Florida Third District Court of Appeal

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The Florida Third District Court of Appeal is one of six intermediate appellate courts in Florida. It is located in Miami and has jurisdiction over Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, in the Eleventh and Sixteenth circuits, respectively.[1][2][3]

The Third District Court is one of the three original district courts the Florida Legislature created in 1957. It originally had three judges and now has 10, thanks to an increased population and case load.[2]The current chief judge of the court is Edwin A. Scales, III.[4]

  • Published opinions of the Florida Third District Court of Appeal can be found here. Archived opinions dating back to 2001 can be found here.
 
Florida Third District Court of Appeal
Intermediate Appellate Courts Seal-template.png
Court information
Judges:   10
Founded:   1957
Salary:  Associates: $223,318[5]
Judicial selection
Method:   Assisted appointment
Term:   6 years

Judges

Judge Tenure Appointed By

Fleur J. Lobree

2019 - Present

Ron DeSantis

Thomas W. Logue

June 7, 2012 - Present

Rick Scott

Bronwyn C. Miller

2019 - Present

Rick Scott

Monica Gordo

2019 - Present

Ron DeSantis

Edwin A. Scales III

October 21, 2013 - Present

Rick Scott

Kansas Gooden

July 1, 2024 - Present

Ron DeSantis

Ivan F. Fernandez

August 12, 2011 - Present

Rick Scott

Norma S. Lindsey

May 26, 2016 - Present

Rick Scott

Alexander Bokor

September 1, 2020 - 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.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8]

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.[8] 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.[9]

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.[10]

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.[8]

Elections

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

See also: Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2030

Norma Lindsey's seat


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


Kevin Emas' seat


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


Ivan Fernandez's seat


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


See also: Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2028

Alexander Bokor's seat


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


Edwin Scales III's seat


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


See also: Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2026

Fleur Lobree's seat


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


Thomas Logue's seat


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


Monica Gordo's seat


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


Kansas R. Gooden's seat


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


Bronwyn Miller's seat


There are no official candidates yet for this election.


See also: Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

Kevin Emas' seat

Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

Kevin M. Emas was retained to the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal on November 5, 2024 with 73.7% of the vote.

Retention Vote
%
Votes
✔ Yes
 
73.7
 
722,608
No
 
26.3
 
258,095
Total Votes 980,703

The results have been certified. Source

Ivan Fernandez's seat

Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

Ivan F. Fernandez was retained to the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal on November 5, 2024 with 70.3% of the vote.

Retention Vote
%
Votes
✔ Yes
 
70.3
 
687,127
No
 
29.7
 
290,569
Total Votes 977,696

The results have been certified. Source

Norma Lindsey's seat

Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

Norma S. Lindsey was retained to the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal on November 5, 2024 with 68.3% of the vote.

Retention Vote
%
Votes
✔ Yes
 
68.3
 
664,440
No
 
31.7
 
308,092
Total Votes 972,532

The results have been certified. Source

See also: Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2022

Scales' seat

Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

Edwin A. Scales III was retained to the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal on November 8, 2022 with 66.4% of the vote.

Retention Vote
%
Votes
✔ Yes
 
66.4
 
426,005
No
 
33.6
 
215,909
Total Votes 641,914

The results have been certified. Source

Bokor's seat

Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

Alexander Bokor was retained to the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal on November 8, 2022 with 64.9% of the vote.

Retention Vote
%
Votes
✔ Yes
 
64.9
 
420,454
No
 
35.1
 
227,652
Total Votes 648,106

The results have been certified. Source

See also: Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2020

Monica Gordo's seat

Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

Monica Gordo was retained to the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal on November 3, 2020 with 73.8% of the vote.

Retention Vote
%
Votes
✔ Yes
 
73.8
 
766,680
No
 
26.2
 
272,551
Total Votes 1,039,231

The results have been certified. Source

Fleur J. Lobree's seat

Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

Fleur J. Lobree was retained to the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal on November 3, 2020 with 72.8% of the vote.

Retention Vote
%
Votes
✔ Yes
 
72.8
 
744,018
No
 
27.2
 
278,333
Total Votes 1,022,351

The results have been certified. Source

Eric Hendon's seat

Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

Eric Hendon was retained to the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal on November 3, 2020 with 75.1% of the vote.

Retention Vote
%
Votes
✔ Yes
 
75.1
 
770,710
No
 
24.9
 
255,863
Total Votes 1,026,573

The results have been certified. Source

Thomas W. Logue's seat

Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

Thomas W. Logue was retained to the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal on November 3, 2020 with 72.7% of the vote.

Retention Vote
%
Votes
✔ Yes
 
72.7
 
742,523
No
 
27.3
 
279,490
Total Votes 1,022,013

The results have been certified. Source

Bronwyn C. Miller's seat

Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

Bronwyn C. Miller was retained to the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal on November 3, 2020 with 74.9% of the vote.

Retention Vote
%
Votes
✔ Yes
 
74.9
 
767,872
No
 
25.1
 
256,991
Total Votes 1,024,863

The results have been certified. Source

See also: Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

Ivan F. Fernandez's seat

Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

Ivan F. Fernandez was retained to the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal on November 6, 2018 with 74.0% of the vote.

Retention Vote
%
Votes
✔ Yes
 
74.0
 
533,382
No
 
26.0
 
187,539
Total Votes 720,921

The results have been certified. Source

Robert J. Luck's seat

Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

Robert J. Luck was retained to the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal on November 6, 2018 with 73.7% of the vote.

Retention Vote
%
Votes
✔ Yes
 
73.7
 
501,937
No
 
26.3
 
178,989
Total Votes 680,926

The results have been certified. Source

Norma S. Lindsey's seat

Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

Norma S. Lindsey was retained to the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal on November 6, 2018 with 75.3% of the vote.

Retention Vote
%
Votes
✔ Yes
 
75.3
 
534,916
No
 
24.7
 
175,077
Total Votes 709,993

The results have been certified. Source

Kevin M. Emas' seat

Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

Kevin M. Emas was retained to the Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal on November 6, 2018 with 74.1% of the vote.

Retention Vote
%
Votes
✔ Yes
 
74.1
 
532,495
No
 
25.9
 
186,484
Total Votes 718,979

The results have been certified. Source
Previous election results


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"[11]

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:


Jurisdiction

There are two circuits and two counties in the Third District.[2]

State profile

Demographic data for Florida
 FloridaU.S.
Total population:20,244,914316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):53,6253,531,905
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.[13]

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

See also

Florida Judicial Selection More Courts
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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

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Third District Court of Appeal
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Florida Third District Court of Appeal, "History of the Court," accessed August 29, 2015
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named courts
  4. ↑ Florida Third District Court of Appeal, "Active Judges," accessed March 31, 2026
  5. ↑ The salary of the chief judge may be higher than an associate judge.
  6. ↑ National Center for State Courts, "2025 Salaries and Rankings," accessed October 8, 2025
  7. ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Florida; Judicial Nominating Commissions," archived January 13, 2012
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial selection: Florida," archived October 2, 2014
  9. ↑ Florida Constitution, "Article V, Section 8," accessed September 10, 2021
  10. ↑ Appendix M, "Rule 2.215. Trial Court Administration," accessed April 1, 2026
  11. ↑ Florida Supreme Court, "Code of Judicial Conduct for the State of Florida," accessed September 13, 2021
  12. ↑ Florida Supreme Court, "Judicial Qualifications Commission Cases Pending in the Florida Supreme Court," accessed July 17, 2023
  13. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.

Florida courts

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

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