State justice system stakeholders in recent weeks have become more vocal in their criticism of a proposal to consolidate Florida’s system of circuit courts, which often serve as the entry point for civil litigation and criminal prosecutions.

The consolidation idea was touched off in June when Florida House Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Coast) suggested in a letter to Chief Justice Carlos Muniz that the circuit court boundaries have not been altered in decades despite major demographic changes.

“The size of our judicial circuits varies widely, ranging from approximately 2.7 million people (in the 11th Circuit) to less than 100,000 people in the 16th Circuit,” Renner said.