POST ELECTION ANALYSIS ........ COVID STYLE

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

SOME POST ELECTION ANALYSIS .......

JUDGE TUNIS

The Blog has rarely received as much negative commentary about one criminal court judge. Peter Adrien comes to mind, but that was for a totally different kind of criticism. No doubt Judge Tunis was not a favorite of many of our readers.

First, Tunis got caught with her pants down. She sat on the County and Circuit Court bench for 20 years and she never once had opposition in an election. She expected the same in 2020. Her opponent, Ms. Aponte, it could also be said, never drew so much commentary compared to any other challenger to an incumbent. That commentary from our readers was certainly ignited by the explosive writings of our Blog's Author, Horace Rumpole.

Aponte filed against Judge Gordon Murray in Group 38 of County Court in September of 2019 and she Qualified for that race. She was in that race through Thursday of Qualifying Week. It was one day before the end of Qualifying when she pulled the switcheroo and jumped into the Circuit Court race against Tunis.

Tunis threw down $150,000 of her own money into her campaign war chest figuring that would scare off any opponents. In fact she did virtually zero campaigning through March of 2020. She had only raised $8,575 when Aponte jumped into the race. Contrary to some comments from yesterday, Tunis did go on to raise a total of $128,000 from 326 contributors for the overall campaign.

Aponte, as I reported earlier, had the least amount of contributors for a winning contested election in the history of Miami-Dade County, ten people gave a total of $6,300 (and two of them were Joe Klock ($750) and his Law Firm Rasco Klock ($500).

Anyone who actually thinks that the 209,895 citizens who cast their vote for Aponte had a clue as to the negative commentary about Tunis - well, you all have been smoking your client’s hydroponic weed.

Aponte lost in 2016 to Oscar "Rodriguez-Fonts"; (Carol Breece was also in that race; Aponte came in third). Aponte lost in 2018 to Kristy "Nunez".

JUDGE REBULL

Another incumbent who drew a last minute challenger. Ms. Martinez-Scanziani also filed on the Thursday of Qualifying Week, one day before the deadline. But, Rebull was prepared for a challenge. He raised more money than we have seen in a contested raise in probably the past two decades. Rebull raised a total of $408,400 and spent over $387,000 as of last week.

Ms. Martinez-Scanziani raised only $55,000 and spent it all. She also was a previous two-time loser having lost to Judge Bernie Shapiro in 2008 and then again in 2016 in a four way race against eventual winner Mark Blumstein, and Luis Perez-Medina, and Renee Gordon; (Martinez came in last).

For those of you who think that the 192,744 voters for Martinez-Scanziani knew anything about the "transcript" or about Rebull and his courtroom demeanor - well you all have been smoking the same weed.

JUDGE MANSFIELD

Joe clearly was not prepared for a campaign. Not sure why as he was an appointed judge facing the voters for the first time. He raised $17,800 while his opponent Miguel Mirabal raised over $68,000. (Does Mirabal’s campaign photo remind you of a 1970's porn star?). (Go here for a look).

A wise commenter pointed out that Anglos have beaten Hispanics in recent judicial contests. But, what they didn’t factor in was the very different kind of campaign we had in 2020. Pre-Covid was the time when every candidate attended a live breakfast in Homestead or Perrine, a lunch in Little Havana or Hialeah and a dinner in Aventura or Miami Gardens, every single day from April until August. Thousands upon thousands of voters had the opportunity to see and hear and speak with the actual candidates. They were much better able to separate the wheat from the chaff. Not so with this election - and that my friends made all the difference in the world. Heck, Rosy Aponte, not only didn’t have to attend those breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, she didn’t even attend the Zoom forums following her "colored people" comment to the Black Lawyers (Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Bar Association) forum.

NORTH OF THE BORDER

STATE ATTORNEY

A complete shocker in Browierd as heavily favored candidate Sarahnell Murphy, a 24 year veteran of Mike Satz’ office and the candidate Satz endorsed lost in an eight way battle to a black attorney named Harold Fernandez Pryor. Pryor has been an attorney for all of seven years; (he served as an ASA for three of them). In fact Murphy could do no better than third behind Pryor and Joe Kimok (who lost to Pryor by a mere 2,600 votes out of the 206,200 cast).

Expect to see a major shake-up of the policies and procedures in the Broward State Attorney’s Office and they are both welcomed and way overdo.

PUBLIC DEFENDER

No surprise in Broward’s newly elected PD Gordon Weekes, who was Howard Finklestein’s number two for the past decade. What was a shocker is what Finkelstein did the day after the election.

He fired Weekes opponent, Ruby Green. Weekes faced retired judge Tom Lynch and Green; (Ruby came in a respectable second place). Green is 33 years old and had spent her entire eight year career working for Finkelstein and under Weekes. Weekes was the anointed successor to Finkelstein but Tom Lynch, and Green, decided to take their best shots.

Green is the current President of BACDL and she told the Sun Sentinel that she had no doubt she would be terminated after the election. From the Sun Sentinel:

"I was told not to run, I was told I couldn’t do it and I was told I was going to get fired," she wrote. "Nevertheless, I persisted because I know I am the change we seek. I know that there are so many things that happen in this office that are just down right WRONG, and I refused to sit back and let it happen ... This is not going to stop me."

Green received the following email from Finkelstein, on Wednesday at 8:34 AM:

"Thank you for your service. Your services are no longer required. Your termination is immediate."


T-74 days until the real Super Tuesday, November 3, 2020

CAPTAIN OUT .......
Captain4Justice@gmail.com

VOTE - IT'S ELECTION DAY TODAY .......

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

IT’S ELECTION DAY .......

STATE ATTORNEY & JUDICIAL ELECTIONS 2020

EARLY VOTING COUNTED; VOTE BY MAIL PARTIALLY COUNTED. 
TODAY'S VOTE - 94% COUNTED.
 
JUDGE TUNIS IS IN BIG TROUBLE - SHE IS NOW LOSING 57% - 43%; JUDGE REBULL ALSO BEHIND 51%-49%; JUDGE MANSFIELD LOSING TOO 51% - 49%.



ANYONE NOTICING A CERTAIN PATTERN?

NUMBERS ARE BELOW:

MAJOR UPSET BREWING IN BROWARD STATE ATTORNEY'S RACE:

Harold Fernandez Pryor - 21%
Joe Kimok - 19%
Sarahnell Murphy - 18%
　
STATE ATTORNEY

Fernandez Rundle (I)  - 61%

Melba Pearson            - 39%

　
CIRCUIT COURT CONTESTED RACES

GROUP 55 (OPEN SEAT - Judge Jeri Beth Cohen retiring)

"Nike" Adebayo     - 49%

Joe Perkins             - 51%


GROUP 57 (OPEN SEAT - Judge Bernard Shapiro retiring)

Carmen Cabarga    - 59%

Roderick Vereen   - 41%


GROUP 65

Thomas Rebull (I)     - 49%

D. Martinez-Scanziani    - 51%

　
GROUP 67

Mavel Ruiz (I)     - 55%

Marcia G Hansen  - 45%

　
GROUP 75

Dava Tunis (I)     - 43%

Rosy Aponte        - 57%

　
COUNTY COURT CONTESTED RACES

GROUP 9:

Joseph Mansfield (I)     - 49%

"Mike" Mirabal             - 51%

　
GROUP 24

Christine Bandin (I)     - 77%

Shaun Spector              - 23%

For the past two weeks Early Voting sites have been open throughout the County. Also, many of you have chosen to vote using VOTE-BY-MAIL ballots. Today the polls are open and, if you waited until today, you must go to the precinct you are assigned to and cast your votes there.

Here is what we will be following and reporting on tonight:

There are seven contested judicial elections this year with five contests in Circuit Court and two more in County Court. Three incumbent Circuit Court Judges and two incumbent County Court Judges face opposition. Two other Circuit Court races have open seats due to the retirement of the sitting judge. Finally, our incumbent State Attorney faces a strong test against an experienced opponent. 
Pick your seven winners and list them in the Comments section. Tie-breaker for first place prize - pick your winner for State Attorney.
P.S. Just a friendly reminder that, 11 weeks from today, that's 77 days in dog count, you get to cast your vote for POTUS.

　
CAPTAIN OUT .......
Captain4Justice@gmail.com

ELECTION 2020 - POLLS ARE OPEN .......

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

STATE ATTORNEY & JUDICIAL ELECTIONS 2020

Beginning today and for the next 14 days you will have the opportunity to vote for the candidates of your choice as Early Voting is now officially open in Miami-Dade County. Election day takes place on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. *Early voting dates, times, and locations can be found here.

There are seven contested judicial elections this year with five contests in Circuit Court and two more in County Court. Three incumbent Circuit Court Judges face opposition: Judge Thomas Rebull faces off against three time candidate Denise Martinez-Scanziani. Is the third time a charm? Judge Dava Tunis faces her first ever contested election in her 20 years on the bench (five in County and fifteen in Circuit) as she has been challenged by another three time candidate, Rosy Aponte. Is the third time a charm, for her? Judge Mavel Ruiz beat an Incumbent six years ago to win her seat; now the tables are turned as attorney Marcia Hansen tries to unseat Ruiz.

In County Court, two Incumbent Judges face opposition: Judge Joseph Mansfield is challenged by attorney Miguel "Mike" Mirabal. Mirabal lost to Judge Milena Abreu in 2018. Also, Judge Christine Bandin faces off against attorney Shaun Spector. In two other Circuit Court races, Olanike Adebayo faces Joe Perkins. Adebayo lost a County Court race in 2018 to Judge Sosa-Bruzon. Perkins lost a Circuit Court race the same year to Judge Yery Marrero. Finally, Carmen Cabarga squares off against Roderick Vereen.

Looking at the fundraising numbers, in Circuit Court, on the one extreme, incumbent Judge Thomas Rebull has raised $385,731 from 932 contributors as he faces a challenge from attorney Denise Martinez-Scanziani, while, on the extreme opposite end, attorney Rosy Aponte has only raised $3,700 from five contributors as she challenges incumbent Judge Dava Tunis. In County Court, neither candidate in Group 9 seems much interested in raising funds for their campaigns as incumbent Joe Mansfield has only raised $7,200 while his opponent Mike Mirabal has raised only $9,625.

In the race for State Attorney, incumbent Katherine Fernandez Rundle is challenged by ACLU attorney Melba Pearson. Interestingly, KFR has raised $580,650 from 1,281 contributors, (for an average contribution of $453), while Ms. Pearson has only raised $162,779 but from 300 more contributors, (for an average contribution of $103).

STATE ATTORNEY
 Katherine Fernandez Rundle (Incumbent)
- she has a net worth of $3,764,822
 - she has raised $580,650 from 1,281 contributors and she has loaned her campaign $50,000. To date, she has spent $473,000 on her campaign
 - she is paid $169,554 by the State of Florida

Melba Pearson
- she has a net worth of $182,395
- she has raised $162,779 from 1,581 contributors and loaned her campaign $0. To date, she has spent $152,000 on her campaign
- her primary source of income is from the ACLU of Florida where she is paid $116,769

CIRCUIT COURT CONTESTED RACES


GROUP 55 (OPEN SEAT - Judge Jeri Beth Cohen retiring)

Olanike "Nike" Adebayo
- she has a net worth of $39,981
- she has raised $96,347 from 427 contributors and loaned her campaign $11,604. To date, she has spent $101,000 on her campaign
- she is an attorney with the Office of Criminal Conflicts with a salary of $60,000
- she was a candidate for County Court in 2018. She was defeated by Judge Eleane Sosas-Bruzon 56% to 44%

Joe Perkins
- he has a net worth of $575,000
- he has raised $132,794 from 181 contributors and loaned his campaign approximately $54,000. To date, he has spent $94,000 on his campaign
- he is an attorney with Garbett Allen & Roza with a salary of $165,000
- he was a candidate for Circuit Court in 2018. He lost his race to Judge Yery Marrero 53% to 47%

GROUP 57 (OPEN SEAT - Judge Bernard Shapiro retiring)
Carmen Cabarga
- she has a net worth of $231,000
- she has raised $78,974 from 219 contributors and loaned her campaign $145,000. To date, she has spent $138,000 on her campaign
- she took out a HELOC in the amount of $100,000 and borrowed another $45,000, all from Iberia Bank
- she is an attorney with the Office of Criminal Conflicts with a salary of $65,000

Roderick Vereen
- he has a net worth of $2,189,086

- he has raised $30,945 from 136 contributors and has loaned his campaign $10,000. To date, he has spent only $7,400 on his campaign
- he owns his own law firm and pays himself a salary of $650,000
- he ran for Congress in 2010 as a Independent against Fredricka Wilson and lost 86% to 14%.
- he then ran as a Democrat in 2012 for State Attorney against Katherine Fernandez Rundle, losing 60% - 40%.

GROUP 65
Thomas Rebull (Incumbent)
- he has a net worth of $366,509
- he has raised $385,731 from 932 contributors and loaned his campaign $5,000. To date, he has spent a whopping $299,000 on his campaign
- he is paid $160,688 from the State of Florida
- he was first appointed to the bench by Gov. Rick Scott in 2011. He ran unopposed in 2014.

Denise Martinez-Scanziani
- she has a net worth of $1,423,019
- she has raised $46,721 from 109 contributors and loaned her campaign $20,000. To date, she has spent $40,000 on her campaign

- she is self-employed and had income last year of $323,657.
- she first ran in 2008 against Incumbent Circuit Judge Bernard Shapiro losing 59% - 41%.
- she next ran in 2016 in retiring Judge Gill Freeman's Group against three opponents. The primary results faired no better for her: Mark Blumstein (29%); Luis Perez-Medina (25%); Renee Gordon (24%); and Ms. Martinez-Scanziani (23%).

GROUP 67
Mavel Ruiz (Incumbent)
- she has a net worth of $199,459
- she has raised $174,069 from 437 contributors and loaned her campaign $78,000. To date, she has spent $171,000 on her campaign
- she has a salary of $160,688 as a Circuit Court Judge
- she was elected in 2014 over Incumbent Judge Fleur Lobree winning by a 54% - 46% margin
- she was one of the judges along with retired Judge Cindy Lederman and Judges Marcia Caballero, Rosa Figarola, and Teresa Pooler that received a written reprimand from the Supreme Court because of a letter they signed that backed Our Kids of Miami-Dade & Monroe, Inc. as it competed with another organization for a Department of Children and Families multi-year contract worth approximately $500 million.

Marcia Giordano Hansen
- she has a net worth of $996,788
- she has raised $54,710 from 210 contributors and loaned her campaign $50,200. To date, she has spent $86,000 on her campaign
- she is an attorney with The Hansen Law Firm with a salary
of $50,000

GROUP 75

Dava Tunis (Incumbent)
- she has a net worth of $3,027,790
- she has raised $113,973 from 297 contributors and loaned her campaign $150,000. To date, she has spent $210,000 on her campaign
- she has a salary of $160,791 as a Circuit Court Judge
- she was first appointed by Governor Bush in 2005. She ran unopposed in 2008 and again ran unopposed in 2014. She has never faced an opponent.

Rosy Aponte
- she has a net worth of $315,000
- she has raised $3,700 from 5 contributors and loaned her campaign $74,374. To date, she has spent $36,000 on her campaign
- she is a solo practitioner with R. Aponte & Assoc. where she paid herself $83,000. She is also a partner in the Felicetti Law Firm where she was paid an additional $120,000
- she ran for a County Court seat against Judge Kristy Nunez in 2018, losing that race by 52 % to 48%.
- she ran for a Circuit Court seat against Judge Oscar Rodriguez-Fonts and Carol Breece in 2016. Ms. Aponte failed to make the runoff as she gained only 26% of the vote compared to Rodrgiuez Fonts (34%) and Breece (40%) in the Primary.
-In 2014, in a Hearing before Bankruptcy Judge Cristol on November 14, here is what the Judge had to say: (directly from the court transcript)

"THE COURT: Okay. We have a number of matters on the calendar. However, the Court will go first to Court Paper 526, and Court Paper 526 is the debtor's motion for rehearing, and on Page 2 of that motion Ms. Aponte states that the issues presented in the case are beyond her area of expertise.

Now, Ms. Aponte apparently filed a motion to withdraw, but then didn't show up to prosecute it. Some other attorneys came in who had not complied with Section 329 of the Code, and there had been no order authorizing substitution, so the Court did not allow them to appear.

In this case, based on Ms. Aponte's admission in her pleadings that she's not -- she's working within the area of expertise, it appears that Ms. Aponte is in violation of Florida Bar Rule 4-1.1, competence, and, therefore, should not be allowed to continue in this case or any other case in any Bankruptcy Court in the United States. And, therefore, the Court will draw such an order barring her from any further appearance until such time as she can demonstrate competence. And the Court will refer this matter to the Florida Bar." IN RE: Walter A. Lista. Case No. 13-22662-AJC. Doc. 551. Page 4. (NOTE: There is no indication that Ms. Aponte was ever disciplined by The Florida Bar for this or any other matter). 
 

COUNTY COURT CONTESTED RACES

GROUP 9:

Joseph Mansfield (Incumbent)
- he has a net worth of $268,909
- he has raised $7,200 from 12 contributors and loaned his campaign $0
- his salary with the State of Florida is $151,822
- he was appointed by Gov. Scott in August of 2017

Miguel "Mike" Mirabal
- he has a net worth of $1,684,634
- he has raised $9,625 from 22 contributors and has loaned his campaign $47,500
- he runs his own law firm, Global Legal, with a salary of $95,750
- he ran for a County Court seat against Judge Milena Abreu in 2018, losing that race by 65% to 35%

GROUP 24

Christine Bandin (Incumbent)
- she has a net worth of $540,979
- she has raised $78,340 from 199 contributors and loaned her campaign $5,500
- she is paid $151,822 by the State of Florida
- she was appointed to the bench by Gov. Scott in October of 2018.

Shaun Spector
- he has a negative net worth of [-205,256] YES THAT IS NEGATIVE
- he has raised $10,354 from 30 contributors and loaned his campaign $6,100
- he has been an attorney for nine years and runs his own law firm in Coral Gables where he primarily practices commercial litigation and pays himself $78,690
 
CAPTAIN OUT .......
Captain4Justice@gmail.com
 

JUDICIAL ELECTIONS 2020 ..... NOON FILING DEADLINE

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

THE NOON TIME HOUR HAS LONG SINCE PASSED. Barring some unforeseen last minute filings that we are unaware of, it appears that there will be seven contested judicial elections in August of 2020.  Five contests in Circuit Court and two more in County Court. (For a detailed breakdown of all seven elections, please scroll down).

Three Incumbent Circuit Court Judges face opposition: Judge Thomas Rebull faces off against three time candidate Denise Martinez-Scanziani. Is the third time a charm?  Judge Dava Tunis faces her first ever contested election in her 20 years on the bench (five in County and fifteen in Circuit) as she has been challenged by another three time candidate Rosy Aponte.  Is the third time a charm, for her? Judge Mavel Ruiz beat an Incumbent six years ago to win her seat; now the tables are turned as Marcia Hansen tries to unseat Ruiz.

In County Court, two Incumbent Judges face opposition: Judge Joseph Mansfield is challenged by attorney Miguel "Mike" Mirabal. Mirabal lost to Judge Milena Abreu in 2018.  Also, Judge Christine Bandin faces off against attorney Shaun Spector.

In two other Circuit Court races, Olanike Adebayo faces Joe Perkins. Adebayo lost a County Court race in 2018 to Judge Sosa-Bruzon.  Perkins lost a Circuit Court race the same year to Judge Yery Marrero. Carmen Cabarga is challenged by Roderick Vereen. Vereen mounted a last minute filing, almost not qualifying due to some errors with his filing fee check, but has now officially qualified.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JUDGE-ELECT MICHELLE DELANCY.

Judge-Elect Delancy becomes the Milt Hirsch of 2020; (Judge Hirsch also walked into a Circuit Court seat unopposed back in 2010).

ADDENDUM: We just spoke with Judge-Elect Delancy.  Here is what she had to say about today's events:

"I am beyond ecstatic to get to live my dream of serving our community on the Circuit bench. Winning unopposed is humbling. I couldn't have done so without the amazing support of my family, friends and colleagues."

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING INCUMBENT JUDGES WHO ALL WIN NEW SIX YEAR TERMS HAVING BEEN UNOPPOSED IN 2020:

CIRCUIT COURT: (30)
 
Ivonne Cuesta
Rosa Figarola
Angelica Zayas
Jose Rodriguez
Jorge Cueto
Alex Spicola Bokor
Daryl Trawick
Migna Sanchez-Llorens
Yvonne Colodny
Tanya Brinkley
Laura Stuzin
Peter Lopez
Alberto Milian
Spencer Multack
Michelle Alvarez Barakat
Orlando Prescott
Stacy Glick
Dawn Denaro
Cristina Miranda
Abby Cynamon
Marcia Caballero
Martin Zilber
Alan Fine
Richard Hersch
Veronica Diaz
Reemberto Diaz
Carlos Guzman
Spencer Eig
Beatrice "Betty" Butchko
Andrea Ricker Wolfson

COUNTY COURT: (9)
 
Donald Cannava Jr.
Raul Cuervo
Stephanie Silver
Luis Perez-Medina
Betty Capote-Erben
Elijah Levitt
Natalie Moore
Victoria Ferrer
Gordon Murray, Sr.


CIRCUIT COURT CONTESTED RACES

GROUP 75

This race is the Incumbent’s primer for why Incumbents can take nothing for granted and must go out and raise lots of $$$ in the 12-18-24 months before their next election. Judge Tunis was blind-sided last night with the filing by Rosy Aponte. Judge Tunis had done almost zero fundraising over the past six years and she has only raised $8,575 from 27 contributors.

Dava Tunis (Incumbent)
- she has a net worth of $3,027,790 and she has qualified
- she has raised $8,575 from 27 Contributors and loaned her campaign $150,000
- she has a salary of $160,791 as a Circuit Court Judge
- she was first appointed by Governor Bush in 2005. She ran unopposed in 2008 and again ran unopposed in 2014. She has never faced an opponent.

Rosy Aponte
(JUMPED INTO THIS RACE at 5:00 PM Thursday. It would be an understatement to say that County Court Judge Gordon Murray is breathing a lot easier today while Judge Tunis is not a happy camper).
- she has a net worth of $315,000 and she has qualified
- she has raised $3,000 from 3 contributors and loaned her campaign $49,000
- she is a solo practitioner with R. Aponte & Assoc. where she paid herself $83,000. She is also a partner in the Felicetti Law Firm where she was paid an additional $120,000
- she ran for a County Court seat against Judge Kristy Nunez in 2018, losing that race by 52 % to 48%.
- she ran for a Circuit Court seat against Judge Oscar Rodriguez-Fonts and Carol Breece in 2016. Ms. Aponte failed to make the runoff as she gained only 26% of the vote compared to Rodrgiuez Fonts (34%) and Breece (40%) in the Primary.

As Rumpole suggested last night, Rosy Aponte has a lot of explaining to do. Sure, no judge, or any elected official for that matter gets a free pass. You earn your position and your trust with the public. That is exactly what Judge Tunis has done for her entire career. First as an Assistant Public Defender from 1986-2000. In 2000, she was appointed to the County Court bench by Gov. Bush. In 2005, Bush elevated Judge Tunis to the Circuit Court bench where she has spent the past 15 years. By all accounts, Judge Tunis is a dedicated and trusted public servant.

Rosy Aponte faced the voters in 2016 and she lost. She faced the voters in 2018 and she lost again. And before those two loses, in 2014, she faced Bankruptcy Court Chief Judge A. Jay Cristol, and she lost again. In a Hearing before Judge Cristol on November 14, 2014, here is what the Judge had to say: (directly from the court transcript)

"THE COURT: Okay. We have a number of matters on the calendar. However, the Court will go first to Court Paper 526, and Court Paper 526 is the debtor's motion for rehearing, and on Page 2 of that motion Ms. Aponte states that the issues presented in the case are beyond her area of expertise.

Now, Ms. Aponte apparently filed a motion to withdraw, but then didn't show up to prosecute it. Some other attorneys came in who had not complied with Section 329 of the Code, and there had been no order authorizing substitution, so the Court did not allow them to appear.

In this case, based on Ms. Aponte's admission in her pleadings that she's not -- she's working within the area of expertise, it appears that Ms. Aponte is in violation of Florida Bar Rule 4-1.1, competence, and, therefore, should not be allowed to continue in this case or any other case in any Bankruptcy Court in the United States. And, therefore, the Court will draw such an order barring her from any further appearance until such time as she can demonstrate competence. And the Court will refer this matter to the Florida Bar." IN RE: Walter A. Lista. Case No. 13-22662-AJC. Doc. 551. Page 4. (NOTE: There is no indication that Ms. Aponte was ever disciplined by The Florida Bar for this or any other matter).

GROUP 37 (OPEN SEAT - Judge Celeste Muir retiring)

Michelle Delancy
- she has a net worth of $916,640 and she has qualified
- she has raised $88,828 from 307 contributors and loaned her campaign $88,250
- she is an attorney with Delancy Law with a salary of $147,000

SHE IS CURRENTLY UNOPPOSED

GROUP 55 (OPEN SEAT - Judge Jeri Beth Cohen retiring)

Olanike "Nike" Adebayo
- she has a net worth of $39,981 and she has qualified
- she has raised $55,431 from 195 contributors and loaned her campaign $1,604
- she is an attorney with the Office of Criminal Conflicts with a salary of $60,000
- she was a candidate for County Court in 2018. She was defeated by Judge Eleane Sosas-Bruzon 56% to 44%   

Joe Perkins 
- he has a net worth of $575,000 and he has qualified
- he has raised $127,069 from 135 contributors and loaned his campaign $75,500
- he is an attorney with Garbett Allen & Roza with a salary of $165,000
- he was a candidate for Circuit Court in 2018. He lost his race to Judge Yery Marrero 53% to 47%

GROUP 57 (OPEN SEAT - Judge Bernard Shapiro retiring)

Carmen Cabarga
- she has a net worth of $231,000 and she has qualified
- she has raised $64,906 from 170 contributors and loaned her campaign $145,000
- she took out a HELOC in the amount of $100,000 and borrowed another $45,000, all from Iberia Bank
- she is an attorney with the Office of Criminal Conflicts with a salary of $65,000 

Roderick Vereen
- he has a net worth of $2,189,086 and he has qualified.
- he has raised no money
- he owns his own law firm with a salary of $650,000
- he ran for Congress in 2010 as a Independent against Fredricka Wilson and lost 86% to 14%.
- he then ran as a Democrat in 2012 for State Attorney against Katherine Fernandez Rundle, losing 60% - 40%.

GROUP 65

Contrast Judge Dava Tunis’ nearly non-existent fundraising efforts as an Incumbent with Incumbent Judge Rebull’s fundraising. He has 423 contributors who have donated almost $181,000 to date.

Thomas Rebull (Incumbent)
- he has a net worth of $366,509 and he has qualified
- has has raised $180,943 from 423 contributors and loaned his campaign $5,000.
- he is paid $160,688 from the State of Florida; and $3,150 from the Univ. of Miami
- he was first appointed to the bench by Gov. Rick Scott in 2011. He ran unopposed in 2014.

Denise Martinez-Scanziani
- she has a net worth of $1,423,019 and she has qualified
- she has raised zero money and loaned her campaign zero money.
- she is self-employed and had income last year of $323,657.  
- she first ran in 2008 against Incumbent Circuit Judge Bernard Shapiro losing 59% - 41%. 
- she next ran in 2016 in retiring Judge Gill Freeman's Group against three opponents. The primary results faired no better for her: Mark Blumstein (29%); Luis Perez-Medina (25%); Renee Gordon (24%); and Ms. Martinez-Scanziani (23%).


GROUP 67

Mavel Ruiz (Incumbent)
- she has a net worth of $199,459 and she has qualified
- she has raised $123,944 from 278 contributors and loaned her campaign $78,000
- she has a salary of $160,688 as a Circuit Court Judge
- she was elected in 2014 over Incumbent Judge Fleur Lobree winning by a 54% - 46% vote
- she was one of the judges along with retired Judge Cindy Lederman and Judges Marcia Caballero, Rosa Figarola, and Teresa Pooler that received a written reprimand from the Supreme Court because of a letter they signed that backed Our Kids of Miami-Dade & Monroe, Inc. as it competed with another organization for a Department of Children and Families multi-year contract worth about $500 million.

Marcia Giordano Hansen
- she has a net worth of $996,788 and she has qualified
- she has raised $44,280 from 167 contributors and loaned her campaign $50,200
- she is an attorney with The Hansen Law Firm with a salary of $50,000
- she first filed to run for County Court Judge in Group 9 against Incumbent Judge Joe Mansfield before switching to this race

COUNTY COURT CONTESTED RACES

GROUP 9:

Joseph Mansfield (Incumbent)
- his has a net worth of $268,909 and he has qualified
- he has raised $5,200 from 10 contributors and loaned his campaign $0
- his salary with the State of Florida is $151,822
- he was appointed by Gov. Scott in August of 2017

Miguel "Mike" Mirabal
- he has a net worth of $1,684,634 and he has qualified
- he has raised $0 and has loaned his campaign $30,500
- he runs his own law firm, Global Legal, with a salary of $95,750
- he ran for a County Court seat against Judge Milena Abreu in 2018, losing that race by 65% to 35% 

GROUP 24

Christine Bandin (Incumbent)
- she has a net worth of $540,979 and she has qualified.
- she has raised $12,780 from 45 contributors and loaned her campaign $500
- she is paid $151,822 by the State of Florida
- she was appointed to the bench by Gov. Scott in October of 2018.

Shaun Spector
- he has a negative net worth of [-205,256] YES THAT IS NEGATIVE and he has qualified
- he has raised zero money and loaned his campaign zero money
- he has been an attorney for nine years and runs his own law firm in Coral Gables where he primarily practices commercial litigation and pays himself $78,690

GROUP 38:

Gordon Murray Sr. (Incumbent)
- he has a net worth of $777,299 and he has qualified
- he has raised $67,794 from 227 contributors and loaned his campaign $25,704
- his salary from the State of Florida is $151,182; he is paid an additional $6,700 from Miami-Dade College
- he was appointed by Gov. Scott in October of 2017

Rosy Aponte
WITHDREW AT 5:00 PM YESTERDAY. NOW RUNNING AGAINST CIRCUIT JUDGE DAVA TUNIS.


CAPTAIN OUT .......
Captain4Justice@gmail.com

JUDICIAL ELECTIONS 2020 ..... THREE NEW JUDGES .....

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:


MAJOR, MAJOR, BIG TIME BREAKING NEWS .....

Incumbent Judge Dava Tunis has drawn an opponent.

Candidate Rosy Aponte, who filed and qualified to run against Incumbent Judge Gordon Murray in Group 38 of the County Court has just switched and filed to run against Judge Tunis in Circuit Court Group 75.

Aponte has previously been unsuccessful in seeking a seat on the bench:

- she ran for a County Court seat against Judge Kristy Nunez in 2018, losing that race by 52 % to 48%.

- she ran for a Circuit Court seat against Judge Oscar Rodriguez-Fonts and Carol Breece in 2016. Ms. Aponte failed to make the runoff as she gained only 26% of the vote compared to Rodrgiuez Fonts (34%) and Breece (40%) in the Primary.

Judge Tunis was first appointed by Governor Bush in 2005. She ran unopposed in 2008 and again ran unopposed in 2014. She has never faced an opponent. UNTIL NOW.
 

Mr. Vereen has now been qualified by the Department of Elections.



Ms. Martinez-Scanziani has also been qualified by the Dept. of Elections.



Ms. Delancey is still without an opponent.


Mr. Spector has not yet qualified to run against Judge Bandin.

UPDATE ON CANDIDATE ROD VEREEN:
He has submitted a NEW check at 11:41 AM today. This check has written at the top left:  
CAMPAIGN TO ELECT
RODERICK VEREEN




and

This check appears to be signed by his Campaign Treasurer. So, by all accounts, it appears that Mr. Vereen has resolved any issues with his qualifying check. 
 
 
 





DOES ROD VEREEN HAVE SOME QUALIFYING ISSUES? On it's face he appears to have two problems.  His check may not have been written from a "campaign account".  Also, his check was signed by Mr. Vereen - which according to the Election Rules (see below), he was not permitted to do. (He is not his own campaign treasurer). Story developing .....


Qualifying Fee The qualifying fee must be: • Paid by a properly executed check drawn on the campaign account. (A personal check, cashier’s check, money order, or cash is not acceptable); • Made payable to the Florida Department of State, Florida Secretary of State, or Florida Division of Elections; and • In an amount not less than the fee required. The check must be signed by the campaign treasurer or deputy treasurer. A check signed by a candidate who has not been designated as the treasurer or deputy treasurer is not acceptable.



Shaun Spector has just filed in Group 24 of the County Court against Incumbent Judge Christine Bandin.  Spector has been an attorney for nine years and runs his own law firm in Coral Gables where he primarily practices commercial litigation.  Judge Bandin was appointed to the bench by Gov. Scott in October of 2018. At the time she was a partner with Shutts & Bowen.  She has been an attorney for 13 years.  Ms. Bandin has only raised $12,780 from 45 contributors and loaned her campaign $500.  She does have a net worth of $540,979. 

Denise Martinez-Scanziani has just filed in Group 65 against Incumbent Judge Thomas Rebull.  She has a Net Worth of $1,423,019 and had income last year  of $323,657.  Judge Rebull was first appointed to the bench by Gov. Rick Scott in 2011. He ran unopposed in 2014.  Ms. Martinez-Scanziani first ran in 2008 against Incumbent Circuit Judge Bernard Shapiro losing 59% - 41%.  She next ran in 2016 in retiring Judge Gill Freeman's Group against three opponents. The primary results were no better for her: Mark Blumstein (29%); Luis Perez-Medina (25%); Renee Gordon (24%); and Ms. Martinez-Scanziani (23%).

Roderick D. Vereen has just filed in Group 57 to run against Carmen Cabarga. He has a Net Worth of $2,189,086 and income of $650,000 last year. Vereen is no stranger to campaigns. He ran for Congress in 2010 as a Independent against Fredricka Wilson and lost 86% to 14%. He then ran as a Democrat in 2012 for State Attorney against Katherine Fernandez Rundle, losing 60% - 40%.


BREAKING NEWS #1 .......

COUNTY COURT

Tahya Fuenmayor has decided that she will no longer be a candidate for any judgeship in 2020.

BREATHE - that’s the nine incumbent County Court judges all exhaling a sigh of relief.

Ms Fuenmayor, who had filed in County Court Group 35, and who was on the short end of the move by Governor DeSantis when the Governor appointed Judge Lody Jean to the Circuit Court last Friday, spoke with us earlier today. She was congratulatory towards Judge Jean. But she was disappointed that the Governor chose to steal the opportunity away from the voters of Miami-Dade County to name the Group 35 replacement. Remember, Gov DeSantis could just as easily have chosen Judge Jean on Monday, and then let the voters choose her replacement through an election.

We have it on good authority that there will be some last minute surprises in both County and Circuit Court. That means the nine incumbents in County Court will need to continue to hold their collective breaths for another three days. In Circuit Court, there are still two open seats with only one candidate each:

In Group 37, with Judge Celeste Muir retiring, Michelle Delancy is still unopposed.

In Group 57, with Judge Bernard Shapiro retiring, Carmen Cabarga is also still unopposed.

BREAKING NEWS #2 .......

YOUR THREE NEWEST COUNTY COURT JUDGES ARE:

CARLOS GAMEZ. Judge Gamez has been an attorney for 11 years. He is currently employed as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Miami. He was first hired out of law school by Perez & Rodriguez. He takes over for Judge Ramiro Areces who was recently elevated to the Circuit Court.

SCOTT JANOWITZ. Judge Janowitz has been an attorney for 14 years. He was an ASA in Broward County for three years. He is now an associate with Geyer, Fuxa, Tyler, PLLC. He fills the vacancy created when Judge Christina DiRaimondo was recently elevated to the Circuit Court.

JEFFREY KOLOKOFF. Judge Kolokoff has been an attorney for 13 years. He was an ASA in Miami-Dade for six years. He is currently an associate with Beighley, Myrick, Udell and Lynne. He replaces Judge Robert Watson who was elevated to the Circuit Court recently.

Two closing points on these three recent appointments.

First, it is even more transpicuous what Governor DeSantis pulled with the Judge Lody Jean appointment (and the one for Judge Zachary James). It took him 57 days (he has a maximum of 60) to name these three new County Court Judges from the date the nominees were placed on his desk. By contrast, he named James after 14 days and Jean after 28 days - the two shortest turnarounds in Miami-Dade County history for Gov DeSantis.

Second, it bears repeating what I wrote about last Friday. The Governor has once again made it crystal clear of his insouciance toward anyone that has the name Assistant Public Defender on their resume. The count is now 62 judges appointed by DeSantis; 43 of them are former ASAs/AUSAs/AAGs and only one was appointed out of the P.D. office: Judge Ayana Harris. This time the Governor had 18 names on his desk for these three open seats, including APDs Kevin Hellman and Gale Lewis. They never had a chance.


We will update these pages regularly with any breaking election news.


CAPTAIN OUT .......
Captain4Justice@gmail.com

JUDICIAL ELECTIONS 2020 ..... COUNTY COURT .....

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

QUALIFYING WEEK - MASKED EDITION: PART TWO - COUNTY COURT .....

UPDATES BELOW:

BUT FIRST:
Following up on my Friday Blog Post:  Elections Have Consequences: Two New Circuit Court Judges, there were more than a few Comments praising Gov DeSantis’ appointment of Judge Lody Jean. Judge Jean may in fact have been more than qualified to earn the appointment. But Governor DeSantis played the game with loaded dice. First, DeSantis has never named a Circuit Court Judge in Miami-Dade County in less than 30 days before these past two appointments. Now, Judge Zachary James gets named only 14 days after the 12 nominees names arrive on DeSantis’ desk. And 14 days later, DeSantis chooses Jean. Second, DeSantis was very shrewed in making sure he made those appointments before Monday, April 20, 2020. With Judge Jean’s appointment taking place last Friday, her Group 35 seat is now an open seat with her successor to be named by the Governor, instead of by the voters. Same for Judge James' Group 28 seat in County Court. But, Governor DeSantis’ office had to work really fast to pull this off. Judge Jean’s qualifying papers had to be rushed to her by the Department of State. And Jean had to file these papers immediately. Lest anyone doubt that DeSantis wanted to ensure he could name the replacements for the two open seats, the Eleventh Judicial Circuit’s JNC announced yesterday that they were accepting "applications to fill the vacancies caused by the elevation of Judges Zachary James and Lody Jean" with a deadline of May 4, 2020. Now on to the Election Coverage.

Yesterday we covered the races in Circuit Court. Today we turn our focus to the County Court contests. There are three County Court Judges (UPDATE - make that two) that have drawn opposition, while 9 others are currently unopposed. One contender is back for a third try, having previously lost a Circuit Court race in 2016 and a County Court race in 2018.

COUNTY COURT:
Here is the list of nine (9) Incumbents (it was 16 at one point) who are currently unopposed:

Donald Cannava Jr.
Raul Cuervo
Stephanie Silver
Christine Bandin
Luis Perez-Medina
Betty Capote-Erben
Elijah Levitt
Natalie Moore
Victoria Ferrer

In addition, here is the list of seven (7) other Incumbent judges who were facing re-election in 2020. All seven have been recently elevated to the Circuit Court (CC) bench with their replacements to be named by Governor DeSantis instead of the voters choosing.

William Altfield (was recently appointed to CC to replace Judge Rodney Smith)
Laura Shearson Cruz (was recently appointed to CC to replace Judge Rodolfo Ruiz)
Christina DiRaimondo (was recently appointed to CC to replace Judge Diane Ward)
Ramiro Areces (was recently appointed to CC to replace Judge Renatha Francis)
Robert Watson (was recently appointed to CC to replace Judge John Thornton)
Zachary James (was just appointed to CC to replace Judge Jacqueline Scola)
Lody Jean (was just appointed to CC to replace Judge John Schlesinger)

GROUP 9:

Joseph Mansfield (Incumbent) (Q)
- he has not yet qualified and his net worth is $268,909
- he has raised $5,200 from 10 contributors and loaned his campaign $0
- his salary with the State of Florida is $151,822
Miguel "Mike" Mirabal (Q)
- he has qualified; he has a Net Worth of $1,684,634
- he has raised $0 and has loaned his campaign $30,500
- he ran for a County Court seat against Judge Milena Abreu
in 2018, losing that race by 65% to 35%.
- he runs his own law firm, Global Legal, with a salary of $95,750


GROUP 35: SEE ABOVE
As of last Friday, April 17, with the appointment of Judge Jean to the Circuit Court to replace Judge Schlesinger, this seat is now open and a replacement will be named by Gov. DeSantis.  Ms. Fuenmayor now has nine Incumbent judges to choose from as she decides which one to challenge in this year's election. Anyone want to venture a guess as to who will be the unlucky Incumbent?

Lody Jean (Incumbent)
- she has not yet qualified
- she has raised $144,075 from 432 contributors and loaned
her campaign $60,000

Tahya Fuenmayor
- she has not yet qualified
- she has raised $27,775 from 39 contributors and loaned
her campaign $35,000
- she is currently an attorney with Gonzalez & Assoc., where
she handles PIP suits


GROUP 38:

Gordon Murray Sr. (Incumbent) (Q)
- he has qualified; he has a Net Worth of $777,299
- he has raised $67,794 from 227 contributors and loaned
his campaign $25,704
- his salary from the State of Florida is $151,182; he is paid an additional $6,700 from Miami-Dade College

Rosy Aponte (Q)
- she has qualified; she has a Net Worth of $315,000; it was $186,000 in 2018, and only $46,000 in 2016
- she has raised $3,000 from 3 contributors and loaned her campaign $49,000
- she is a solo practitioner with R. Aponte & Assoc. where she paid herself $83,000. She is also a partner in the Felicetti Law Firm where she was paid an additional $120,000
- she ran for a County Court seat against Judge Kristy Nunez in 2018, losing that race by 52 % to 48%.
- she ran for a Circuit Court seat against Judge Oscar Rodriguez-Fonts and Carol Breece in 2016. Ms. Aponte failed to make the runoff as she gained only 26% of the vote in the Primary compared to Rodriguez Fonts (34%) and Breece (40%).

(Rumpole notes: Do not forget to contribute to the Go Fund Me account for Judge Richard Hersch's bailiff Orlando Duarte who passed away last week. See our post on Sunday for more details.)

CAPTAIN OUT .......
Captain4Justice@gmail.com