DeSantis appoints 3 judges to Lakeland-based appeals court, including 1 who lost election

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed three judges to the newly created Sixth District Court of Appeals, which will be based in Lakeland.

One of the three, Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Jared Smith, lost his reelection bid in August. Smith had attracted attention for a ruling last year in which he denied a teenager’s request to have an abortion without her parents’ consent, citing her grade-point average in questioning whether she had the “overall intelligence” to make a decision about ending her pregnancy.

DeSantis also appointed Judges Jonathan Mize and Keith White of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, which encompasses Orange and Osceola counties.

The Florida Legislature passed a bill this year creating the Sixth District Court of Appeals. The Senate version of the bill emerged from the Appropriations Committee, chaired by Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland.

More:DeSantis vetoes $50 million for Lakeland courthouse to house new appellate court

AlsoBills would create Sixth District Court of Appeal based in Lakeland

Names put forwardNominees named for new appeals court

The Second District Court of Appeals had been based in Lakeland since 1956, but most of its functions shifted to Tampa in recent years because of problems with the building at 1005 E. Memorial Blvd. Those included insufficient size and the presence of mold.

The Florida Supreme Court appointed a committee last year to explore the need for changes to the current structure of five appellate courts. The committee eventually issued a report, with a majority recommending adding at least one appellate court.

The committee, which included Brian Haas, state attorney for the 10th Judicial Circuit, based in Bartow, cited Florida’s population growth and the “increased complexity of cases and expansion of the law.”

The Sixth District Court of Appeals will oversee cases from the Ninth, 10th and 20th judicial circuits, covering Orange, Osceola, Hardee, Highlands, Polk, Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties.

A news release from DeSantis’ office listed Smith as a Lakeland resident. Smith has served on the 13th Judicial Circuit Court since his appointment by DeSantis in September 2019. That circuit covers Hillsborough County.

A judicial nominating commission issued recommendations for 18 candidates to fill three positions on the new court. Rep. Geraldine Thompson, D-Windermere, filed a challenge with the Florida Supreme Court last month, saying that Smith and two other nominees should be ineligible because they didn’t live in any of the counties covered by the new appellate district.

The Supreme Court dismissed Thompson’s challenge.

The Legislature dedicated $50 million in this year’s budget for the construction of a courthouse in Lakeland to house the newly created Sixth District Court of Appeals. But DeSantis vetoed that funding.

Smith lost a close race to Tampa lawyer Nancy Jacobs in August. He resigned from his post as Circuit Judge on Monday. DeSantis’ appointments take effect Jan. 1.

DeSantis appointed Mize, a Winter Park resident, to the Ninth Judicial Circuit in February 2021. He previously operated a law firm and worked as an associate attorney at Bush Ross, P.A., Akerman LLP, and Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP, according to a news release from the governor’s office. Mize holds bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Florida.

White, a Maitland resident, has served on the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court since February 2011 after operating his own law firm, the release said. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida and a law degree from Florida State University.

The court, based at 811 E. Main St., will begin operations on Jan. 3. DeSantis is due to appoint the remaining six judges by that date.

Those judges will come from three judicial circuits covered by the Sixth District Court of Appeals.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13. Material from The News Service of Florida was used in this report.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: DeSantis appoints three judges to new, Lakeland-based appellate court