There are 20 circuits established by the Legislature. Within each, there is a varying number of judges depending on the area’s population and caseload. Referred to as courts of general jurisdiction, the majority of jury trials, civil and criminal cases originate in these courts. Circuit Court judges are elected by the voters of the circuits in nonpartisan elections. Circuit Court judges serve 6-year terms, with no term limit. The 2024 salary for a Circuit Court Judge is $182,060.
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4076771776
As an attorney I have tried approximately 300 jury trial all were criminal trial ranging from misdemeanor cases earning my career to capital murder cases.
I have found that innovation is always the best method for improving efficiency . We should never be afraid to try something new.
I have not yet worked in the juvenile division .
Both prosecutors and PDs have ridiculously large caseloads and unfortunately little training in how to handle them . The key to the problem for both is prioritizing their efforts. All the Courts can do is to try to drive home this message at the same time insuring that each Defendants case is given the time and investigation it deserves .
As the State attorney I was once faced with a decision regarding any employee who posted something on social media that I deemed racist and deeply offensive to me personally. At that time the office had no social media policy so he hadn’t violated any law or policy . Clearly his act was a first amendment protected act of speech. I struggled with balancing my personal standards against my belief in the importance of free speech. I resisted calls to fire him because his speech was protected and he had violated no policy. It did lead me to create a policy within the office on social media which would allow me to take action should it happen in the future. It was a very difficult call but I think the right one.
Civic Positions/Experience
I have more than 15 years of experience practicing both criminal and civil law. I currently serve as the Senior Counsel of a local litigation firm handling various types of personal injury cases.
Education
B.S. Degree in Political Science/Minor in Psychology from FSU, JD from FAMU College of Law
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I have tried approximately 30 criminal and civil cases; approximately 20 of which were jury trials and 10 before a Judge.
I think one of the most effective methods for improving court procedures within the Circuit Court was the implementation of the order requiring disposition of cases within 18 months of initiation. I think one way to expound upon this effective method is to slightly increase in the number of Circuit Court Judges in order to address some of the immediate stress on the Courts to devote adequate time to each case and provide a more efficient judicial process for members of the community that the Court is designated to serve.
I think we currently have a system designed to implement programming for children primarily during the penalty phase of their juvenile delinquency case. However, children in general have a habit of committing offenses based on impulse or a feeling rooted in fear, rather than with well-reasoned thought. I would like to see more programming implemented before children are brought before the delinquency court for parents of children who believe that their child could benefit from programming designed to thwart impulse or fear-based criminal behaviors. These programs could be administered under the unified family court umbrella as a community outreach program to help reduce the amount of delinquency behaviors before becoming part of the system.
While I believe that the assurance of adequate representation for clients represented by the public defender's office rests primarily with the elected Public Defender that is voted into that position by the constituents of this Circuit, I also believe that a Judge can take steps to create a compassionate and patient courtroom atmosphere for all litigants within their courtroom, including the public defenders. As a former public defender, I appreciated the Judges that took an understanding approach to my ever-growing caseload and allowed me adequate time to ensure that I was able to provide each of my clients with great representation.
As a former criminal defense attorney, I have represented clients that have asked me to represent them in a manner that is inconsistent with the law, or with my ethical obligations. In particular, I can recall a case wherein my client asked me to make certain allegations in an effort to forum shop his/her case to a Judge that (s)he believed would be more lenient at the time of sentencing. Rather than complying with this client’s request, I spent extensive time explaining the law to the client, the reasons why their request was inappropriate, and brainstorming ideas on how to advocate for him/her within the law for the best outcome.
