THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:
ELECTION CENTRAL ..... 2022 EDITION .....
THE BIG QUESTION ..... IS JUDGE FRED SERAPHIN RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION???
Elections for Judge in Miami-Dade County take place on August 23, 2022. The Qualifying period runs one week, from April 25-29, 2022. Currently there are a total of 23 Groups up for election in Circuit Court and another 14 in County Court.
In Circuit Court, all 23 Incumbents have already filed in their respective Groups. One Incumbent, Mark Blumstein, has drawn a challenger. Blumstein is being challenged by attorney Ariel Rodriguez, a 23 year member of The Florida Bar. Rodriguez currently is employed at the U.S. Dept. Of Justice in the Office of U.S. Trustee.
In County Court, 12 Incumbents have already filed in their Groups. Judge Edward Newman, in Group 7, is retiring. One attorney, Marcus Bach Armas, has filed in that Group. He has yet to draw an opponent, and Mr. Bach Armas is doing everything he can to dissuade anyone from filing against him as he has already raised $113,000 and loaned his campaign another $41,000.
The 14th Group in County Court, Group 5, is a seat currently held by Judge Fred Seraphin. Judge Seraphin is the only Incumbent who has not yet filed for re-election. We emailed Judge Seraphin last week and asked him for any updates on his future as a judge. He has yet to respond.
Finally, two Incumbent County Court Judges have opponents. Judge Scott Janowitz, in Group 42, is being challenged by attorney Alicia Garcia Priovolos, an ASA in Miami-Dade County for the past 16 years. Also, Judge Jeffrey Kolokoff, in Group 19, woke up on Friday last week to the news that he had an opponent. Filing against Kolokoff is attorney Lissette de la Rosa, a member of The Florida Bar for 20 years. One big difference between Incumbents Kolokoff and Janowitz. Judge Kolokoff has already accumulated $55,925 in his war chest and seemed to be ready in case he drew an opponent. Contrast that with Judge Janowitz. He has only raised $2,550 (and $2,000 of that comes from the Janowitz family).
Here is your current line-up for the judicial races.
CIRCUIT COURT
Group 3 Lody Jean
Group 4 Christina Marie DiRaimondo
Group 6 Laura Shearon Cruz
Group 9 Marcia del Rey
Group 10 Scott M Bernstein
Group 12 Bertila Ana Soto
Group 16 Tom "Tomas" Rebull
Group 20 Robert T. Watson
Group 26 William I. Altfield
Group 28 Jennifer D. Bailey
Group 32 Barbara Areces
Ariel Rodriguez
Group 39 David H Young
Group 40 William Thomas
Group 41 Milton "Milt" Hirsch
Group 45 Samantha Ruiz Cohen
Group 46 Ramiro C. Areces
Group 52 Oscar Rodriguez-Fonts
Group 59 Nushin G. Sayfie
Group 62 Gina Beovides
Group 63 Marlene A. Fernandez-Karavetsos
Group 64 Zachary N. James
Group 74 George "Jorge" A. Sarduy
COUNTY COURT
Group 03 Ayana Harris
Group 07 Marcus R. Bach Armas
Group 08 Carlos H. Gamez
Group 11 Michaelle Gonzalez-Paulson
Group 13 Elisabeth Espinosa
Group 15 Linda Melendez
Lissette De La Rosa
Group 23 Carroll Kelly
Group 27 Miesha Shonta Darrough
Group 28 Cristina Rivera Correa
Group 35 Chiaka Ihekwaba
Group 37 Diana Vizcaino
Group 39 Julie Harris Nelson
Alicia Garcia Priovolos
We will be following the judicial elections for the Blog over the next seven months and reporting to you with updates. If you have any juicy information you would like to share, please email us at the email address listed below.
Captain4Justice@gmail.com
19 comments:
I do not know and could not identify in a lineup at least 80% of the county judges.
The trialmaster rarely treads in Kounty Kourt unless a celebrity is charged and pays over 25K.
If my name was Suarez - I would be elected Judge.
I could run against any of the no name appointees and win.
That is just the way it is in Miami.
If I were in Pensacola - I would win with the name Jones or Smith.
That’s just the way it is.
If you don’t like it - move.
If no one runs against Seraphin, then please don't ever post a comment where the whole world complains about him.
You are going to see a ton of opponents to incumbents this year in the election of judges. No one who votes has any idea at all as to who are good judges and who don’t even put in a 4 hour work day.
You judges who have done NOTHING during Covid are in for an expensive race. Get ready to open up your crappy Hialeah law office again.
The Herald editorial board knows who of the judges have been collecting salaries and doing no work. They know who lies about their hours spent doing “administrative” court time. What a total rip off of taxpayer money.
The Herald Editorial Board knows absolutely nothing about judges. Their judicial write ups make me want to vomit.
Hmmm... people run against gringos only.... hmmm.
Jeff K is a really good guy. Why run against him? Hmmmm. his name is not Garcia or Rodriquez?????
I think I will run against Tom never ever ever do a fucking thing for the defense Rebull.
The Herald is a joke.
If you are a sitting judge, you get the recommendation, because you have "judicial experience" and your opponent doesn't. Well, no shit.
If its an open seat, the lawyer with more years and jury trials gets the recommendation.
I've been in front of Jeff Kolokoff a few times and he appears to know what he is doing and has good temperament and attitude.
Most of the bottom feeders running for judge have no jury trial experience. Look at El Aponte. The worst qualifications of any candidate totally incompetent and a liar. Defeated an very experienced well respected sitting judge only because of her latin name. At least Aponte is not on unemployment now. Just disgraceful.
5:11, agreed. And the Herald's reasoning always sounds like what you would expect from a lay voter without knowledge of how the judiciary actually works.
Jeff is a good guy indeed but Lisaette D is also very good and pleasant. No doubt his name is a factor to target him but either one is going to be good.
His new wife Christina Marie DiRaimondo needs to go. She's worse than him. She's absolutely horrible.
Scott Janowitz is a very smart judge and works hard. Just picked him for his name.
DV judges need opposition. None of them want to come in and work like they're supposed too. It's the same ones that cry about "loving" zoom! Even the family judges occasionally come in! And the administrative judges are the worst! No one has seen them in ages!
Ditto.
No judge has been worse in civil and criminal than Blumstein. He has no respect for attorneys’ time and has no clue. All of his rulings are based on bias and not based on law. There is a reason he is the only circuit judge with opposition. He has to go.
I liked Blumstein in civil. Forced parties to settle cases.
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