Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal

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Judges of the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal

The Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal is one of six intermediate appellate courts in Florida. It is located in West Palm Beach. The Florida Legislature created the Fourth District Court in 1965, presiding over Vero Beach. The legislature moved the court to West Palm Beach two years later.

Today, the Fourth District encompasses three circuits and six counties. There were originally three judges in the district; that number has increased to 12. There were 480 cases in 1965; that number increased to 4,846 by 2013.

• Published opinions of the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal can be found here.

 

Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal
Court information
Judges:	12
Founded:	1957
Salary:	Associates: $223,318
Judicial selection
Method:	Assisted appointment
Term:	6 years

Judges

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Mark W. Klingensmith	June 27, 2013 - Present	Rick Scott
Alan O. Forst	March 7, 2013 - Present	Rick Scott
Burton C. Conner	2011 - Present	Rick Scott
Cory Ciklin	December 10, 2008 - Present	Charlie Crist
Melanie May	2002 - Present	Jeb Bush
Robert Gross	1995 - Present	Lawton Chiles
Spencer D. Levine	2009 - Present	Charlie Crist
Jeffrey T. Kuntz	November 4, 2016 - Present	Rick Scott
Jonathan D. Gerber	2009 - Present	Charlie Crist
Jonathan D. Lott	November 12, 2025 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Shannon K. Shaw	October 1, 2025 - Present	Ron DeSantis
Caroline Shepherd	October 1, 2025 - Present	Ron DeSantis

Salary

See also: Florida court salaries and budgets

In 2025, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $223,318, according to the National Center for State Courts.

Judicial selection

See also: Judicial selection in Florida

The justices of the Florida District Courts of Appeal are selected by a nine-member judicial nominating commission. The commission screens potential judicial candidates, submitting a list of three to six nominees to the governor. The governor must appoint a judge from this list.

Newly appointed judges serve for at least one year, after which they appear in a yes-no retention election held during the next general election. If retained, judges serve six-year terms. Under the Florida constitution, a judge must retire at age 75; however, a judge who reaches 75 after serving at least half of his or her term may complete that term.

Qualifications

To serve on one of these courts, a judge must be:

• a qualified elector;
• a resident in the jurisdiction of the court;
• admitted to practice law in the state for 10 years before assuming the bench; and
• under the age of 75.

Chief justice

The chief justice of the appellate courts is selected by peer vote. He or she serves in that capacity for two years.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts

If a midterm vacancy occurs, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a judge's term. A judicial nominating commission recommends three to six qualified candidates to the governor, and the governor selects a successor from that list. The new appointee serves for at least one year before running in a yes-no retention election. If retained, judges serve six-year terms.

Elections

For details about Florida's judicial elections, visit the Florida judicial elections page.

• 2030
• 2028
• 2026
• 2024
• 2022
• 2020
• 2018

See also: Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2030

Jeffrey Kuntz's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Burton Conner's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

See also: Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2028

Cory Ciklin's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Robert Gross' seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Spencer D. Levine's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Jonathan Gerber's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Melanie May's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

See also: Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2026

Shannon Shaw's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Caroline Shepherd's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Jonathan D. Lott's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Alan Forst's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Mark Klingensmith's seat

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

See also: Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

Burton Conner's seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Burton C. Conner was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 5, 2024 with 65.3% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	65.3	1,111,253
	No	34.7	589,775
	Total Votes		1,701,028

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The results have been certified. Source

Jeffrey Kuntz's seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Jeffrey T. Kuntz was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 5, 2024 with 63.0% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	63.0	1,064,562
	No	37.0	625,797
	Total Votes		1,690,359

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The results have been certified. Source

See also: Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2022

May's seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Melanie May was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 8, 2022 with 70.5% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	70.5	847,728
	No	29.5	354,311
	Total Votes		1,202,039

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The results have been certified. Source

Gerber's seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Jonathan D. Gerber was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 8, 2022 with 69.7% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	69.7	844,619
	No	30.3	367,989
	Total Votes		1,212,608

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The results have been certified. Source

Damoorgian's seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Dorian Damoorgian was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 8, 2022 with 65.7% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	65.7	794,293
	No	34.3	415,502
	Total Votes		1,209,795

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The results have been certified. Source

Ciklin's seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Cory Ciklin was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 8, 2022 with 63.8% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	63.8	775,702
	No	36.2	440,112
	Total Votes		1,215,814

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The results have been certified. Source

Artau's seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Edward Artau was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 8, 2022 with 61.5% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	61.5	750,815
	No	38.5	469,522
	Total Votes		1,220,337

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The results have been certified. Source

Levine's seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Spencer D. Levine was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 8, 2022 with 69.3% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	69.3	834,494
	No	30.7	370,387
	Total Votes		1,204,881

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The results have been certified. Source

Gross' seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Robert Gross was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 8, 2022 with 61.4% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	61.4	742,462
	No	38.6	466,144
	Total Votes		1,208,606

---

The results have been certified. Source

See also: Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2020

Mark W. Klingensmith's seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Mark W. Klingensmith was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 3, 2020 with 63.0% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	63.0	1,121,409
	No	37.0	658,024
	Total Votes		1,779,433

---

The results have been certified. Source

Alan O. Forst's seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Alan O. Forst was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 3, 2020 with 64.1% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	64.1	1,148,005
	No	35.9	641,645
	Total Votes		1,789,650

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The results have been certified. Source

Martha Warner's seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Martha Warner was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 3, 2020 with 77.0% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	77.0	1,372,161
	No	23.0	408,823
	Total Votes		1,780,984

---

The results have been certified. Source

See also: Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

Jeffrey T. Kuntz's seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Jeffrey T. Kuntz was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 6, 2018 with 73.7% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	73.7	958,412
	No	26.3	342,775
	Total Votes		1,301,187

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The results have been certified. Source

Carole Taylor's seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Carole Taylor was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 6, 2018 with 78.6% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	78.6	1,022,532
	No	21.4	277,869
	Total Votes		1,300,401

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The results have been certified. Source

Burton C. Conner's seat

Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

Burton C. Conner was retained to the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal on November 6, 2018 with 75.1% of the vote.

	Retention Vote	%	Votes
✔	Yes	75.1	986,636
	No	24.9	326,381
	Total Votes		1,313,017

---

The results have been certified. Source

Previous election results

2016

Main article: Florida judicial elections, 2016

Judges who faced retention

■ Robert Gross
■ Cory Ciklin
■ Melanie May
■ Dorian Damoorgian
■ Jonathan D. Gerber
■ Spencer D. Levine

Election results

November 8 general election

Robert Gross was retained in the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, Gross' Seat election with 72.74% of the vote.

Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, Gross' Seat, 2016
Name	Yes votes
Robert Gross	72.74%
Source: Florida Division of Elections Official Results

Cory Ciklin was retained in the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, Ciklin's Seat election with 73.79% of the vote.

Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, Ciklin's Seat, 2016
Name	Yes votes
Cory Ciklin	73.79%
Source: Florida Division of Elections Official Results

Melanie May was retained in the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, May's Seat election with 76.12% of the vote.

Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, May's Seat, 2016
Name	Yes votes
Melanie May	76.12%
Source: Florida Division of Elections Official Results

Dorian Damoorgian was retained in the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, Damoorgian's Seat election with 72.75% of the vote.

Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, Damoorgian's Seat, 2016
Name	Yes votes
Dorian Damoorgian	72.75%
Source: Florida Division of Elections Official Results

Jonathan D. Gerber was retained in the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, Gerber's Seat election with 74.70% of the vote.

Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, Gerber's Seat, 2016
Name	Yes votes
Jonathan D. Gerber	74.70%
Source: Florida Division of Elections Official Results

Spencer D. Levine was retained in the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, Levine's Seat election with 73.02% of the vote.

Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, Levine's Seat, 2016
Name	Yes votes
Spencer D. Levine	73.02%
Source: Florida Division of Elections Official Results

2014

Retention

Judge	Election Vote
StevensonW. Matthew Stevenson	76.2% A
KlingensmithMark W. Klingensmith	74.3% A
WarnerMartha Warner	77.3% A
ForstAlan O. Forst	75.1% A

2012

Judge	Incumbency	Retention vote	Retention Vote %
ConnerBurton C. Conner   A	Yes	1,033,819	77.8%A
TaylorCarole Taylor   A	Yes	1,015,946	77.8%A

Ethics

The Code of Judicial Conduct for the State of Florida sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Florida. It consists of seven canons:

• Canon 1: "A Judge Shall Uphold the Integrity and Independence of the Judiciary"
• Canon 2: "A Judge Shall Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in all of the Judge's Activities"
• Canon 3: "A Judge Shall Perform the Duties of Judicial Office Impartially and Diligently"
• Canon 4: "A Judge Is Encouraged to Engage in Activities to Improve the Law, the Legal System, and the Administration of Justice"
• Canon 5: "A Judge Shall Regulate Extrajudicial Activities to Minimize the Risk of Conflict With Judicial Duties"
• Canon 6: "Fiscal Matters of a Judge Shall be Conducted in a Manner That Does Not Give the Appearance of Influence or Impropriety; etc."
• Canon 7: "A Judge or Candidate for Judicial Office Shall Refrain From Inappropriate Political Activity"

The full text of the Code of Judicial Conduct for the State of Florida can be found here.

Removal of judges

Judges in Florida may be removed in one of two ways:

• By a two-thirds vote of the senate after a two-thirds vote for impeachment by the house of representatives
• By the supreme court after a recommendation from the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission

Jurisdiction

There are three circuits and six counties in the Fourth District.

• Fifteenth Circuit: Palm Beach County
• Seventeenth Circuit: Broward County
• Nineteenth Circuit: Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie

State profile

Demographic data for Florida
	Florida	U.S.
Total population:	20,244,914	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	53,625	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	76%	73.6%
Black/African American:	16.1%	12.6%
Asian:	2.6%	5.1%
Native American:	0.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.4%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	23.7%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	86.9%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	27.3%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$47,507	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	19.8%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Florida. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Florida

Florida voted Republican in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, four are located in Florida, accounting for 1.94 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Florida had three Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 1.66 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respsectively.

More Florida coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Florida
• United States congressional delegations from Florida
• Public policy in Florida
• Endorsers in Florida
• Florida fact checks
• More...

See also

Florida	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in Florida Florida Court of Appeals Florida Supreme Court	Elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Florida	Federal courts State courts Local courts

External links

• Florida Courts, "Fourth District Court of Appeal"

Footnotes

Florida courts

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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