VOTE411 Voter Guide

What qualifies me for this role is not just what I studied; it is what I have built across every part of my career. As Managing Partner of the Miami office of Goede, DeBoest & Cross, I lead the firm's Miami area practice and banking practice group, overseeing complex matters spanning banking law, land use, and civil litigation. That leadership has taught me how to manage a heavy workload, set priorities, and keep complex matters moving without sacrificing careful attention to any single one. Directing strategy for a busy practice means making timely decisions, staying organized, and holding a team accountable to deadlines, skills that translate directly into managing a courtroom docket efficiently while still giving every case the consideration it deserves.

My public service experience adds another dimension. As a Florida Gubernatorial Fellow, I worked on statewide initiatives that shaped my commitment to public service. As a Judicial Extern in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, I saw firsthand the discipline and judgment the role demands.

I would also bring the temperament this work requires: patience, humility, and respect for every person who appears in the courtroom. My community involvement, through the Junior League of Miami, the Cuban American Bar Association, and the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, reflects a long standing commitment to service.

My judicial philosophy comes down to three simple principles: character, integrity, and fairness.

Character means bringing patience, discipline, and respect to the courtroom, and treating every person who enters it with dignity — whether they are an attorney, a witness, a family member, or a litigant.

Integrity means following the law faithfully, honestly, and consistently, so people can trust that their case is being decided the same way every time, for everyone.

Fairness means every person deserves a fair process and a fair hearing — confidence that their case will be considered carefully and impartially, because the decisions made in court affect people's lives, families, and futures.

Those three principles are simple, but I believe they are exactly what voters deserve from a judge, and they are the commitment I would bring to the bench every day.

I recognize that heavy dockets are one of the most persistent challenges facing our courts, and that voters rightly want both timely resolutions and careful, fair decisions. I do not see these as competing goals so much as a matter of preparation and discipline.

Throughout my career, I have managed a high-volume litigation docket across Florida's courts, and that experience has taught me that efficiency comes from thorough preparation. A well-prepared judge who has done the work before stepping onto the bench — reviewing filings closely, understanding the issues in advance, and setting clear expectations for counsel — can move a docket efficiently while still giving each litigant a full and fair hearing.

As a judge, I would bring that same professionalism and preparation to case management: setting realistic timelines, being decisive about what needs court time and what does not, and staying organized so that no case is rushed. Every person who appears in my courtroom would be treated with the same respect and careful consideration, regardless of how full the docket is that day. Efficiency and fairness both depend on discipline, and I would hold myself to that standard in every case.

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