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==Elections==
==Elections==
''For details about [[Florida]]'s judicial elections, visit the [[Florida judicial elections]] page.''
''For details about [[Florida]]'s judicial elections, visit the [[Florida judicial elections]] page.''
===2024===
<BPW widget="elections/election-section" office=[19433] candidate_page=true year_tabs=true raceyeargt=2018/>
::''See also: [[Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2024]]''
{{BPcollapsible
 
|title=Previous election results
{{#section:Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2024|2024FLIACelection}}
|content=
{{FL IAC 2024}}
 
===2022===
::''See also: [[Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2022]]''
 
The terms of 28 [[Florida]] intermediate appellate court judges {{Greener | start=01/02/2023 9:00pm CST | before=will expire | after=expired}} on January 2, 2023. The 28 seats {{Greener | start=11/08/2022 9:00pm CST | before=are | after=were}} up for [[retention]] election on November 8, 2022.
 
{{FL IAC 2022}}
 
===2020===
:''Main article: [[Florida intermediate appellate court elections, 2020]]''
====Judges with expiring terms====
:''This is a list of the justices who {{Greener | start=03/03/2020 9:00pm CST | before=must | after=had to}} stand for [[retention]] election in 2020 in order to remain on the bench. Justices {{Greener | start=03/03/2020 9:00pm CST | before=may| after=could}} choose not to stand for election. {{Greener | start=03/03/2020 9:00pm CST | before=The list is subject to change if justices retire or are appointed.| after=}}''
{{FL IAC 4 2020}}
===2016===
===2016===
:''Main article: [[Florida judicial elections, 2016]]''
:''Main article: [[Florida judicial elections, 2016]]''
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===2012===
===2012===
<table width="600px" class="sortable" style="text-align:center;"><tr bgcolor="#2c5285" style="color:white;"><th>Judge</th><th>Incumbency</th><th>Retention vote</th><th>Retention Vote&#160;%</th></tr><tr><td align="left"><span style="display:none;">Conner</span>[[Burton_C._Conner|Burton C. Conner]]&#160;&#160;&#160;<html><a href="/File:Yes_check.svg" class="image" title="Approved"><img alt="Approved" src="https://ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/thumb/f/fb/Yes_check.svg/18px-Yes_check.svg.png" width="18" height="18" /></a><span style="display:none;">A</span></html></td><td>Yes</td><td>1,033,819</td><td>77.8%<html><a href="/File:Yes_check.svg" class="image" title="Approved"><img alt="Approved" src="https://ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/thumb/f/fb/Yes_check.svg/18px-Yes_check.svg.png" width="18" height="18" /></a><span style="display:none;">A</span></html></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><span style="display:none;">Taylor</span>[[Carole_Taylor|Carole Taylor]]&#160;&#160;&#160;<html><a href="/File:Yes_check.svg" class="image" title="Approved"><img alt="Approved" src="https://ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/thumb/f/fb/Yes_check.svg/18px-Yes_check.svg.png" width="18" height="18" /></a><span style="display:none;">A</span></html></td><td>Yes</td><td>1,015,946</td><td>77.8%<html><a href="/File:Yes_check.svg" class="image" title="Approved"><img alt="Approved" src="https://ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/thumb/f/fb/Yes_check.svg/18px-Yes_check.svg.png" width="18" height="18" /></a><span style="display:none;">A</span></html></td></tr></table>
<table width="600px" class="sortable" style="text-align:center;"><tr bgcolor="#2c5285" style="color:white;"><th>Judge</th><th>Incumbency</th><th>Retention vote</th><th>Retention Vote&#160;%</th></tr><tr><td align="left"><span style="display:none;">Conner</span>[[Burton_C._Conner|Burton C. Conner]]&#160;&#160;&#160;<html><a href="/File:Yes_check.svg" class="image" title="Approved"><img alt="Approved" src="https://ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/thumb/f/fb/Yes_check.svg/18px-Yes_check.svg.png" width="18" height="18" /></a><span style="display:none;">A</span></html></td><td>Yes</td><td>1,033,819</td><td>77.8%<html><a href="/File:Yes_check.svg" class="image" title="Approved"><img alt="Approved" src="https://ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/thumb/f/fb/Yes_check.svg/18px-Yes_check.svg.png" width="18" height="18" /></a><span style="display:none;">A</span></html></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><span style="display:none;">Taylor</span>[[Carole_Taylor|Carole Taylor]]&#160;&#160;&#160;<html><a href="/File:Yes_check.svg" class="image" title="Approved"><img alt="Approved" src="https://ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/thumb/f/fb/Yes_check.svg/18px-Yes_check.svg.png" width="18" height="18" /></a><span style="display:none;">A</span></html></td><td>Yes</td><td>1,015,946</td><td>77.8%<html><a href="/File:Yes_check.svg" class="image" title="Approved"><img alt="Approved" src="https://ballotpedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/thumb/f/fb/Yes_check.svg/18px-Yes_check.svg.png" width="18" height="18" /></a><span style="display:none;">A</span></html></td></tr></table>
}}


==Ethics==
==Ethics==

Latest revision as of 21:21, 11 December 2025

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.[1][2]

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.[2]

  • Published opinions of the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal can be found here.
 
Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal
Intermediate Appellate Courts Seal-template.png
Court information
Judges:   12
Founded:   1957
Salary:  Associates: $223,318[3]
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.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6]

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.[6] 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.[7]

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.[6]

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.[6]

Elections

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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"[9]

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 three circuits and six counties in the Fourth 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.[12]

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. ↑ Fourth District Court of Appeal
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, "History of the 4th District Court of Appeal," accessed August 29, 2015
  3. ↑ The salary of the chief judge may be higher than an associate judge.
  4. ↑ National Center for State Courts, "2025 Salaries and Rankings," accessed October 8, 2025
  5. ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Florida; Judicial Nominating Commissions," archived January 13, 2012
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial selection: Florida," archived October 2, 2014
  7. ↑ Florida Constitution, "Article V, Section 8," accessed September 10, 2021
  8. ↑ Florida Department of State Division of Elections, "November 4, 2014 General Election; Official Results," accessed September 12, 2015
  9. ↑ Florida Supreme Court, "Code of Judicial Conduct for the State of Florida," accessed September 13, 2021
  10. ↑ Florida Supreme Court, "Judicial Qualifications Commission Cases Pending in the Florida Supreme Court," accessed July 17, 2023
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named courts
  12. ↑ 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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