Debra L. Krause
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Debra L. Krause is a judge of the Seminole County Court in Seminole County, Florida. She was elected to the court on November 6, 2012, and assumed office in January 2013. Her current term expired on January 8, 2019.[1]
Education
Krause earned her A.A. degree from Seminole Community College and her B.S.B.A. from the University of Central Florida in 1997. She later earned her J.D. from the Stetson College of Law in May 2004.[2]
Career
Krause worked as an attorney in private practice prior to her judicial election in 2012.[2]
Elections
2012
Krause was elected to the Seminole County Court. She defeated Jeff Dowdy in the general election on November 6, 2012, receiving 54.7 percent of the vote. She previously received 28.3 percent of the vote in the four-way primary election on August 14, 2012.[1][3][4]
- See also: Florida judicial elections, 2012
2010
Krause ran for election to the Seminole County Court in 2010. She received 27.9 percent of the vote in the primary, but was defeated by Fred Schott in the general election.[1]
- Main article: Florida judicial elections, 2010
Noteworthy events
Public reprimand for unethical campaign activity (2014)
On June 26, 2014, the Florida Supreme Court publicly reprimanded Krause for her allegedly unethical campaign activities in 2012. One violation concerned an $82,000 campaign donation she received from her husband, Mitch Krause. In Florida, campaign donations greater than $500 from family members are prohibited. Krause was also ordered to pay a $25,000 fine.[5]
The full text of the Florida Supreme Court's order can be read here.
On November 18, 2014, the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission stated it would not pursue any sanctions related to Facebook posts Krause made during her husband's failed 2014 campaign for circuit judge. Krause acknowledged using Facebook as a forum to denounce an opponent of her husband, Mitch Krause, but stated she believed it had been a private statement and thus permissible under the Florida Code of Judicial Conduct.[6]
Suspension for Facebook comments (2015)
On February 25, 2015, the Florida Supreme Court recommended that Krause be suspended for 30 days without pay for her Facebook comments calling her husband's opponent a liar. This suspension was in addition to the $25,000 fine imposed on Krause for campaign violations she committed in 2012. In November 2014, the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission reached an agreement with Krause whereby the two incidents were to be combined and the $25,000 fine would be applicable to both cases. The court, however, stated that the two cases were separate incidents, and that Krause should be disciplined for each one.[7]
On March 20, 2015, Krause agreed to the 30-day suspension without pay.[8]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Seminole County Supervisor of Elections, "Official Results - 2012 General Election," November 16, 2012 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "election" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Elect Debra L. Krause for Seminole County, Florida Court Judge – Group 2 (campaign website), "About Debra L. Krause," accessed November 24, 2014
- ↑ Seminole County Supervisor of Elections, "2012 Primary Election Results," August 16, 2012
- ↑ Florida judicial elections, 2012 - County Court
- ↑ Florida Supreme Court, "Inquiry concerning a judge No. 12-551, Re: Debra L. Krause," June 26, 2014
- ↑ The Orlando Sentinel.com, "Judge Krause faces no punishment for Facebook post," November 18, 2014
- ↑ The Orlando Sentinel, "Florida Supreme Court: Judge Krause should be suspended without pay for 30 days," February 25, 2015
- ↑ Orlando Sentinel, "Judge Krause agrees to 30-day suspension," March 20, 2015
Federal courts:
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida
State courts:
Florida Supreme Court • Florida District Courts of Appeal • Florida Circuit Court • Florida County Court
State resources:
Courts in Florida • Florida judicial elections • Judicial selection in Florida
