Following a determination by the Florida Supreme Court and ratification by the Legislature last June, the Seventh Judicial Circuit, which includes Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns and Putnam counties, is getting two additional circuit judgeships, in addition to the 27 existing ones.
The nine-member Judicial Nominating Commission for the Seventh Circuit, which currently has no representation from Flagler or Putnam counties, is accepting applications for the two judgeships until 5 p.m. on Sept. 15. The application is available here and here.
The commission, chaired by St. Johns County attorney Travis Mydock, will interview the candidates in 15-minute increments at a date yet to be announced, and forward short lists to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who will appoint the new judges likely later this year for investiture early next year. If they intend to remain on the bench, the judges will have to run for election when their appointed term is up.
“Applicants must meet the qualifications for circuit court judges as described in Article V, Section 8 of the Florida Constitution,” the JNC’s announcement states. There are two requirements: applicants must be registered electors in the circuit, and they must have been members of the Florida bar for at least the last five years.
Applications must be delivered by email to Mydock, at [email protected].
Unlike the 17 county judges, circuit judges may be assigned to any of the four counties in the circuit. Flagler County’s current circuit judges are Dawn Nichols, who handles the felony docket and civil cases, and Chris France, who handles family court and other civil cases. Flagler’s county judges are Melissa Distler and Andrea Totten.
The Seventh is among 20 judicial circuits in the state. There are also six district courts of appeal (Flagler County is in the Fifth District.)
The Supreme Court’s December order certified the need for 23 additional circuit court judges statewide, 25 additional county court judges, and two additional district court judgeships in the Sixth District Court of Appeal, which covers 10 west-central counties.
“Although there is not an increase in forecasted filings,” a legislative analysis summarized, “the revised case weights resulting from the comprehensive trial court workload assessment demonstrated that many cases have become more complex and require additional judicial engagement and time to resolve.”
The Senate originally approved adding 10 circuit judges, all in two circuits, and 17 county judges. In conference with the House, legislators agreed to increase the circuit judgeships by 22, and county judgeships by 15. None of the counties in the Seventh Circuit are getting new county judges. Flagler County last benefited from an additional judge in 2019, when the Legislature approved adding a county judge to help relieve the workload on Distler. Totten was appointed that October, and went on to win election in 2022.
Circuit judges are paid $197,000 a year, county judges $186,000. Lawmakers had initially approved $7.8 million in additional funds for the new positions and those of the judges’ assistants. The sum did not reflect the conference report’s larger number of approved judgeships. The legislative analysis noted that the bill could result in additional costs to county courthouses, which are responsible for facilities, security, communications and so on. “Any additional costs associated with the newly established positions can likely be absorbed within existing resources,” the analysis states, without supporting evidence.
The Seventh Circuit’s Judicial Nominating Commission, entirely appointed by the governor (with four members directly appointed by the governor and four nominated by the Florida Bar for appointment by the governor), is made up of Travis Mydock (St. Johns), Andrew Morgan (St. Johns), Anna Shea (St. Johns), Geremy Gregory (St. Johns), Casey Arnold (St. Johns), Erica White (Volusia), Kelly Kwiatek (Volusia), John Reid (Volusia) and Terrence White (Volusia).
According to the JNC’s release, a complete application shall include: a signed Certificate, Financial History, notarized Form 6, Judicial Application Data Record, FDLE form, a writing sample, and a current color photograph. All questions in the application must be answered fully and completely. Applicants must include current contact information for all judges, co-counsel, opposing counsel, and references to facilitate the background investigation. Each .pdf file should be titled so that the applicant’s full name and “original” or “redacted” is readily apparent before opening the attachment. The application and all attachments should be combined into a single .pdf file.
All proceedings and documents of the Seventh Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission are open to the public, except for deliberations. Applicants should expect that their application will not remain confidential.
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