Florida judicial elections, 2012 - Circuit Court

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Judicial Elections
Judicial elections, 2012
Judicial election dates

The Florida judicial elections consisted of a primary on August 14th and general election in November 6th.

The filing deadline for judicial offices was April 20, 2012.

All contested Circuit Court races (2 or more candidates) appear on the primary ballot. If one candidate receives a majority of the votes in the primary, they automatically win and do not appear on the general election ballot. If no one receives a majority vote, the two highest-voted candidates will advance to the general election.

Unopposed candidates (who are often judges running for re-election), do not appear on the ballot, but are considered automatically elected following the primary election.

First Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
RimmerDavid Rimmer   A	Yes	Group 6		A
BergoshGary Bergosh   A	Yes	Group 23		A
GontarekJohn Jay Gontarek   A	No	Group 1		A
MillerJohn L. Miller   A	Yes	Group 18		A
WellsKelvin C. Wells   A	Yes	Group 9		A
NoblesLinda L. Nobles   A	Yes	Group 14		A
GoodmanMarci L. Goodman   A	Yes	Group 7		A
PolsonMary Polson   A	No	Group 13		A
GoodmanRoss Goodman   A	Yes	Group 24		A
KetchelTerrance Ketchel   A	Yes	Group 15	62.9%A	A
MurphyThomas Murphy (Florida)	No	Group 15	37.1%

Second Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
HobbsBarbara Hobbs   A	No	Group 2	49.1%A	54.3%   A
Reynolds, IIIGeorge S. Reynolds, III   A	Yes	Group 1		A
ShelferJames O. Shelfer   A	Yes	Group 3		A
TamayoJosefina Tamayo	Yes	Group 2	29.5%A	45.7%   D
DunnKris Dunn	No	Group 2	21.4%
LewisTerry P. Lewis   A	Yes	Group 12		A

Third Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
Decker, IIIAndrew J. Decker, III   A	No	Group 2	81.0%A	A
CancioAngela M. Cancio	No	Group 5		1.5%   D
FinaDavid W. Fina   A	Yes	Group 3		A
Schutte, IVFrederick John Schutte, IV	No	Group 2	19.0%
PrevattJimmy Prevatt	No	Group 5	43.3%
DouglasWes Douglas   A	No	Group 5	56.7%A	98.5%   A

Fourth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
BarlowAlvin Wellington Barlow	No	Group 29	33.8%
DavisBrian J. Davis   A	Yes	Group 1	50.3%A	99.6%   A
WilenskyDaniel Wilensky   A	Yes	Group 35		A
WigginsDavid C. Wiggins   A	Yes	Group 24		A
LesterDon Lester   A	Yes	Group 3		A
MairsDon Mairs	No	Group 1	17.4%
MathisE. McRae Mathis   A	Yes	Group 15		A
SenterfittElizabeth Senterfitt   A	Yes	Group 33		A
WilkersonGerald L. Wilkerson	No	Group 1		0.4%   D
MessoreGreg Messore	No	Group 1	8.2%
CarithersHugh Carithers   A	Yes	Group 18		A
MerrettJohn Merrett	Yes	Group 34	40.8%
ColeKaren Cole   A	Yes	Group 16		A
BlazsKevin Blazs   A	Yes	Group 19		A
HaddockLawrence P. Haddock   A	Yes	Group 7		A
BorelloMark Borello   A	No	Group 29	66.2%A	A
BuncomeMelina E. Buncome	No	Group 1	24.1%
DearingPeter Dearing   A	Yes	Group 17		A
FosterRobert Mallory Foster   A	Yes	Group 6		A
BassSuzanne Bass   A	No	Group 34	59.2%A	A
BeverlyThomas Beverly   A	Yes	Group 14		A

Fifth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
TattiAnthony Tatti   A	Yes	Group 26		A
Merritt, Jr.Daniel B. Merritt, Jr.   A	Yes	Group 31		A
EddyDavid B. Eddy   A	Yes	Group 20		A
ScottEdward Scott   A	Yes	Group 29		A
StancilHale R. Stancil   A	Yes	Group 16		A
DavisHeidi Davis   A	Yes	Group 13		A
TakacMichael G. Takac   A	Yes	Group 30		A
MorleyMichelle Morley   A	Yes	Group 7		A
ThomasPatricia V. Thomas   A	Yes	Group 4		A
Toner, Jr.Stephen E. Toner, Jr.   A	No	Group 19		A
RogersSteven G. Rogers   A	No	Group 8		A
Law, Jr.William G. Law   A	Yes	Group 17		A

Sixth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
McCabeAgnes Theresa McCabe	No	Group 45	40.7%
WilliamsAmy M. Williams   A	Yes	Group 23		A
SteingoldAndy Steingold	No	Group 15	37.5%
BurgessBill Burgess   A	No	Group 15	62.5%A	A
BattagliaBrian Battaglia	No	Group 31	41.1%
HelingerChris Helinger   A	Yes	Group 9		A
FarnellDee Anna Farnell   A	Yes	Group 12		A
QuesadaFrank Quesada   A	Yes	Group 36		A
DayJack Day   A	Yes	Group 45	59.3%A	A
BuloneJoseph A. Bulone   A	Yes	Group 24		A
CampbellKim Campbell   A	No	Group 31	58.9%A	A
TepperLynn Tepper   A	Yes	Group 4		A
Moate LeyNancy Moate Ley   A	Yes	Group 34		A
SiracusaPat Siracusa   A	Yes	Group 32		A
FedericoPhilip J. Federico   A	Yes	Group 10		A
MinkoffThomas H. Minkoff   A	Yes	Group 40		A
RamsbergerTom Ramsberger   A	No	Group 11		A
WebbWilliam R. Webb   A	Yes	Group 14		A

Seventh Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
Smith IIIC. McFerrin Smith III   A	Yes	Group 12		A
WolfeClyde E. Wolfe   A	Yes	Group 27		A
TraynorJ. Michael Traynor   A	Yes	Group 15		A
CaseLeah R. Case   A	Yes	Group 16		A
ChristensenPatti A. Christensen   A	Yes	Group 2		A
PerkinsTerence R. Perkins   A	Yes	Group 9		A
BergerWendy W. Berger   A	Yes	Group 19		A
ParsonsWilliam A. Parsons   A	Yes	Group 21		A

Eighth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
CokerMary Day Coker   A	Yes	Group 6		A
GriffisStan Griffis   A	Yes	Group 4		A
MonacoToby S. Monaco   A	Yes	Group 5		A
HulslanderVictor L. Hulslander   A	Yes	Group 8		A

Ninth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
Perry, Jr.Belvin Perry, Jr.   A	Yes	Group 3	78.7%A	A
LeBlancBob LeBlanc   A	Yes	Group 43		A
PerryDaniel Perry	No	Group 3	21.3%
DuBoisEric DuBois	No	Group 7	25.0%
AdamsGail Adams   A	Yes	Group 11		A
DavisJenifer M. Davis   A	Yes	Group 5		A
WilsonJoel Wilson (Florida)	No	Group 7	30.1%A	42%   D
RodriguezJose R. Rodriguez (Florida)   A	Yes	Group 26		A
TorroellaJose Torroella	No	Group 27	28.3%
WhiteKeith F. White   A	Yes	Group 27	71.7%A	A
MarquesLeticia Marques   A	No	Group 7	44.9%A	58.0%   A
LubetMarc L. Lubet   A	Yes	Group 15		A
BlechmanMark S. Blechman   A	No	Group 20		A
MurphyMichael Murphy (Florida)   A	Yes	Group 19		A
DohertyPatricia A. Doherty   A	Yes	Group 28		A
MalaretPedro J. Malaret	No	Group 42	32.8%
EvansRobert M. Evans   A	Yes	Group 29		A
KestSally D. M. Kest   A	Yes	Group 41		A
SheaTimothy Shea   A	Yes	Group 42	67.2%A	A

Tenth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
HarlanBeth Harlan   A	Yes	Group 17		A
CombeeCatherine L. Combee   A	No	Group 27	52.7%A	A
CurryCharles B. Curry   A	Yes	Group 4		A
ThornhillChristine Trakas Thornhill	No	Group 7	43.2%A	46.6%   D
StargelJohn K. Stargel   A	Yes	Group 28		A
EzelleMarcus Ezelle   A	Yes	Group 11		A
HofstadMark Hofstad   A	Yes	Group 10		A
KaylorMark Kaylor	No	Group 27	47.3%
SelphSteven L. Selph   A	Yes	Group 3		A
DurdenWayne Durden   A	Yes	Group 14		A
SitesWilliam Sites   A	No	Group 7	33.0%A	53.4%   A

Eleventh Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
LaboraAlex Jimenez Labora	No	Group 47	48.5%
ArzolaAntonio Arzola   A	Yes	Group 54		A
MarinAntonio Marin   A	Yes	Group 79		A
BloomBeth Bloom   A	Yes			A
MillerBronwyn C. Miller   A	Yes	Group 21		A
LedermanCindy S. Lederman   A	Yes	Group 14		A
GaylesDarrin P. Gayles   A	Yes			A
MillerDavid C. Miller   A	Yes	Group 8	62.0%A	A
MurphyDennis J. Murphy   A	Yes	Group 25		A
LeesfieldEllen Leesfield   A	Yes	Group 61		A
VenzerEllen Sue Venzer   A	Yes	Group 43		A
ElyGisela Cardonne Ely   A	Yes	Group 22		A
BrownJoel H. Brown   A	Yes	Group 66		A
FernandezJose L. Fernandez   A	Yes	Group 13		A
WalshLisa S. Walsh   A	Yes	Group 36		A
VerdeMaria Elena Verde   A	No	Group 15	51.6%A	A
DennisMaria Espinosa Dennis   A	Yes	Group 56		A
KorvickMaria M. Korvick   A	Yes	Group 31		A
SantoveniaMaria Santovenia   A	No	Group 47	51.5%A	A
MendezMarisa Tinkler Mendez   A	Yes	Group 80		A
PadillaMauricio Padilla	No	Group 8	38.0%
HanzmanMichael A. Hanzman   A	Yes	Group 60		A
de la OMiguel de la O   A	Yes	Group 42		A
GlazerMindy S. Glazer   A	Yes	Group 24		A
Escharte, Jr.Pedro P. Echarte, Jr.   A	Yes	Group 29		A
CoppelRobert Coppel	No	Group 15	48.4%
BlakeStanford Blake   A	Yes	Group 68		A
PoolerTeresa Mary Pooler   A	No	Group 49	56.4%A	A
Manno SchurrValerie R. Manno Schurr   A	Yes	Group 78		A
De YurreVictor H. De Yurre	No	Group 49	43.6%
PlatzerVictoria Platzer   A	Yes	Group 67		A
BrennanVictoria R. Brennan   A	Yes	Group 53		A

Twelfth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
WilliamsCharles E. Williams   A	Yes	Group 3		A
RivaDebra Johnes Riva   A	Yes	Group 20		A
BerlinDonna Berlin   A	Yes	Group 16		A
MercurioFrederick P. Mercurio   A	No	Group 14		A
DunniganJanette Dunnigan   A	Yes	Group 15		A
LakinJohn F. Lakin   A	No	Group 7		A
HaworthLee E. Haworth   A	Yes	Group 13		A
CurleyRochelle Curley   A	Yes	Group 21		A

Thirteenth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
MoodyAshley B. Moody   A	Yes	Group 45		A
SilverBernard C. Silver   A	Yes	Group 32		A
ThomasCheryl Thomas   A	Yes	Group 16		A
PeacockEmily A. Peacock   A	Yes	Group 44		A
Byrd, Jr.Johnnie B. Byrd, Jr.	No	Group 14	36.7%
FernandezKimberly K. Fernandez   A	Yes	Group 43		A
WolfeMark R. Wolfe   A	Yes	Group 14	63.3%A	A
HueyPaul L. Huey   A	Yes	Group 12		A
Foster, Jr.Robert A. Foster, Jr.   A	Yes	Group 25		A
FicarrottaRonald Ficarrotta   A	Yes	Group 26		A
SheehanTracy Sheehan   A	Yes	Group 42		A

Fourteenth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
SmileyElijah Smiley   A	Yes	Group 11		A
Fishel, IIJohn L. Fishel   A	Yes	Group 3		A
GayShonna Young Gay   A	Yes	Group 6		A

Fifteenth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
BrunsonCatherine M. Brunson   A	Yes	Group 25		A
FrenchDavid E. French   A	Yes	Group 13		A
MartzJames Martz   A	Yes	Group 26	58.1%A	A
KeyserJanis Keyser   A	Yes	Group 6		A
LaneJody Lane	No	Group 2	37.7%
MarxJoseph Marx   A	Yes	Group 11		A
KrollKathleen J. Kroll   A	Yes	Group 19		A
DowneyMargherita Downey	No	Group 26	41.9%
Baker, Jr.Moses Baker, Jr.   A	Yes	Group 8		A
BlancPeter D. Blanc   A	Yes	Group 18		A
OftedalRichard L. Oftedal   A	Yes	Group 20		A
RosenbergRobin L. Rosenberg   A	Yes			A
AlvarezRonald V. Alvarez   A	Yes	Group 9	50.9%A	A
RappStephen A. Rapp   A	Yes	Group 17		A
McCarthyTimothy P. McCarthy (Florida)   A	Yes	Group 2	62.3%A	A

Sixteenth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
AudlinDavid Audlin   A	Yes	Group 2		A

Seventeenth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
PorthAri Abraham Porth   A	No	Group 10		A
BirkenArthur M. Birken   A	Yes	Group 40		A
PhillipsCarol Lisa Phillips   A	Yes	Group 1		A
RossDale Ross   A	Yes	Group 35	70.8%A	A
HaimesDavid Haimes   A	Yes	Group 7		A
CohenGeoffrey D. Cohen   A	Yes	Group 43		A
HolmesIlona M. Holmes   A	Yes	Group 38		A
Shapiro-HarrisJulie C. Shapiro-Harris	No	Group 19	48.6%
Gonzalez, Jr.Julio E. Gonzalez, Jr.	No	Group 45	33.9%A	49.1%   D
Garcia-WoodMarina Garcia-Wood   A	Yes	Group 58		A
SpeiserMark A. Speiser   A	Yes	Group 39		A
RobinsonMichael A. Robinson   A	Yes	Group 32		A
RothschildMichael Ian Rothschild   A	No	Group 19	51.4%A	A
RocqueMichael Rocque	No	Group 35	29.3%
UsanMichael Usan   A	Yes	Group 42		A
SingerMichele Towbin Singer   A	Yes	Group 57		A
LopaneNicholas Lopane   A	Yes	Group 5		A
ParkerOliver Parker	No	Group 45	15.6%
BackmanPaul L. Backman   A	Yes	Group 36		A
WeinsteinPeter M. Weinstein   A	Yes	Group 46		A
SokoloffRhoda Sokoloff
BaileyTim Bailey   A	No	Group 31		A

Eighteenth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
CrawfordCharlie Crawford   A	Yes	Group 20		A
NelsonDebra Steinberg Nelson   A	Yes	Group 10		A
MahlJeffrey Mahl   A	Yes	Group 8		A
EarpJim Earp   A	Yes	Group 26	69.5%A	A
DavidsonLisa Davidson   A	Yes	Group 7		A
AlvaMarlene M. Alva   A	Yes	Group 11		A
AungstMatt Aungst	No	Group 26	30.5%

Nineteenth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
KlingensmithMark W. Klingensmith   A	Yes			A
KanarekPaul B. Kanarek   A	Yes	Group 5		A
HawleyRobert A. Hawley (Florida)   A	Yes	Group 8		A
BelangerRobert E. Belanger   A	Yes	Group 12		A
PeggRobert L. Pegg   A	Yes	Group 19		A
BauerSherwood Bauer, Jr.   A	Yes	Group 3		A

Twentieth Circuit

Candidate	Incumbency	Office	Primary Vote	Election Vote
KyleBruce Kyle   A	Yes	Group 14		A
PivacekCynthia A. Pivacek   A	Yes	Group 5		A
McElrathDavid McElrath	No	Group 29	44.3%
AdamsElisabeth Adams   A	Yes	Group 30		A
KrierElizabeth V. Krier   A	Yes	Group 28		A
HardtFrederick R. Hardt   A	Yes	Group 8		A
RichardsGeorge Richards   A	Yes	Group 29	55.8%A	A
PorterJ. Frank Porter   A	Yes	Group 2		A
FosterJoe Foster (Florida)   A	No	Group 18	60.3%A	A
DuryeaJohn Duryea   A	Yes	Group 1		A
SimpsonJoseph A. Simpson	Yes	Group 26	28.9%
Fuller, Jr.Joseph C. Fuller, Jr.   A	Yes	Group 27		A
MillerKaren Elizabeth Miller	No	Group 9	48.7%
KyleKeith R. Kyle   A	Yes	Group 31		A
SchreiberLee A. Schreiber   A	Yes			A
PorterLisa Spader Porter   A	No	Group 26	71.1%A	A
Fernandez IIIM.C. Fernandez III	No	Group 18	39.7%
SteinbeckMargaret O. Steinbeck   A	Yes	Group 9	51.3%A	A
CorbinR. Thomas Corbin   A	Yes	Group 17		A

In the News

Florida primary settles some Circuit Court races

As featured in JP Election Brief: August primaries settling judicial races on August 16, 2012.

The primary election for Florida circuit judges and judicial hopefuls concluded Tuesday evening, Aug. 14. According to state rules, if one candidate receives a majority of the vote in the primary, they are automatically elected without a general election. A number of new judges were elected this way, some of them even toppling incumbents.

The following non-incumbent candidates were elected to judgeships in the primary:

Name	percent of vote
Andrew J. Decker, III	81.0%
Wes Douglas	56.7%
Suzanne Bass	59.2 percent *
Mark Borello	66.2%
Kim Campbell	58.9%
Bill Burgess	62.5%
Catherine L. Combee	52.7%
Teresa Mary Pooler	56.4%
Maria Santovenia	51.5%
Maria Elena Verde	51.6%
Michael Ian Rothschild	15.4%
Lisa Spader Porter	71.1 percent *
Joe Foster	60.3%

* defeated incumbent judge

These judges will take office on January 8, 2013.

Pinella County judicial candidates tout their qualifications to fellow Floridians

As featured in JP Election Brief: An indictment, legal challenges, and First Amendment questions on July 19, 2012.

At the beginning of the month, candidates vying for seats on Florida's 6th Circuit Court came before voters to explain why they should be elected. Three contested Circuit Court seats were represented, with two candidates competing per seat. Each candidate had five minutes to speak to an audience of about 50 at a forum in Clearwater, Florida.

Here is a brief summary of the Circuit Court candidates' statements:

For Group 15:

Bill Burgess pointed to the fact that he has tried over 140 jury trials as a prosecutor. He said he would be a diligent, detail-oriented judge. Andy Steingold, who has practiced law for 25 years, pointed to his community involvement, especially as mayor of Safety Harbor.

For Group 31:

Brian Battaglia focused on his community involvement as an advocate, teacher and attorney. He also stated, "I have a lot of experience with the process and the courts." Kim Campbell described her career path as an assistant state attorney, private practice lawyer, Guardian ad Litem and as President of the Clearwater Bar Association.

For Group 45:

Jack Day, a four-year judge of the Unified Family Court, talked about founding Gulf Coast Legal Services, which provides legal services to those with low income. Agnes Theresa McCabe has spent 12 years in the state attorney's office. She stated, "Whatever kind of day you are having, the people having their children removed are having a worse day. And I think that’s important to remember."

Filing deadline highlights races

As featured in JP Election Brief: Florida gets ready as Alabama wraps up (and more!) on April 26, 2012.

April 20 was the deadline for Florida judicial candidates to file for the election. Most of those filed are incumbent judges who will run unopposed in the general election on Nov. 6, 2012. For races with more than two candidates, there will be a primary on Aug. 14.

Following are a few of the contested Circuit Court races that will appear on the ballot:

First Circuit

• Thomas Murphy is challenging Judge Terrance Ketchel.

Second Circuit

• Judge Josefina Tamayo drew two challengers for her seat; Barbara Hobbs and Kris Dunn.

Third Circuit

• Andrew J. Decker, III will face Frederick John Schutte, IV.
• Jimmy Prevatt, Wes Douglas and Angela M. Cancio are vying for the other seat in the primary.

Fourth Circuit

• Incumbent Judge Brian J. Davis will go to the primary with a slew of challengers: Melina E. Buncome, Don Mairs, Greg Messore, Gerald L. Wilkerson.
• Alvin Wellington Barlow will face Mark Borello
• Judge John Merrett will face challenger Suzanne Bass.

Sixth Circuit

• Brian Battaglia will face Kim Campbell.
• Judge Jack Day will face challenger Agnes Theresa McCabe.

Ninth Circuit

• Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. will face challenger Daniel Perry.
• Eric DuBois, Leticia Marques and Joel Wilson will head to the primary.
• Judge Keith F. White will face challenger Jose Torroella.
• Judge Timothy Shea will face challenger Pedro J. Malaret

Tenth Circuit

• Larry Helms, William Sites and Christine Trakas Thornhill will go to the primary.
• Catherine L. Combee will face Mark Kaylor.

Eleventh Circuit

• Judge David C. Miller will face challenger Mauricio Padilla.
• Robert Coppel will face Maria Elena Verde.
• Alex Jimenez Labora will face Maria Santovenia.
• Victor H. De Yurre will face Teresa Mary Pooler.

See also

• Florida judicial elections, 2012
• Florida judicial elections, 2012 - County Court

External links

• Florida Division of Elections, Candidate Listing 2012

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