THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:
CAMPAIGN CENTRAL - ELECTION 2024
Today, as promised, we bring you the County Court races.
COUNTY COURT JUDGE:
There are a total of 19 County Court Groups up for election in 2024. With 11 days to go, we currently have three judges who are retiring. Group 4, where Incumbent Judge Robin Faber is retiring, has drawn only one candidate. Group 12, where Incumbent Judge Steve Leifman is retiring, that Group has also drawn only one candidate. In Group 29, where Incumbent Judge Myriam Lehr is retiring, that Group has drawn three candidates including one who is a former Judge who was defeated in the last election.
There is one Incumbent Judge, recently appointed Judge Christopher Green, who has drawn one opponent in Group 31.
The other 15 groups have Incumbent judges currently facing no opposition.
Group 04 (Judge Robin Faber retiring)
Raised $54,150 Loan $100,500
Ms. Urbistondo has been a member of The Florida Bar for 12 years. She is a solo practitioner who practices in the areas of civil litigation, focusing on real estate transactions, and marital and family law matters.
Group 12 (Judge Steve Leifman retiring)
Raised $43,801 Loan $120,000
Mr. Corcilli has been a member of The Florida Bar for 14 years. He is a member of the Military & Veteran Affairs Committee. He devotes a substantial amount of time to our vets. He formerly served in the U.S. Marines attaining the rank of Sergeant. He runs his own law firm where he concentrates on criminal defense and personal injury cases. He is a former ASA.
Group 29 (Judge Myriam Lehr retiring)
Raised $32,078 ($5,745 from State Rep election account)
Christopher Benjamin has been a member of The Florida Bar for 22 years. He is Of Counsel with International Law Partners, LLP. and a panelist with the ADR firm of Salmon & Dulberg. He works in the areas of general litigation and serves as an arbitrator, mediator, and special magistrate. He has been a certified mediator and arbitrator for 15 years and in 2010 he was appointed as a Hearing Officer in the 11th Judicial Circuit’s Traffic Division where he served until 2020. In 2020 (and again in 2022), he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives to represent the people of District 107.
Raised $1,250 Loan $500
Former Judge Scott Janowitz has been a member of The Florida Bar for 18 years. He began his career as an ASA in Broward. He then joined a law firm before getting appointed to the bench by Governor DeSantis in 2020. He ran for election in August of 2022 and lost to current Judge Alicia Priovolos by 60% to 40%.
Raised $9,510 Loan $40,000
Alina Restrepo has been a member of The Florida Bar for 24 years. She has worked in a law firm with her brother who is also a lawyer and she has been a solo practitioner as well. She concentrates her practice in the areas of real estate, probate, criminal, civil, traffic, estate planning, and bankruptcy law.
Group 31
Raised $9,500 Loan $200,000
Ms. Baez has been a member of The Florida Bar for 28 years. I was unable to locate any information about her other than she may practice personal injury law.
Raised $48,803 Loan $58,600
Judge Green has been a member of The Florida Bar for 31 years. He was appointed to the County Court bench in December of 2022 by Governor DeSantis. He currently presides over civil cases in the South Dade Justice Center. This is his first election. Before his appointment, Judge Green was a trial attorney for 30 years with both civil and criminal jury trial experience. He started his career as an Assistant Public Defender in Miami-Dade County. For the next 22 years, Judge Green worked as an Assistant City Attorney with the City of Miami City Attorney’s Office litigation division.
Group 01 Patricia Marino-Pedraza
Group 02 Kristy M. Nunez
Group 06 Jorge Perez Santiago
Group 10 Diana Gonzalez-Whyte
Group 14 Gloria Gonzalez-Meyer
Group 18 Betsy Alvarez-Zane
Group 21 Jacqueline Michelle Woodward
Group 22 Linda Singer Stein
Group 26 Maria De Fatima Ortiz
Group 32 Lizzet Martinez
Group 33 Eleane Sosa-Bruzon
Group 37 Yara Lorenzo Klukas
Group 40 Michael George Barket
Group 41 Larry King
Group 43 Milena Abreu
We will continue to monitor both the local election office as well as the office in Tallahassee for any group movement by the candidates as well as any new filings over the next 11 days.
Captain4Justice@gmail.com
Can I white Jewish male ever be elected again versus a Hispanic woman candidate?? Yes?
ReplyDeleteCan SAO be saved?
ReplyDeleteCan the SAO hire a sufficient number of staff. It’s currently running at a skeleton crew level.
ReplyDelete@524, judicial elections are largely about identity politics.
ReplyDeleteAs of 2020, Miami-Dade County was 68.7% hispanic.
At last count, there were about 121,000 jews in Miami-Dade County out of a population of about 2.7m. That's about 4.4% jews.
You do the math.
Depends on the candidate.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteTHE CAPTAIN REPORTS:
YOUR NEWEST COUNTY COURT JUDGE ....
Will be selected by Gov. DeSantis in the next two months from the following nominees:
Yaneth Baez - ASA Miami-Dade
Gabriel Charest-Turken - AUSA - SD Florida
Kevin Hellmann - APD Miami-Dade
Joanne Hernandez - private practice
Kimberly Hillery - US Homeland Security - Miami office
Jose Rohaidy - ASA Miami-Dade
The opening in County Court is a result of Judge Carlos Gamez' elevation to the Circuit Court.
Cap Out .......
Cap in
DeleteNever forget two ASA’s were removed for prosecutorial misconduct.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see ASA Baez on this list. I’ve had many cases with her, she’s professional, reasonable, and a true delight to work with.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the US Attorney’s office will have some vacancies any idea if they’ll nab a couple from SAO?
ReplyDeleteState attys will not be hired anymore until Trump reappoints Ariana - she’s the all time goat.
DeleteAngry Dan
An outstanding outline CAPTAIN JUSTICE. Thank you. Will we see last minute contestants jump in ? I think so. Like the lady who started using the hispanic name "Teressa Maria Cervera", for the first time, weeks before the deadline in 2022. She got destroyed by Judge Lody Jean by 23.9 percentage points. It will get interesting CAPTAIN JUSTICE.
ReplyDelete@7:11 There will definitely be some last minute candidates jumping in next week, which will make for some interesting fireworks.
ReplyDeleteBTW the Lody race was a lot closer, she only won by something like 47% to 52% which was actually pretty embarrassing considering how much more money she had than Teresa Cevera. Since winning what has she done rather than refusing to recuse herself in that commissioners case?
Yes, I have heard rumors that one former ASA is jumping in next week to challenge a weak incumbent and Latino Cervera is coming back too, but apparently with a ton of $$ and a few endorsements.
DeleteRooting for Christopher Benjamin!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry Judge Faber is retiring. Big loss for the defense bar. He was amazing.
ReplyDelete10:06AM According to Ballotpedia ;
ReplyDeleteNonpartisan primary for Florida 11th Circuit Court
Lody Jean (Nonpartisan) 56.8 151,235
Teressa Cervera (Nonpartisan) 43.2 114,998
Seems like a lot, considering the Hispanic name, plus being listed above her opponent on the ballot. I've heard that being above your opponent on the ballot, in a two person race, gives a 9% edge. I'm no expert, but I was curious about the actual percentages.
at least two county judges have over 200k in their accounts. One - who has a Mucho powerful brother civil lawyer raised over 100K in one fundraiser!!! (cowabinga!!!) and the same brother raised over 70K for another judge who is not Hispanic. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteMoney counts in politics.
“Mucho powerful brother” I doubt it
DeleteSeriously you sound like boomer. Who says “Cowabinga”
DeleteIt’s Cowabunga Dude
DeleteWhy is everyone bringing up Tylman/Cervera? Is she running again?
ReplyDeleteFollow up story to the Corey Smith case?
ReplyDeleteThat’s yesterday’s news.
DeleteWho is the next MVZ? There’s always a rogue ASA with damning behavior.
ReplyDeleteIf wannabe Teresa Cervera comee back, she will be another Rosy Aponte. Being a law professional we should advise the community about this. Or is her husband Adam writing another review for her? Such a joke. She has no office and has a post office in Bird Road. Look it up.
ReplyDeleteMaybe she just works from home.
DeleteBaez and Rohaidy have been lawyers for a whole 7 years...Jeez.
ReplyDelete7 years combined? They were on the accelerated program at the SAO. I’m six months you too can be a division chief.
DeleteThey are highly motivated.
ReplyDeleteRohaidy is an excellent lawyer and will be an excellent judge.
ReplyDeletehe’s only a felony A ASA. not in a specialized unit. not a division chief. not remotely ready to be a judge, he needs to just wait until he has more experience.
Deleteyou’re basing his “excellence” off of what?
DeleteThe mere fact that he was chosen to work at SAO is a clear example of excellence.
DeleteCap is sleeping; the Third DCA list of candidates who were given interviews has been circulating for days. Is it too much to ask for a report?
ReplyDeleteI know Yaneth. Very nice. Very dumb. Arrogant dumb.
ReplyDeleteObviously you don’t know her.
DeleteI don’t care how brilliant a lawyer you are, but anyone 7 years out of law school and having only practice one type of law all of that time isn’t qualified to be a judge. The fact that some of these people think they are qualified tells you all you need to know about them and the size of their egos. They keep getting younger every year. Soon we won’t only be dealing with an ASA problem, we will have another round of judges’ problems. Operation Court Broom Part Deux.
ReplyDeleteThis is the list of 3rd DCA interviews. Considering that with Hendon's passing the court has no black members, one would have to think that Judge Trawick and Woody Clermont would have an inside track, though one never knows who Desantis will want.
ReplyDelete9:00–9:20 a.m. Donald Barrett
9:30 a.m.–9:50 a.m. Woody Clermont
10:00–10:20 a.m. Margaret Correoso
10:30–10:50 a.m. Angel Cortinas
11:00–11:20 a.m. Kansas Gooden
11:30–11:50 a.m. Hon. Spencer Multack
Noon–12:30 p.m. Break
12:30–12:50 p.m. Hon. Joseph Perkins
1:00–1:20 p.m. Hon. Thomas Rebull
1:30–1:50 p.m. Hon. Daryl Trawick
2:00–2:20 p.m. Hon. Robert Watson
2:30–2:50 p.m. Hon. Laura Gonzalez-Marques
How many ASA’s trying to get out of dodge?
ReplyDelete