THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:
QUALIFYING WEEK HAS ENDED ..... YOUR WINNERS & CONTESTED RACES*
In Circuit Court, four Incumbent judges drew opponents this year while 19 Incumbent judges were re-elected without a challenger. In County Court, three Incumbent judges drew opposition and 12 Incumbents were re-elected without anyone filing against them.
And congratulations to Judge-Elect Marcus Bach Armas who was first to file in the open seat vacated by retiring Judge Edward Newman. Bach Armas did not draw an opponent and he can now turn in his season tickets to the Dolphins front office and exchange those seats for an aqua and orange judicial robe. How fitting that Judge Newman, an offensive lineman, who played in three Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins, winning one (Super Bowl VIII over the Vikings), is being replaced by the senior counsel for the team he played with for 12 years. Thank you Judge Newman for your 28 years of service to the citizens of Miami-Dade County.
As an added bonus to getting re-elected, your Circuit and County Court judges are expecting a very nice bump in their salaries come July 1. That presumes that Governor DeSantis does not issue a line item veto on the amounts recommended in the Budget bill.
Under the new budget, effective July 1, a circuit court judge’s salary would increase from $165,509 to $182,060, and a county court judge’s salary would rise from $156,377 to $172,015.
CIRCUIT COURT
CONTESTED CIRCUIT COURT RACES:
Group 3
Teressa Maria Cervera
Group 20
Brenda Gitchev Guerrero
Group 34
Ariel Rodriguez
Group 52
Jason Bloch
Congratulations to the following 19 judges who have earned another six years on the CIRCUIT COURT bench:
Group 4 Christina Marie DiRaimondo (I)
Group 6 Laura Shearon Cruz (I)
Group 9 Marcia del Rey (I)
Group 10 Scott M Bernstein (I)
Group 12 Bertila Ana Soto (I)
Group 16 Tom "Tomas" Rebull (I)
Group 26 William I. Altfield (I)
Group 28 Jennifer D. Bailey (I)
Group 32 Barbara Areces (I)
Group 39 David H Young (I)
Group 40 William Thomas (I)
Group 41 Milton "Milt" Hirsch (I)
Group 45 Samantha Ruiz Cohen (I)
Group 46 Ramiro C. Areces (I)
Group 59 Nushin G. Sayfie (I)
Group 62 Gina Beovides (I)
Group 63 Marlene A. Fernandez-Karavetsos (I)
Group 64 Zachary N. James (I)
Group 74 George "Jorge" A. Sarduy (I)
COUNTY COURT
CONTESTED COUNTY COURT RACES:
Group 05
Renier Diaz de la Portilla
Group 19
Lissette De La Rosa
Group 42
Alicia Garcia Priovolos
Congratulation to the following 10 judges who have earned another six years on the COUNTY COURT bench along with Judge-Elect Bach Armas who avoids a contested election:
Group 03 Ayana Harris (I)
Group 07 Marcus R. Bach Armas (OPEN SEAT - JUDGE NEWMAN RETIRING)
Group 08 Carlos H. Gamez (I)
Group 11 Michaelle Gonzalez-Paulson (I)
Group 13 Elisabeth Espinosa (I)
Group 15 Linda Melendez (I)
Group 23 Carroll Kelly (I)
Group 27 Miesha Shonta Darrough (I)
Group 28 Cristina Rivera Correa (I)
Group 35 Chiaka Ihekwaba (I)
Group 39 Julie Harris Nelson (I)
Good luck to all of the candidates. Enjoy your long, hot summer trekking your way from Florida City north to Aventura and from Miami Beach west to Sweetwater and all points between. Enjoy every pancake breakfast, medianoche sandwich for lunch, and turkey and mashed potato dinner on the way.
The primary election takes place on Tuesday, August 24, 2022.
*We apologize if there were any last minute filings that we missed but this was pre-scheduled due to circumstances not under our control; (conflict in schedule - as I am in trial).
Captain4Justice@gmail.com
Shumie/Q endorsements in contested races by end of next week
ReplyDeleteMiami loves Oscar
ReplyDeleteOscar Loves Miami
Oh Jason can't you see?
Miami loves Oscar
Oscar loves Miami
He'll still be on the bench in January 2023 cha cha cha
(Call all of the old Migna coalition, time to saddle up for ORF)
Want to talk about the start of the dynasties?
ReplyDelete"With the 53rd pick in the 1984 Florida Lawyers draft, the Dade County Public Defenders Office selects ....Shumie, trial lawyer, University of Florida"
How about dem apples?
I thought he started at Dancer Fitzgerald before the PDs?
ReplyDeleteDF was a sausage factory, like McCann. Good for him turning them down and taking less money at the PDs and doing some public service.
ReplyDeleteOcsar Font, nice guy. Jason Bloch, not a nice guy.
ReplyDeleteA little off topic, but a question for Rumpole, The Captain, and the rest of the old-timers who visit this Blog--is the "Billionaire John Ruiz" the Herald now obsesses on the same John Ruiz who used to practice at the REGJB and, if memory has it right, even used to take court-appointed cases? I remember him as a nice enough, friendly guy and helped him understand some of the nuances of practicing criminal law in the Building. The pictures of "B.J.R." in his private jet look like the guy (always well dressed) I remember.
ReplyDeleteSomeone needs to run against Migna Sanchez-Llorens when her term is up. She is the absolute worst judge on the bench.
ReplyDeleteBy factor of ten! She is bad news.
DeleteShe has a bad judicial temperament
DeleteMartinez Scanziani will be in the Herald soon. She is incompetent in juveniele. But that is not surprising, her rep in family was awful. If Bloch does not beat Oscar, heis running against Denise
ReplyDelete12:17pm your spot on albeit there more!
ReplyDeleteHere come the bottom feeders looking for a big raise.
ReplyDeleteRosy showed them the way.
DeleteThe question for criminal defense lawyers to ask of each of these candidates is: "Are you or have you been a member of the Federalist Society?" Also, ask if they have ever applied for appointment, because if so, a public records request will reveal what info they presented to suck up to Scott or DeSantis (Janowitz, Watson, and Kolokoff all have such applications available).
ReplyDeleteIn re: J Rodriguez-Fonts: I hear that he was a Congressional Aide in DC for 2 members of Congress. One was Lawrence Smith, I am told; also told that he is not a Federalist Society member.
Having been a PD or ASA in the past should no longer be a guarantee of support. Both are honorable, but other areas of practice, community involvement, and appellate record ought to be considered, too.
Haven't been able to find any cases on Westlaw of appeals from J Rodriguez-Fonts. J Watson was reversed in an appeal from county to circuit. Gitchev Guerrero has none on Westlaw. J Lody Jean: none. J Fred Seraphin: none; but even despite his problem with the break for breastfeeding, he is a better choice than Renier DdelaP; an easy call.