson of Lake City in the Third Circuit, Fred Franklin of Jacksonville in the Fourth Circuit, Joshua T. Chilson of Clearwater in the Sixth Circuit, Sam Masters of Daytona Beach in the Seventh Circuit, Mary Ann Morgan of Winter Park in the Ninth Circuit, Seat 1, Wayne Helsby of Winter Park in the Ninth Circuit, Seat 3, C. Richard Nail of Lakeland in the 10th Circuit, Roland Sanchez-Medina of Miami in the 11th Circuit, Seat 1, Leslie Lott of Coral Gables in the 11th Circuit Seat 3, Thomas Bopp of Tampa in the 13th Circuit, Seat 1, Michael Hooker of Tampa in the 13th Circuit, Seat 4, John W. Manuel of Panama City in the 14th Circuit, Adam Rabin of West Palm Beach in the 15th Circuit, Seat 1, Michelle Suskauer of West Palm Beach in the 15th Circuit, Seat 3, Jay Cohen of Ft. Lauderdale, in the 17th Circuit, Seat 4, O. John Alpizar of Palm Bay in the 18th Circuit, Laird Lile of Naples in the 20th Circuit, Ian Comisky of Philadelphia in Out-of-State, Seat 2, and Brian Burgoon of Atlanta in Out-of-State, Seat 4.
All except Chilson, who replaces retiring board member Andy Sasso, and Rabin, who replaces retiring board member David Prather, are incumbents.
New and returning board members will be sworn in during the General Assembly at the Bar’s Annual Convention in June.
