ELECTION RESULTS ... PRIMARY 2026 .....

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

ELECTION NIGHT — THE RESULTS ARE IN … ALMOST

AS OF 1:53 A.M., 100% OF THE VOTES HAVE BEEN COUNTED:

767 of 767 precincts reporting.

A total of 244,454 voters cast ballots in Tuesday's Primary Election, representing approximately 19% of Miami-Dade County's registered voters.

Based on the results as they stand tonight, two judicial races are headed to a runoff on November 3rd, General Election Day.

CIRCUIT COURT — GROUP 5

There will be a runoff between Arthur "Marty" McNeil and Monica Segura.

CIRCUIT COURT — GROUP 69

There will also be a runoff between Rita Baez and Bonita Jones-Peabody.

COUNTY COURT — GROUP 25

And this one is razor thin.

Incumbent Judge Luis Perez-Medina currently trails challenger Maribel Diaz, an attorney with the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector's Office, by just 572 votes.

With the margin well under one-half of one percent, The Captain expects this race will be subject to Florida's recount procedures before anyone starts measuring the drapes in the judge's chambers.

For now, Maribel Diaz leads.

AND THE STUNNER OF THE NIGHT …

Incumbent Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz appears headed for defeat at the hands of 30-year-old attorney Destiny Goede Alvarez.

Alvarez's candidacy has generated controversy from the beginning.

First came "The Name Game," which Captain Justice previously reported on: Alvarez changed her name shortly before submitting her application to the Judicial Nominating Commission and later changed it again before qualifying to run for judge.

Then came her decision to challenge an incumbent Circuit Judge despite having been a member of The Florida Bar for barely more than five years—and without having tried a single jury trial.

And then came the money.

As we reported, Alvarez received campaign contributions from 25 Political Committees/PACs, with 24 contributing the maximum $1,000.

A substantial amount of political money and support lined up behind Alvarez, much of it from conservative-aligned political committees.

Tonight, that support appears to have paid off.

Barring a significant change in the remaining votes, Destiny Goede Alvarez will become one of Miami-Dade County's newest Circuit Court Judges.

AND FINALLY …

Congratulations to Assistant Public Defender/Judge-Elect Renee Gordon, who wins election to the Circuit Court on her third try.

And congratulations to incumbent Judge Spencer Eig, who has won another term on the Circuit Court bench.

Two runoffs. One race separated by just a few hundred votes. And an incumbent Circuit Judge apparently headed for defeat.

Not a boring night in Miami-Dade judicial politics.

CIRCUIT COURT

GROUP 5

Arthur "Marty" McNeil - 42%

Monica Segura - 36%

Alex Annunziato - 22%

GROUP 35

Renee Gordon - 63%

Cristobal Padron - 37%

GROUP 67

Judge Mavel Ruiz - 111,142 (49.54%)

Destiny Alvarez - 113,215 (50.46%)

(Alvarez leads by 2,073 votes)

GROUP 69

Rita Baez - 37%

Bonita Jones-Peabody - 35%

Yaneth Baez - 28%

GROUP 76

Spencer Eig - 56%

Yenly Dominguez - 44%

COUNTY COURT

GROUP 25

Judge Luis Perez-Medina - 109,982 (49.87%)

Maribel Diaz - 110,554 (50.13%)

(Diaz leads by 572 votes)

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

ELECTION CENTRAL ..... JUDICIAL CONTESTS 2026 - PART THREE .....

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

MEET THE CANDIDATES - PART THREE.....

Today, Captain Justice concludes this three-part series with a look at the final two contested judicial races: Circuit Court Group 76 and County Court Group 25.

CIRCUIT COURT – GROUP 76
(Incumbent Judge Spencer Eig)

Judge Spencer Eig

• Incumbent Circuit Court Judge.
• Has served on the bench for more than twenty years.
• Appointed by Governor Jeb Bush in 2005.
• Has presided over criminal, civil, and probate divisions.
• Has been re-elected several times without opposition.

DOLLARS $$$

• Judge Eig has raised $212,663 from 449 contributors, second only to Judge Mavel Ruiz among all candidates in this year's judicial election cycle.
• His financial disclosure reflects a net worth of $1,718,000.
• His judicial salary is $189,591.

Yenly Dominguez

• Private practitioner concentrating in real estate and estate planning.
• Member of The Florida Bar for seven years.
• Has participated in more than 50 jury trials.

DOLLARS $$$

• Dominguez has raised $57,850 from 70 contributors.
• She has also loaned her campaign $8,100.
• Her financial disclosure reflects a net worth of $674,942.
• She reports annual income of $60,000 from her law practice and an additional $90,000 from Elite Title of Miami.

COUNTY COURT – GROUP 25
(Incumbent Judge Luis Perez-Medina)

Judge Luis Perez-Medina

• Incumbent County Court Judge.
• Former Assistant State Attorney for thirteen years.
• Appointed to the County Court by Governor Rick Scott in 2018. Was unopposed in 2020.

DOLLARS $$$

• Judge Perez-Medina has raised $59,606 from 132 contributors.
• He has also loaned his campaign $101,050.
• His financial disclosure reflects a net worth of $2,085,000.
• His judicial salary is $184,080.

Maribel Diaz

• Attorney with the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector's Office.
• Member of The Florida Bar for seventeen years.
• Handles foreclosure litigation, collections, and property tax disputes.

DOLLARS $$$

• Diaz has raised $12,625, the lowest fundraising total of any candidate in this year's contested judicial elections.
• She has also loaned her campaign $20,000.
• Her financial disclosure reflects a net worth of $530,394.
• She reports annual compensation of $134,882 from Miami-Dade County.

That concludes Captain Justice's review of the six contested judicial elections on the August 18 ballot.

As always, Captain Justice encourages every eligible voter to become informed, study the candidates, and most importantly...

VOTE.

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

ELECTION CENTRAL ..... JUDICIAL CONTESTS 2026 - PART TWO .....

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

MEET THE CANDIDATES, PART 2 .....

Today, Captain Justice takes a look at two more contested Circuit Court races. One of them—Group 67—features a candidate whose campaign finance reports caught Captain Justice's attention.

CIRCUIT COURT – GROUP 67
(Incumbent Judge Mavel Ruiz)

Judge Mavel Ruiz

• Incumbent Circuit Court Judge.
• Elected in 2014 and has served on the Circuit Court bench since January 2015.
• Re-elected in 2020.
• Former Assistant Public Defender.
• Has tried more than 50 jury trials.

DOLLARS $$$

• Judge Ruiz has raised $247,191 from 492 contributors, the highest fundraising total of any candidate in this year's judicial election cycle.
• She has also loaned her campaign $20,100.
• Captain Justice was unable to locate a financial disclosure reflecting her current net worth. Her reported judicial salary is $200,836.

Destiny Goede Alvarez

• Insurance defense attorney with Goede, DeBoest & Cross.
• Member of The Florida Bar for five years.
• Age 30.
• Practices civil litigation, insurance disputes, condominium, and homeowners' association law.
• Has not tried a jury trial.

DOLLARS $$$

• Alvarez has raised $195,960 from 360 contributors.
• Her financial disclosure reflects a net worth of $391,163, and an annual salary of $222,519 from her law firm.

A Campaign Finance Observation - better said as

WAIT A MINUTE

Here's what caught Captain Justice's attention.

Since 2008, when Rumpole first launched this blog, I have reviewed campaign finance reports for hundreds of judicial candidates. I have never encountered another judicial candidate whose campaign reports reflected this level of Political Committee support.

According to her campaign finance reports, 26 separate Political Committees (PACs) contributed to Ms. Alvarez's campaign. All but one contributed the maximum $1,000 permitted by law. One PAC contributed $750.

Even more noteworthy, nine of those PACs list the same address:

2100 Salzedo Street, Suite 200
Coral Gables, Florida

Captain Justice reviewed the campaign finance reports of all 14 candidates running in this year's six contested judicial races.

Ms. Alvarez is the only candidate whose campaign reflects contributions from this many Political Committees. The only other PAC contributions identified were two law firm PACs—GrayRobinson and Duane Morris—which contributed to Judge Eig's campaign.

The Political Committees contributing to the Alvarez campaign are:

• A Stronger Florida
• America First Florida First PC
• APB for Florida
• By the People, For the People
• Conservatives for a Better Florida
• Conservatives for a Better Miami
• Dade County PBA Political Action Committee
• Dade Families First PC
• Ethics and Honesty in Government
• Fighting for a Better Miami-Dade
• Fighting for Florida's Families
• Floridians for Prosperity
• Floridians for Strong Leadership
• Friends of Sammi
• Miami-Dade Residents United
• Miami Fraternal Order of Police
• Miami United PC
• New Leadership for Miami
• People Above Politics
• People for Accountable Government
• Protect Our Florida Values
• Protecting Florida's Future
• Right Future for Florida
• The Future Now PAC ($750)
• The Right Path for Florida
• The Southern Group of Florida

Captain Justice previously wrote about Ms. Goede Alvarez's multiple name changes in a post entitled "The Name Game."

If you missed it, it is worth another look. Click here to read our previous post.

CIRCUIT COURT – GROUP 69
(Seat being vacated by Judge Richard Hersch)

Rita Baez

• Private practice concentrating in personal injury litigation.
• Member of The Florida Bar for 30 years.
• Has tried approximately 80 jury trials.
• Candidate for County Court in 2024.

In 2024, Baez sought election to the County Court, narrowly losing to Christopher Green by a margin of 50.8% to 49.2%—a difference of just 4,145 votes out of 249,483 ballots cast.

DOLLARS $$$

• Baez has raised $64,016 from 105 contributors.
• She has also loaned her campaign $200,000.
• Her financial disclosure reflects the highest reported net worth of any judicial candidate in this election cycle—$9,110,000.
• She reports annual income of $750,000.

Yaneth del Carmen Baez

• Assistant State Attorney throughout her nine-year legal career.
• Currently assigned to the Human Trafficking Unit.
• Has tried 34 jury trials.
• Previously nominated by the Judicial Nominating Commission on four separate occasions.

DOLLARS $$$

• Baez has raised $60,913 from 203 contributors.
• She has also loaned her campaign $33,500.
• Captain Justice was unable to locate a financial disclosure reflecting her current net worth.
• Her State of Florida salary is $124,798.

Bonita Jones-Peabody

• Private practitioner.
• Former Assistant Public Defender.
• Member of The Florida Bar for 35 years.
• Has tried more than 200 jury trials.
• Candidate for Circuit Court in 2024.

In 2024, Jones-Peabody sought election to the Circuit Court but was defeated by Jason Bloch by a 62% to 38% margin.

DOLLARS $$$

• Jones-Peabody has raised $35,045 from 130 contributors.
• She has loaned her campaign $10,100.
• Her financial disclosure reflects the lowest reported net worth among the candidates in this year's contested judicial elections—$220,181.
• She reports annual State of Florida income of $19,097, together with $41,821 in Social Security benefits.

Tomorrow, Captain Justice concludes this three-part series by examining the final two contested judicial races:

Circuit Court – Group 76

County Court – Group 25

Until then...

CAPTAIN OUT …
Captain4Justice@gmail.com

ELECTION CENTRAL ... JUDICIAL CONTESTS 2026 - PART ONE .....

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

MEET THE CANDIDATES - PART ONE .......

Miami-Dade County has six contested judicial elections in the 2026 election cycle—five for the Circuit Court and one for the County Court.

Early voting began on Monday, August 3, and Election Day is Tuesday, August 18, 2026.

Over the next three days, Captain Justice will take a look at each of the six races. Today, Group 5 and Group 35.

CIRCUIT COURT – GROUP 5
(Seat being vacated by Judge Angelica Zayas)

Alexander Annunziato

• In-house counsel for Ascendant Commercial Insurance.
• Member of The Florida Bar for 11 years.
• Former Lieutenant with the Florida Highway Patrol.
• Former Assistant Public Defender.
• Has tried 23 jury trials.

His background also includes a highly publicized 2018 arrest for purchasing two bags of heroin. He successfully completed the Miami-Dade Drug Court program, and the charges were ultimately dismissed.

DOLLARS $$$

• Raised $53,795 from 86 contributors.
• Presidente Supermarkets, through five different corporate entities, contributed a combined $5,000.
• Financial disclosure reflects a net worth of $1,165,000, including an annual salary of $170,000 from Ascendant Commercial Insurance.
• One final tidbit that Rumpole would undoubtedly appreciate: among his listed assets is "Green Bay Packers — $1,500."

Arthur McNeil

• Assistant Public Defender.
• Member of The Florida Bar for 19 years.
• Currently assigned to the Death Penalty Litigation Unit.
• Certified Supreme Court Mediator.
• Former private practitioner handling both civil and criminal litigation.
• Has tried 56 jury trials.

DOLLARS $$$

• Raised $57,545 from 109 contributors.
• Personally loaned his campaign $25,250.
• Financial disclosure lists a net worth of $509,199 and an annual State of Florida salary of $134,321.

Monica Segura

• Senior Managing Associate General Counsel for Universal Property & Casualty Insurance.
• Member of The Florida Bar for 20 years.
• Has tried one jury trial.

DOLLARS $$$

• Raised $61,269 from 145 contributors.
• Financial disclosure reports a net worth of $1,492,000 and an annual salary of $213,500 from Universal Property & Casualty Insurance.

CIRCUIT COURT – GROUP 35
(Seat being vacated by Judge Orlando Prescott)

Renee Gordon

• Assistant Public Defender.
• Member of The Florida Bar for 30 years.
• Seven years with the PD's Office, twelve years in private practice, and the past eleven years back with the PD's Office.
• Has tried 60 jury trials.

This is Gordon's third campaign for the Circuit Court. In 2016, she ran in a four-candidate race, finishing third behind Mark Blumstein (29%) and Luis Perez-Medina (25%). She narrowly missed advancing to the runoff by just 1,737 votes. In 2018, she again sought a Circuit Court seat, this time in a three-candidate race. Gordon finished first in the primary with 47.6% of the vote, while Vivianne del Rio received 35%. In the runoff election, del Rio prevailed with 53% of the vote.

DOLLARS $$$

• Raised $84,000 from 289 contributors.
• Personally loaned her campaign $27,000.
• Net worth: $602,273. State salary: $124,133 plus $9,296 from Florida International University.

Cristobal Padron

• Private practice concentrating in family law.
• Member of The Florida Bar for 14 years.
• Ran for Circuit Court in 2024.
• Has tried two jury trials and more than 400 bench trials.

Padron lost the 2024 election to Judge Heloiza Correa by a 52% to 48% margin.

DOLLARS $$$

• Raised $15,800 from 31 contributors.
• Personally loaned his campaign $38,500.
• Net worth: $1,085,000. Income from solo practice: $237,313.

Be sure to check back tomorrow as Captain Justice turns to Circuit Court Groups 67 and 69.

Trust me—you won't want to miss it. The Group 67 race contains a few surprises that deserve a closer look.

CAPTAIN OUT …
Captain4Justice@gmail.com

JUDICIAL ELECTIONS 2026 ..... QUALIFYING WEEK .....

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

ELECTION CENTRAL 2026 ... QUALIFYING WEEK

UPDATED AT 2:00 PM TODAY:

No surprises to report other than perennial candidate Renier Diaz de la Portilla did not pay the $7,590.20 qualifying fee in Group 38 of the County Court. Therefore, we extend our congratulations to incumbent Judge Gordon Murray on his re-election. 

We have six remaining contested judicial elections to look forward to this August.

Qualifying for Circuit and County Court closes at Noon today. We will update this post once all final paperwork is reviewed and confirmed. As of midnight, here is where things stand:

CIRCUIT COURT

First, the contested races:

GROUP 5 (Judge Angelica Zayas retiring)

Alexander Annunziato (In-house counsel, Ascendant Commercial Insurance; attorney for 11 years)

Arthur McNeil (Assistant Public Defender; attorney for 19 years)*** (HAS NOW QUALIFIED)

Monica Segura (Senior Managing Associate General Counsel for Universal Property & Casualty;  attorney for 20 years).

GROUP 35 (Judge Orlando Prescott retiring)

Renee Gordon (Assistant Public Defender; attorney for 30 years)

Cristobal Padron (Private practice, family law; attorney for 14 years)*** (HAS NOW QUALIFIED)

GROUP 67

Incumbent Judge Mavel Ruiz

Destiny Goede "Alvarez" (Insurance defense; attorney for five years)

We previously posted about the shenanigans that Ms. Goede "Alvarez" pulled with her multiple name changes, twice in two months, under the title "The Name Game," and we encourage you to read it again. You can find it here. (scroll down to Group 67).

GROUP 69 (Judge Richard Hersch retiring)

Rita Baez (Private practice, personal injury; attorney for 30 years)

Yaneth Del Carmen Baez (Assistant State Attorney; attorney for 9 years)

Bonita Jones-Peabody (Private Practice, former APD; attorney for 35 years)

GROUP 76 

Incumbent Judge Spencer Eig

Yenly Dominguez (Private practice, real estate & estate planning; attorney for 7 years)

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING JUDGES

Twenty-seven incumbent judges were automatically re-elected after drawing no opposition:

Michelle Alvarez Barakat 
Tanya Brinkley 
Beatrice Butchko 
Carmen Cabarga 
Yvonne Colodny 
Ivonne Cuesta 
Jorge Cueto 
Abby Cynamon 
Michelle Delancy 
Dawn Denaro 
Reemberto Diaz 
Veronica Diaz 
Carlos Gamez 
Stacy Glick 
Laura Gonzalez-Marques 
Carlos Guzman 
Christine Hernandez 
Peter Lopez 
Denis Martinez-Scanziani 
Alberto Milian 
Cristina Miranda
Spencer Multack 
Joseph Perkins 
Migna Sanchez-Llorens 
Laura Stuzin 
Daryl Trawick 
Andrea Wolfson 

COUNTY COURT

Again, we begin with the contested races:

GROUP 25

Incumbent Judge Luis Perez-Medina

Maribel Diaz (Miami-Dade Tax Collector’s Office; attorney for 17 years)

GROUP 38

Incumbent Judge Gordon Murray

Renier Diaz de la Portilla (Private Practice; attorney for 18 years)***

***Indicates that the candidate has not yet paid their qualifying fee.

Nine incumbent County Court judges were automatically re-elected:

Donald Cannava
Betty Capote-Erben
Raul Cuervo
Ritamaria Cuervo
Victoria Ferrer
Kevin Hellman
Joanne Marie Hernandez
Natalie Moore 
Stephanie Silver

Best of luck to all of the candidates. Voters go to the polls on August 18, 2026.

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

ELECTION CENTRAL 2026 - CIRCUIT COURT .....

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

ELECTION CENTRAL 2026 – PART TWO

CIRCUIT COURT

Three Circuit Court judges are retiring this cycle. There are 29 incumbent judges running for re-election, and only one has drawn opposition.

GROUP 5 (Judge Angelica Zayas retiring)

Alexander Annunziato (in-house counsel, Ascendant Commercial Insurance)

Arthur McNeil (former Assistant Public Defender, Miami-Dade County)

Annunziato was suspended for 60 days by the Florida Supreme Court, effective August 1, 2019. The suspension stemmed from a May 2018 arrest for attempting to purchase $20 worth of heroin from an undercover detective. See State v. Annunziato, Case No. F18-9913 (Miami-Dade County Circuit Court).

To his credit, Annunziato stipulated to probable cause and agreed to the findings. A Consent Judgment was entered with the Florida Supreme Court. He completed Miami-Dade Drug Court, participated in the Florida Lawyers Assistance Program, underwent 45 days of residential treatment, and continues to attend 12-step meetings. He was represented by attorney Richard Baron.

The Consent Judgment can be found here:

McNeil served as an Assistant Public Defender from 2017 to 2024 and is now in private practice. We noted in our research that his current residence is in Broward County. When asked about his plans if elected, McNeil advised us that he would relocate to Miami-Dade County before taking office in January 2027.

GROUP 35 (Judge Orlando Prescott retiring)

Renee Gordon (Assistant Public Defender, Miami-Dade County)

Cristobal Padron (solo practitioner)

Gordon has been a member of The Florida Bar for 31 years. She previously ran for Circuit Court in 2018 against Vivianne del Rio, losing 53% to 47%.

Padron has been practicing law for 15 years and focuses on family law. He ran for Circuit Court in 2024 against Heloiza Correa, losing 52% to 48%—a margin of approximately 9,300 votes.

GROUP 67

Incumbent Judge Mavel Ruiz

Destiny Goede Alvarez (insurance defense)

This shapes up to be one of the more interesting races.

In 2014, Mavel Ruiz unseated incumbent Judge Fleur Lobree with 54% of the vote. (Lobree later went on to serve on the Third District Court of Appeal.) In 2020, Judge Ruiz defeated challenger Marcia Hansen with 55% of the vote.

Now, she faces Destiny Goede Alvarez, a relatively young but well-connected attorney, just over five years out of law school.

We previously wrote about Goede Alvarez in connection with her applications to the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) for both Circuit and County Court openings. The JNC nominated her for one of the County Court seats, and her name is currently pending before Governor DeSantis.

Goede Alvarez has been a member of The Florida Bar for just over five years—the minimum qualification for judicial appointment. She earned two degrees from the University of Florida, served as President of Florida Blue Key, and was later inducted into its Hall of Fame. She is also a member of the Federalist Society.

Her experience includes:

• Judicial intern to U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda Arnold Sansone
• Service in the DeSantis Administration at the Florida Department of Transportation (one year)
• Associate at GrayRobinson (two years)
• Current partner at Goede, DeBoest & Cross (the Goede is John Goede)

THE "NAME GAME" © 2022

We’ve been down this road before.

Time and again, we’ve seen attorneys suddenly “discover” new last names right before applying to the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) or filing to run for judge. It’s a pattern. And it’s not subtle.

Most recently, we pointed out that sitting United States Attorney Jason Reding Quinones managed to find an extra surname just days before submitting his JNC application.

Now, we have a new entrant into the Name Game.

Enter Destiny Goede… then Destiny Goede Alvarez… and now, simply, Destiny Alvarez.

Let’s walk through this.

Ms. Goede married Nicholas Alvarez on May 6, 2023. Nothing unusual there. And yes—taking a spouse’s last name is perfectly appropriate.

But that’s not what this is about.

Because for the next year and a half, she didn’t take it.

In November 2024—eighteen months after the wedding—she was still “Destiny Goede” when she and her husband signed mortgage documents on a Miami-Dade property. Professionally, she continued using “Goede” at her father’s law firm through at least September 2025.

No rush. No urgency. No “Alvarez.”

Then came January 20, 2026.

The JNC announces four judicial openings—two Circuit, two County.

And suddenly… the clock starts ticking.

Two days later—two days—on January 22, “Destiny Goede” becomes “Destiny Goede Alvarez” with The Florida Bar. Application submitted. Interview secured. And by March 13, she’s on the short list sent to Governor DeSantis for a County Court seat.

Convenient timing.

But wait—it gets better.

On March 26, just thirteen days after making the Governor’s list, she goes back to The Florida Bar and changes her name again.

This time, dropping “Goede” altogether.

Now she’s simply: Destiny Alvarez.

Three names. Three iterations. All within a matter of weeks—right in the middle of the judicial selection process.

Coincidence?

You decide.

But here’s what we do know: for nearly two years after her marriage, she was perfectly content to remain “Goede.” Only when a judicial opportunity appeared did the name begin to… evolve.

Call it what you want.

We call it the Name Game.

GROUP 69 (Judge Richard Hersch retiring)

Rita Baez (Personal Injury Attorney)

Yaneth Del Carmen Baez (Assistant State Attorney)

Bonita Jones-Peabody (Private Practice, former APD)

Baez has been practicing for 30 years, focusing on personal injury law. She ran for County Court in 2024 against incumbent Christopher Green, narrowly losing 50.8% to 49.2%—a difference of 3,145 votes out of approximately 249,500 cast.

Del Carmen Baez has been an attorney for nine years. She works in the Human Trafficking Unit at the Miami-Dade State Attorney's office.

Jones-Peabody has been an attorney for 35 years. She spent 11 years, from 2013-2024, at the Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office. She is now in private practice.

THIRD DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL

Judge Kevin Emas retired on March 31, 2026. The next judge of the Third District Court of Appeal will be appointed by Governor DeSantis from the following nominees:

Jeffrey DeSousa
Judge Javier Enriquez
Judge Spencer Multack
Judge Joseph Perkins
Judge Thomas Rebull
Judge Robert Watson

CAPTAIN OUT .......

Captain4Justice@gmail.com

JUDICIAL ELECTIONS 2026 ... INCUMBENT VULNERABILITY QUOTIENT .....

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

ELECTION CENTRAL 2026 - PART ONE

The Qualifying period is fast approaching, and several new candidates have recently filed paperwork indicating their intent to run for judicial office. Qualifying Week is set for April 20-24, 2026, with the primary election scheduled for August 18.

COUNTY COURT

There are 11 incumbent judges up for election this cycle. Only one currently faces opposition. 

The headline: on April 1, perennial candidate Renier Diaz de la Portilla, filed to run in Group 38 of the County Court, challenging  incumbent Judge Gordon Murray, Sr.

You may recall that the last time we wrote about Diaz de la Portilla, he was challenging another County Court Judge - Fred Seraphin - in the 2022 election cycle. 

THE HISTORY OF CANDIDATE RENIER DIAZ DE LA PORTILLA

It’s a long one, so buckle up:

... 1996: Elected to the Miami-Dade School Board at the age of 25; served two years.

... 2000: Elected in a special election to the Florida House in District 115; served two years. 

... 2002: Lost re-election in the Republican primary to J.C. Planas, 45%-43%.

... 2006-2012: Returned to and served again on the School Board. 

... 2012: Ran in House District 103; lost to Manny Diaz Jr., 55%-39%.

... 2014: Ran for Circuit Court Judge; lost to Veronica Diaz 57%-43%.

... 2020: Ran for Miami-Dade County Commission, District 5; lost to Eileen Higgins, 53%-47%.

... 2022: Challenged incumbent Judge Fred Seraphin; lost 56%-44%.

In addition to these campaigns, Diaz de la Portilla has repeatedly sought appointment to the bench through the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC),  without success:

... 2016 (early): Applied for an open County Court seat.

... 2016 (later): Again applied when two additional County Court seats became available.

... 2019: Applied and interviewed for one of four open County Court seats; the JNC forwarded 23 names to the Governor - his was not one of them. 

... 2020: Applied again for three open seats on the County Court; he was not appointed. 

In 2022, The Captain published several critical pieces regarding Diaz de la Portilla's campaign for his actions in his campaign against Judge Seraphin. The Daily Business Review subsequently reported on those issues quoted from our posts. For those interested, we encourage revisiting:

SHAME ON YOU RENIER DIAZ DE LA PORTILLA, posted on July 28, 2022, which can be found here

RENIER DIAZ DE LA PORTILLA - YOU ARE OUT OF ORDER, posted on August 9, 2022, which can be found here

GET OUT THE HANDCUFFS ??? HAVE THE DIAZ DE LA PORTILLA BROTHERS BROKEN THE LAW ???, posted on August 13, 2022, which can be found here

INCUMBENT VULNERABILITY QUOTIENT 

Back in 2022, we questioned why Diaz de la Portilla chose to challenge Judge Seraphin. Of the 15 Countyy Court Groups up for election, 12 incumbents went unopposed. Seraphin was one of four black judges running on the ballot that year, along with Miesha Darrough, Chiaka Ihekwaba, and Julie Harris Nelson. 

In the 2026 cycle, Murray is the only black judge of the 11 incumbents. We have no evidence that Diaz de la Portilla choices - either in 2022 or now -  were motivated by race.

To analyze competitiveness, we developed a metric: the Incumbent Vulnerability Quotient (IVQ), © 2026. The IVQ considers three factors:

1. Total contributions from donors (excluding candidate loans)

2. Number of individual contributors

3. Amount of money loaned by the candidate 

The higher the score, the more vulnerable the incumbent.

As of March 31, 2026, the most vulnerable incumbents are:

Natalie Moore (26)
Ritamaria Cuervo (25)
Luis Perez Medina (24)

Judge Moore, for example, ranked tenth of the eleven incumbents in both total contributions and number of contributors, and sixth in personal loans to her campaign - resulting in the highest IVQ score of 26. 

At the other end of the spectrum, the least vulnerable incumbents are:

Kevin Hellman (7)
Donald Cannava (9)
Stephanie Silver (11)

Where does incumbent Judge Gordon Murray, Sr. fall?

He ranked fourth - just behind Judge Silver - with an IVQ score of 11. In other words, there are seven incumbent judges statistically more vulnerable than Murray. 

Yet Murray is the one Diaz de la Portilla chose to challenge. 

Why? 

We asked Diaz de la Portilla that very question. If he responds, we will let you know.

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

JUDICIAL NEWS, PART 2, COUNTY COURT ELECTIONS .......

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS: 

As promised last Thursday, today we present the races in County Court. 

COUNTY COURT JUDICIAL ELECTIONS .....

There are 10 County Court seats up for election in 2026. The term runs from January 6, 2027, for six years. The following is a list of those judges whose term expires on January 5, 2027. An (F) next to their name means they have filed with the Department of Elections for the upcoming election. All ten incumbents have filed. In Group 9, newly appointed Judge Hernandez will not need to face the voters until 2028. In Group 24, we are looking to confirm whether Governor DeSantis has named a replacement for US Attorney Jason Reding. None of the incumbents has drawn opposition yet. Qualifying week runs from April 20-24, with the election scheduled for August 18, 2026.

COUNTY COURT

Donald Cannava (F)

Betty Capote-Erben (F)

Raul Cuervo (F)

Ritamaria Cuervo (F)

Victoria Ferrer (F)

Kevin Hellman (F)

Jennifer Hochstadt - resigned - Group 09 (replaced by Joanne Hernandez)

Natalie Moore (F)

Gordon Murray (F)

Luis Perez-Medina (F)

Jason Reding-Quinones - resigned to become US Atty last August  - Group 24

Stephanie Silver (F)

CIRCUIT COURT UPDATE .....

One update in CIRCUIT COURT. Judge Marcia Caballero, who sits in Group 51, has contacted us to let us know that she is retiring from the bench. She will not serve out her term and will be retiring in a few weeks. That would mean that her seat will be filled by Governor DeSantis instead of the voters. She joins Judge Richard Hersch, Group 69, who is also retiring. We believe, though, that Hersch intends to complete his term in January of 2027. We have not heard back yet from Judge Orlando Prescott (Group 35) and Judge Angelica Zayas (Group 05), both of whom have yet to file for reelection. 

One final note. Someone in the Comments mentioned that the JNC was taking applications for Judge Caballero’s seat. We have been told that the four seats that the JNC is currently taking applications for are all new seats, two in Circuit Court and two in County Court, with all four new seats created by SB 2508.

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

JUDICIAL NEWS IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY .....

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS: 

JUDICIAL NEWS IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY .....

JUDGE KEVIN EMAS IS RETIRING .....

There’s lots of judicial news going on in Miami-Dade County. Let’s start with the 3rd DCA. Judge Kevin Emas has announced his retirement from the bench effective March 31, 2026. Judge Emas has led a distinguished career, beginning with his employment as an Assistant Public Defender in Bennett Brummer’s office in 1982. He went on to private practice with the law firm of Fine Jacobson, and then with Thornton Rothman & Emas. He then began a 30-year career serving on the bench. He was first appointed to the County Court in 1996 by Governor Lawton Chiles. He was elevated to the Circuit Court in 2001 by Governor Jeb Bush. Finally, he was tapped by Governor Crist to sit on the 3rd DCA in 2010. He has served on the 3rd DCA for the past 16 years and served as Chief Judge of the Third District from 2019 to 2021.

Judge Emas has held numerous leadership roles in the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges. He also served as a faculty member of the Florida Judicial College, New Appellate Judges Program, Florida’s College of Advanced Judicial Studies, and the National Judicial College. He served as an adjunct faculty member at both FIU College of Law and UM Law. He served as a member of the Judicial Qualifications Commission, Chair of the Supreme Court’s Criminal Court Steering Committee, and Chair of the Florida Criminal Procedure Rules Committee.

Thank you, Judge Emas, for your incredible dedication to the citizens of Miami-Dade County and the State of Florida. 

The 3rd DCA JNC is now accepting applications for Judge Emas' replacement, with a deadline of February 26, 2026.

11TH CIRCUIT JUDICIAL NOMINATING COMMITTEE (JNC) .....

The JNC has announced that it is now taking applications for two Circuit Court seats and two County Court seats. These four seats are new and were created by the Florida legislature with the enactment of SB 2508. The deadline to submit your application is February 20, 2026. The JNC expects to conduct interviews on March 13. The Governor is expected to name the four new judges by no later than May 14, 2026.

CIRCUIT COURT JUDICIAL ELECTIONS .....

There are 34 Circuit Court seats up for election in 2026. The six-year term begins on January 6, 2027. Qualifying Week is April 20-24, 2026. The election is scheduled for August 18, 2026.

The following is a list of judges whose terms expire on January 5, 2027. Some of these judges will be retiring. An (F) next to their name means they have filed with the Department of Elections for the upcoming election. Six incumbents have not yet filed, while three newcomers have filed to run.

CIRCUIT COURT

Michelle Alvarez Barakat (F)
Tanya Brinkley (F)
Beatrice Butchko (F)
Marcia Caballero - has not yet filed - Group 51
Carmen Cabarga (F)
Yvonne Colodny (F)
Ivonne Cuesta (F)
Jorge Cueto (F)
Abby Cynamon (F)
Michelle Delancy (F)
Dawn Denaro (F)
Reemberto Diaz (F)
Veronica Diaz (F)
Spencer Eig (F)
Carlos Gamez (F)
Stacy Glick (F)
Laura Gonzalez-Marques (F)
Carlos Guzman (F)
Christine Hernandez (F)
Richard Hersch - has not yet filed* - Group 69
Peter Lopez (F)
Denis Martinez-Scanziani (F)
Alberto Milian (F)
Cristina Miranda - will be filing soon** - Group 48
Spencer Multack (F)
Joseph Perkins (F)
Orlando Prescott - has not yet filed - Group 35
Jose Rodriguez - retired - Group 07 - 
Mavel Ruiz (F)
Migna Sanchez-Llorens (F)
Laura Stuzin (F)
Daryl Trawick (F)
Andrea Wolfson (F)
Angelica Zayas - has not yet filed - Group 05 -

*Judge Hersch is retiring.

We communicated with Judge Miranda, who indicated that she "intends to file shortly and hopes to continue serving the people of Miami-Dade County as she has for almost 29 years."

The three non-incumbent attorneys who have filed to run include:

Group 05 - Attorney Alexander Annunziato

Group 07 - Attorney Cristobal Padron

Group 69 - Attorney Rita Baez

Tomorrow, we will cover the County Court races.

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