Legislature authorizes 10 new trial court judges
For the second year in a row, lawmakers have agreed to increase the size of the judiciary in Florida, this time approving legislation that would authorize 10 new trial court judges.
The Senate voted 38-0 on March 12 to send HB 5301, by Rep. Mike Beltran, R-Valrico, to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Senate Appropriations Chair Rob Bradley, R-Orange Park, said that while budget negotiations continue, House and Senate leaders agreed on the appropriation.
“This is the second year in a row that we have decided to do the right thing,” Bradley said. “This is long overdue.”
The measure would add six county court judges, four in Hillsborough County and one each in Orange and Lee counties.
The legislation also would create four new circuit judge positions, two in the Ninth Circuit, which serves Central Florida, and one each in the 14th Circuit and First Circuit, both of which serve Northwest Florida.
The legislation mirrors a certification the Supreme Court issued on November 27, 2019, in SC19-1907.
The Legislature’s decision to fund a new circuit judgeship in the Ninth Circuit last year allowed that court to reopen a business and complex litigation division that was temporarily closed to manage overflowing dockets in the family law division.
