Navigation Supreme Court makes judgeship recommendations ahead of upcoming legislative session
The Florida Supreme Court on November 30 certified the need for additional judges: one in the 20th Judicial Circuit, two in Hillsborough County, and three in Orange County. The court also recommended a decrease of one judge in Alachua and Brevard counties, which three justices opposed, and legislation for fewer statutorily authorized judgeships in the First and Second District Courts of Appeal.
The court’s recommendation to eventually reduce the number of judges in the First and Second DCAs is consistent with its certification last year, states Florida Supreme Court Opinion SC2023-1586, and is based on a “workload analysis.” The workload balance in those districts was thrown off when the Legislature created a Sixth DCA, which the court had recommended in 2021, changing the jurisdictional boundaries in all three.
The Legislature should consider addressing the current “excess judicial capacity” in the First and Second districts during the upcoming 2024 lawmaking session, per the opinion, which begins on January 9.
