Title: Judges

Summary: Revises number of circuit court judges in certain circuits; revises number of county court judges in certain counties; provides legislative findings; provides that circuit & county court judicial offices created by act constitute vacancies in office for purposes of qualifying for 2018 general election; provides for election of new circuit & county court judges created by act in 2018 general election; provides qualifying dates for these positions; specifies elimination dates for decertified offices.

Full Text:
An act relating to judges; amending s. 26.031, F.S.; revising the number of circuit court judges in certain circuits; amending s. 34.022, F.S.; revising the number of county court judges in certain counties; providing legislative findings; providing that the circuit and county court judicial offices created by the act constitute vacancies in office for purposes of qualifying for the 2018 general election; providing for the election of new circuit and county court judges created by the act in the 2018 general election; providing qualifying dates for these positions; specifying elimination dates for the decertified offices; providing an effective date. Be It Enacte dby the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Subsection (9) of section 26.031, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 26.031 Judicial circuits; number of judges.-The number of circuit judges in each circuit shall be as follows: JUDICIAL CIRCUIT TOTAL (9) Ninth............................................. 43 Section 2. Subsections (1), (5), (8), (11), (16), (28), (36), (44), (51), (53), and (54) of section 34.022, Florida HB 5301 2018 Statutes, are amended to read: 34.022 Number of county court judges for each county.-The number of coun ty court judges in each county shall be as follows: COUNTY TOTAL (1) Alachua............................................. 5 (5) Brevard............................................ 11 (8) Charlotte........................................... 3 (11) Collier............................................ 6 (16) Escambia........................................... 5 (28) Hillsborough.....................................19 36 (36) Leon............................................... 5 (44) Monroe............................................. 4 (51) Pasco.............................................. 7 (53) Polk.............................................. 10 (54) Putnam............................................. 2 Section 3. (1) The Legislature finds that an emergency does not exist and the public business does not require immediate appointment of the circuit and county court judicial offices created in sections and of this act. (2) The circuit and county court judicial offices created in sections and of this act constitute vacancies in office for purposes of qualifying for the 2018 general election. (3) The Governor may not fill the circuit and county court HB 5301 2018 judicial offices creat ed in sections and of this act by appointment, but those offices shall be filled by election in the 2018 general election pursuant to chapter 105, Florida Statutes. Candidates for the circuit and county court judicial offices created in sections and of this act must qualify as provided in chapter 105, Florida Statutes, except that candidates qualifying under this act must qualify no earlier than noon of the 50th day, and no later than noon of the 46th day, before the primary election. (4) The term sof the circuit and county court judicial offices created in sections and of this act shall begin on January 8, 2019. (5) The county court judicial offices decertified in section of this act are eliminated upon the expiration of a judicial term, a sprovided in s. 9, Article Vof the State Constitution. (6) If on the same day the number of county court judges whose terms expire is greater than the number of decertifications for that county as set forth in this act, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall determine which specific county court judicial offices will be eliminated in that county subject to judicial decertification. Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.