Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced one judicial vacancy in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit resulting from the retirement of Circuit Court Judge Leigh Frizzell Hayes. Accordingly, the Twentieth Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission is now accepting applications for these vacancies.
Applicants must be able to fulfill the Constitutional qualifications before assuming the office of Circuit Court Judge, which requires a person to be a member in good standing of The Florida Bar for the preceding five (5) years, a registered voter in the State of Florida, and a resident of the territorial jurisdiction of the court at the time she or he assumes office.
The current application may be downloaded from the following websites: Honorable Ron DeSantis, 46th Governor of Florida at https://www.flgov.com/judicial-and-judicial-nominating-commission-information/ or The Florida Bar at https://www.floridabar.org/directories/jnc/applications/.
NOTICE: As of July 1, 2020, there have been changes made to the Application for Judicial vacancies. Applicants MUST complete the current application.
Any person wishing to be considered for appointment must submit the following:
- One (1) digital (electronic) signed copy of the original application (in .pdf format) with attachments, including the executed FDLE form;
- One (1) digital (electronic) signed copy of the application (in .pdf format) with personal information, not subject to public disclosure, redacted as permitted by F.S. 071.
All questions in the application must be FULLY and COMPLETELY answered. Applications must also include CURRENT contact information, including e-mail addresses, for all judges, co- counsel, opposing counsel, and references, to facilitate the background investigation that members of the Commission will conduct.
Applications must be delivered to the Chair, Richard J. Montecalvo, by e-mail at rmontecalvo@sao20.org no later than 2:00 p.m. on Friday December 29, 2023. Please “cc” Cathy Lester at clester@sao20.org.
NOTICE: Incomplete applications, submission of obsolete forms of the application, and applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
An interview date has been reserved for Tuesday, January 23, 2024. The list of candidates who will be interviewed, the schedule of interviews, and the location, will be announced on Friday, January 12, 2024.
All proceedings of the Judicial Nominating Commission are open to the public except for deliberations. Accordingly, applicants should NOT expect their applications to remain confidential. If an applicant is nominated, all materials attached to the original application shall be submitted to the Governor’s Office.
Members of the judiciary, bar, and the public are encouraged to contact members of the Commission concerning applicants for judicial positions.
Any person who wishes to submit a letter regarding any applicant must submit that letter in .pdf format by e-mail to the Chair at: rmontecalvo@sao20.org. The Chair will disseminate all letters to members of the Commission. All correspondence constitutes a public record pursuant to Chapter 119, Florida Statutes.
Members of the 20th Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission are:
Mike Carr, Esq. Richard J. Montecalvo, Esq. (Chair)
Katherine Cook, Esq. Aaron J. O’Brien, Esq.
Paul A. Giordano, Esq. Michael D. Randolph, Esq.
Sharon M. Hanlon, Esq. Andrea P. Smith, Esq.
Steven E. Martin, Esq. (Vice-Chair)
A complete listing for each member is available from The Florida Bar’s website or from the Chair.
Original source can be found here.