# United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (in case citations, M.D. Fla.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
The District was established on July 30, 1962, with parts of the Northern and Southern Districts transferring into the newly created Middle District.
As of February 18, 2025, the acting United States attorney for the District is Sara C. Sweeney.

## Organization of the court

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida is one of three federal judicial districts in Florida. Court for the District is held at Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, and Tampa.
Fort Myers Division comprises the following counties: Charlotte, Collier, Desoto, Glades, Hendry, and Lee.
Jacksonville Division comprises the following counties: Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Flagler, Hamilton, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, and Union.
Ocala Division comprises the following counties: Citrus, Lake, Marion, and Sumter.
Orlando Division comprises the following counties: Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia.
Tampa Division comprises the following counties: Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota.

## Current judges

As of November 2, 2024:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Term of service | Term of service | Appointed by |
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Active | Chief | Senior | Appointed by |
| 32 | Chief Judge | Marcia Morales Howard | Jacksonville | 1965 | 2007–present | 2024–present | — | G.W. Bush |
| 21 | District Judge | Steven Douglas Merryday | Tampa | 1950 | 1992–present | 2015–2020 | — | G.H.W. Bush |
| 33 | District Judge | Mary Stenson Scriven | Tampa | 1962 | 2008–present | — | — | G.W. Bush |
| 36 | District Judge | Sheri Polster Chappell | Ft. Myers | 1962 | 2013–present | — | — | Obama |
| 38 | District Judge | Paul G. Byron | Orlando | 1959 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
| 39 | District Judge | Carlos E. Mendoza | Orlando | 1970 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
| 40 | District Judge | William F. Jung | Tampa | 1958 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 41 | District Judge | Thomas P. Barber | Tampa | 1966 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 42 | District Judge | Wendy Berger | Jacksonville | 1968 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 43 | District Judge | John Badalamenti | Ft. Myers | 1973 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
| 44 | District Judge | Kathryn Kimball Mizelle | Tampa | 1987 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
| 45 | District Judge | Julie S. Sneed | Orlando | 1969 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 46 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 47 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 48 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | Senior Judge | Elizabeth A. Kovachevich | Tampa | 1936 | 1982–2018 | 1996–2002 | 2018–present | Reagan |
| 17 | Senior Judge | Patricia C. Fawsett | Orlando | 1943 | 1986–2008 | 2003–2008 | 2008–present | Reagan |
| 19 | Senior Judge | Harvey E. Schlesinger | Jacksonville | 1940 | 1991–2006 | — | 2006–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 20 | Senior Judge | Anne C. Conway | Orlando | 1950 | 1991–2015 | 2008–2015 | 2015–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 22 | Senior Judge | Henry Lee Adams Jr. | Jacksonville | 1945 | 1993–2010 | — | 2010–present | Clinton |
| 23 | Senior Judge | Susan C. Bucklew | Tampa | 1942 | 1993–2008 | — | 2008–present | Clinton |
| 24 | Senior Judge | Richard A. Lazzara | Tampa | 1945 | 1997–2011 | — | 2011–present | Clinton |
| 25 | Senior Judge | James D. Whittemore | Tampa | 1952 | 2000–2017 | — | 2017–present | Clinton |
| 26 | Senior Judge | John Antoon | Orlando | 1946 | 2000–2013 | — | 2013–present | Clinton |
| 27 | Senior Judge | John E. Steele | Ft. Myers | 1949 | 2000–2015 | — | 2015–present | Clinton |
| 28 | Senior Judge | James S. Moody Jr. | Tampa | 1947 | 2000–2014 | — | 2014–present | Clinton |
| 29 | Senior Judge | Gregory A. Presnell | Orlando | 1942 | 2000–2012 | — | 2012–present | Clinton |
| 30 | Senior Judge | Timothy J. Corrigan | Jacksonville | 1956 | 2002–2024 | 2020–2024 | 2024–present | G.W. Bush |
| 31 | Senior Judge | Virginia M. Hernandez Covington | Tampa | 1955 | 2004–2020 | — | 2020–present | G.W. Bush |
| 34 | Senior Judge | Charlene Edwards Honeywell | Tampa | 1957 | 2009–2023 | — | 2023–present | Obama |
| 35 | Senior Judge | Roy B. Dalton Jr. | Orlando | 1952 | 2011–2022 | — | 2022–present | Obama |
| 37 | Senior Judge | Brian J. Davis | Jacksonville | 1953 | 2013–2023 | — | 2023–present | Obama |

## Vacancies and pending nominations

| Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
| 8 | Tampa | Charlene Edwards Honeywell | Senior status | December 4, 2023 | – | – |
| 9 | Jacksonville | Brian J. Davis | Senior status | December 30, 2023 | – | – |
| 15 | Jacksonville | Timothy J. Corrigan | Senior status | November 2, 2024 | – | – |

## Former judges

| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
| 1 | John Milton Bryan Simpson | FL | 1903–1987 | 1962–1966 | 1962–1966 | — | Truman/Operation of law | elevation to 5th Cir. |
| 2 | Joseph Patrick Lieb | FL | 1901–1971 | 1962–1971 | 1966–1971 | — | Eisenhower/Operation of law | death |
| 3 | William McRae | FL | 1909–1973 | 1962–1973 | 1971–1973 | — | Kennedy/Operation of law | death |
| 4 | George C. Young | FL | 1916–2015 | 1962–1981 | 1973–1981 | 1981–2015 | Kennedy/Operation of law | death |
| 5 | Charles R. Scott | FL | 1904–1983 | 1966–1976 | — | 1976–1983 | L. Johnson | death |
| 6 | Ben Krentzman | FL | 1914–1998 | 1967–1982 | 1981–1982 | 1982–1998 | L. Johnson | death |
| 7 | Gerald Bard Tjoflat | FL | 1929–present | 1970–1975 | — | — | Nixon | elevation to 5th Cir. |
| 8 | William Terrell Hodges | FL | 1934–2022 | 1971–1999 | 1982–1989 | 1999–2022 | Nixon | death |
| 9 | John A. Reed Jr. | FL | 1931–2015 | 1973–1984 | — | — | Nixon | resignation |
| 10 | Howell W. Melton | FL | 1923–2015 | 1977–1991 | — | 1991–2015 | Carter | death |
| 11 | George C. Carr | FL | 1929–1990 | 1977–1990 | 1989–1990 | — | Carter | death |
| 12 | Susan H. Black | FL | 1943–present | 1979–1992 | 1990–1992 | — | Carter | elevation to 11th Cir. |
| 13 | William J. Castagna | FL | 1924–2020 | 1979–1992 | — | 1992–2020 | Carter | death |
| 14 | John H. Moore II | FL | 1929–2013 | 1981–1995 | 1992–1995 | 1995–2013 | Reagan | death |
| 16 | G. Kendall Sharp | FL | 1934–2022 | 1983–2000 | — | 2000–2022 | Reagan | death |
| 18 | Ralph Wilson Nimmons Jr. | FL | 1938–2003 | 1991–2003 | — | — | G.H.W. Bush | death |
* 1 2 3 Reassigned from the Southern District of Florida.
* ↑ From 1962-1966, Judge Young was jointly appointed to the Middle, Northern, and Southern Districts of Florida.

## Chief judges

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

## Succession of seats

Seat 1 :
| Reassigned from Southern District on July 30, 1962 by 76 Stat. 247 ||||
| Simpson | 1962–1966 |
| Krentzman, Jr. | 1967–1982 |
| Sharp | 1983–2000 |
| Antoon II | 2000–2013 |
| Mendoza | 2014–present |
Seat 2 :
| Reassigned from Southern District on July 30, 1962 by 76 Stat. 247 ||||
| Lieb | 1962–1971 |
| Hodges | 1971–1999 |
| Whittemore | 2000–2017 |
| Barber | 2019–present |
Seat 3 :
| Reassigned from Southern District on July 30, 1962 by 76 Stat. 247 ||||
| McRae, Jr. | 1962–1973 |
| Reed, Jr. | 1973–1984 |
| Fawsett | 1986–2008 |
| Scriven | 2008–present |
Seat 4 :
| Seat assigned on July 30, 1962 by 76 Stat. 247 (concurrent with Northern and Southern Districts) ||||
| Seat reassigned solely to Middle District on September 17, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 ||||
| Young | 1962–1981 |
| Kovachevich | 1982–2018 |
| Badalamenti | 2020–present |
Seat 5 :
| Seat established on March 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 ||||
| Scott | 1966–1976 |
| Carr | 1977–1990 |
| Conway | 1991–2015 |
| Jung | 2018–present |
Seat 6 :
| Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 ||||
| Tjoflat | 1970–1975 |
| Melton, Sr. | 1977–1991 |
| Schlesinger | 1991–2006 |
| Howard | 2007–present |
Seat 7 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Black | 1979–1992 |
| Adams, Jr. | 1993–2010 |
| Dalton, Jr. | 2011–2022 |
| Sneed | 2024–present |
Seat 8 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Castagna | 1979–1992 |
| Bucklew | 1993–2008 |
| Honeywell | 2009–2023 |
| vacant | 2023–present |
Seat 9 :
| Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Moore II | 1981–1995 |
| Lazzara | 1997–2011 |
| Davis | 2013–2023 |
| vacant | 2023–present |
Seat 10 :
| Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 ||||
| Nimmons, Jr. | 1991–2003 |
| Covington | 2004–2020 |
| Mizelle | 2020–present |
Seat 11 :
| Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 ||||
| Merryday | 1992–present |
Seat 12 :
| Seat established on November 29, 1999 by 113 Stat. 1501 ||||
| Steele | 2000–2015 |
| Berger | 2019–present |
Seat 13 :
| Seat established on November 29, 1999 by 113 Stat. 1501 ||||
| Moody, Jr. | 2000–2014 |
| Byron | 2014–present |
Seat 14 :
| Seat established on November 29, 1999 by 113 Stat. 1501 ||||
| Presnell | 2000–2012 |
| Chappell | 2013–present |
Seat 15 :
| Seat established on November 29, 1999 by 113 Stat. 1501 ||||
| Corrigan | 2002–2024 |
| vacant | 2024–present |

## Courthouse history

Completed in 1908 by architect John Knox Taylor, the historic Federal courthouse in Tampa stands as the only civic building constructed in the eclectic renaissance style. Initially serving as a U.S. Post Office, the courthouse moved two blocks down to its current location in 1998. Congress named the court in honor of long-time Tampa representative and University of Florida Law alumnus Sam Gibbons; the congressman is largely recognized as the founder of the University of South Florida.

## U.S. Attorneys

* Edward F. Boardman 1961–69
* John L. Briggs 1969–78
* John J. Daley 1978–79
* Gary L. Betz 1979–82
* Robert W. Merkle, Jr. 1982–88
* Robert W. Genzman 1988–93
* Douglas N. Frazier 1993
* Larry H. Colleton 1994
* Donna A. Bucella 1994
* Charles R. Wilson 1994–99
* Donna A. Bucella 1999–2001
* Paul Ignatius Perez 2002?–2007
* James R. Klindt 2007
* Robert E. O'Neill 2007–2008
* A. Brian Albritton 2008–2010
* Robert E. O'Neill 2010–2013
* A. Lee Bentley III 2014–2017
* William S. Muldrow 2017
* Maria Chapa Lopez 2018–2021
* Karin Hoppmann 2021
* Roger B. Handberg 2021–2025

## Federal Defenders

* Robert W. Knight (1977–1983) (office established)
* H. Jay Stevens (1983–1999)
* R. Fletcher Peacock (1999–2007)
* Donna Lee Elm (2007–2021)
* Alec F. Hall (2021–present)