Two Open Florida Supreme Court Seats Draw 31 Applicants, Two From 5th District

The candidates, primarily appellate and circuit judges from across the state, are seeking to replace former justices Robert Luck and Barbara Lagoa, who were appointed by President Donald Trump to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission will review the applications, interview candidates and submit the names of finalists to DeSantis, who will select the replacements for Luck and Lagoa.

Shortly after taking office in January, DeSantis appointed three justices — Luck, Lagoa and Carlos Muniz — to replace longtime justices Barbara Pariente, R. Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince, who retired because of a mandatory retirement age. In doing so, the Republican governor made the Supreme Court more conservative.

With Luck and Lagoa quickly moving to the Atlanta-based federal appeals court, DeSantis will get two more opportunities to continue reshaping the court. Because of the current makeup of the court, one of DeSantis’ selections will have to be a resident of the state’s 3rd Appellate District, which is made up of Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

Here are the candidates who submitted applications before a 6 p.m. Tuesday deadline:

— Judge Hunter Carroll of the 12th Judicial Circuit, which is made up of DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

— Judge Howard Coates Jr. of the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County.

— John Couriel, an attorney with the Miami firm Kobre & Kim.

— Jack Cox, an attorney with the Hobe Sound firm Jack Schramm Cox, Chartered.

— Judge Fabienne Fahnestock of the 17th Judicial Circuit in Broward County.

— Manuel Farach, an attorney in the Fort Lauderdale office of the firm McGlinchey Stafford.

— Judge Renatha Francis of the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County.

— Judge Jonathan Gerber of the 4th District Court of Appeal in Southeast Florida.

— Judge Jamie Grosshans of the 5th District Court of Appeal in Central Florida.

— Judge Jeff Kuntz of the 4th District Court of Appeal in Southeast Florida.

— Judge Bruce Kyle of the 20th Judicial Circuit, which is made up of Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties.

— Judge Norma Lindsey of the 3rd District Court of Appeal, which hears cases from Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

— Judge Howard McGillin of the 7th Judicial Circuit, which is made up of St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler and Volusia counties.

— Judge Bronwyn Miller of the 3rd District Court of Appeal, which hears cases from Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

— Judge Anne-Leigh Moe of the 13th Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County.

— Belinda Noah, a Tampa attorney and CEO of Belinda Noah Productions, Inc.

— Judge Virginia Norton of the 4th Judicial Circuit, which hears cases from Duval, Clay and Nassau counties.

— Judge Timothy Osterhaus of the 1st District Court of Appeal in North Florida.

— Eliot Pedrosa, a Miami attorney and U.S. representative on the Board of Executive Directors of the Inter-American Development Bank.

— Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips of the 17th Judicial Circuit in Broward County.

— Judge Cymonie Rowe of the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County.

— Judge Lori Rowe of the 1st District Court of Appeal in North Florida.

— Judge Samuel Salario of the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Southwest Florida.

— Judge Tatiana Salvador of the 4th Judicial Circuit, which hears cases from Duval, Clay and Nassau counties.

— Judge Meredith Sasso of the 5th District Court of Appeal in Central Florida.

— Judge Ed Scales of the 3rd District Court of Appeal, which hears cases from Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

— Judge Elijah Smiley of the 14th Judicial Circuit, which hears cases from Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties.

— Judge Adrian Soud of the 4th Judicial Circuit, which hears cases from Duval, Clay and Nassau counties.

— Judge William Thomas of the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County.

— Judge Daryl Trawick of the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County.

— Judge Thomas Winokur of the 1st District Court of Appeal in North Florida.

–Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida