THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:
EIGHT MONTHS OF SILENCE — UNTIL WE ASKED QUESTIONS
Funny how that works ...
On April 7th, we told you that “SOMETHING VERY FISHY IS GOING ON HERE” regarding two vacant County Court seats in Miami-Dade.
We went digging. Public Records Requests (PRRs) went out. And now, the timeline tells the story.
On August 13, 2025, County Court Judge Jason Reding Quinones submitted his resignation to Governor DeSantis, advising that he had been nominated by President Trump to serve as the next United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
On September 25, 2025, County Court Judge Yara Klukas followed suit, submitting her resignation to accept a position as First Assistant U.S. Attorney—under Quinones.
Two resignations. Two vacancies. Clock starts ticking.
Under the Florida Constitution, the process to fill a judicial vacancy must begin within 30 days.
Instead?
Nothing.
Not 30 days. Not 60. Not 90.
Nearly eight months of radio silence.
No publication of the resignation letters (as is customary).
No request to the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC).
No applications. No interviews. No nominees.
No replacements.
Just… nothing.
So, on March 25, at precisely 1:38 PM, your Captain Justice sent an email to the Governor’s General Counsel, Ryan Newman, asking a simple question:
Why had the constitutional process never even begun?
Newman has yet to respond.
But here’s where it gets interesting.
Within the hour of that email, Governor DeSantis suddenly sprang into action.
He drafted and signed two letters, (without ever even thanking the Captain).
The first, addressed to “The Honorable Jason Quinones, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida,” stated: “I accept your resignation as Judge of the Miami-Dade County Court.”
Date of the letter?
March 25, 2026.
A small problem: by that date, Quinones had already been serving as the United States Attorney for roughly eight months.
Even better—the letter was sent to a courthouse address… for a judge who hadn’t been a judge in eight months.
DeSantis sent an identical letter to former Judge Klukas—same date, same format, same courthouse address.
At that point, Klukas had already been serving as First Assistant U.S. Attorney for seven months.
Then—still on March 25, shortly after those letters were signed—Deputy General Counsel David Axelman emailed JNC Chair Eliot Pedrosa, directing him to finally convene the Commission to begin the process of filling the two long-vacant seats.
Amazing how that works.
Eight months of inaction… followed by a flurry of activity within hours of one email from Captain Justice asking questions.
Coincidence?
You decide.
As for answers—don’t hold your breath.
I called Axelman. Multiple times. Left messages.
I emailed him. Asked for an explanation.
Nothing. No response. No return calls.
And that, folks, is where we stand.
Two judicial seats sat vacant for the better part of a year.
A constitutional mandate ignored.
And only when someone started asking questions did the machinery of government suddenly come to life.
Draw your own conclusions.
JUDICIAL ELECTIONS – UPDATE …
Two new filings since our posts last week.
Circuit Court – Group 5
Attorney Monica Segura has entered the race, joining Alex Annunziato and Arthur McNeil. Segura is the Senior Managing Associate General Counsel for Universal Property & Casualty and has been a member of The Florida Bar for 20 years.
Interesting note: Segura applied to the JNC in its most recent round, when two Circuit and two County Court seats were open. Out of 32 applicants, she interviewed for both Circuit and County. The JNC ultimately forwarded 24 names to the Governor—Segura’s was not among them. Now she’s taking her case directly to the voters.
County Court – Group 25
Attorney Maribel Diaz has filed against incumbent Judge Luis Perez-Medina. Diaz has been a member of The Florida Bar for 17 years and currently works in the Miami-Dade Tax Collector’s Office.
Keen readers of the Captain will recall last week’s Incumbent Vulnerability Quotient (IVQ), © 2026 rankings. Judge Perez-Medina came in at number three. It appears Ms. Diaz may have been paying attention.
Captain4Justice@gmail.com
8 comments:
Pinder V Zamet et al
Who the suit names and next steps
The new federal complaint names current and former members of the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, along with a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputy described in the filing as a liaison between prosecutors and Geter Pinder. The State Attorney’s Office confirmed that three of the defendants still work there, according to CBS Miami. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office also confirmed the deputy remains employed but declined to say more.
Von Zamft, who was disqualified from the resentencing and later resigned, has publicly denied the allegations. He has said he has not yet been formally served with the lawsuit.
Why this matters to Miami
Local defense lawyers and court watchers say that if the allegations hold up, they strike at the heart of how prosecutors use jailhouse witnesses and how much faith juries can put in those testimonies, especially in cases built around Liberty City violence. During the resentencing fight, court records and local coverage highlighted the judge’s blistering language and a tangle of disputed witness meetings and phone calls, as reported by Local 10. Now, the civil suit is reviving long-standing questions about how the State Attorney’s Office polices its own and what this means for other prosecutions that leaned on the same circle of witnesses.
Legal implications
The complaint seeks damages for emotional distress and accuses the defendants of threats, intimidation and false statements. It also notes that the federal case cannot move forward procedurally until von Zamft is officially served. State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle has previously said she would tap senior litigators to review the matter, a review that could bring internal discipline or other fallout inside the office, according to The Associated Press.
I have yet to see Kathy administer internal discipline on any ASA.
What conclusion are we to draw? Most likely explanation is incompetence. Although maybe the clown show involves the judges not resigning or double-dipping. What is the date of their resignation letters? Is there even a whiff of another explanation?
FYI - Newman is out as general counsel (went to the AG's office) and Axelman is the new general counsel.
You want to hear about incompetence… well well well you’ve come to the right blog. Let’s start off with …
Rumpole - SSSS almost at $13. I took your advice months ago and bought $100k. Getting a huge dividend. Now I made a huge profit from $9. Sell?
"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity, ignorance, incompetence, or neglect." Hanlon's Razor.
Sounds like someone dropped the ball and your email alerted them hence why they moved when someone "started asking questions."
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