Officials across Florida oppose merging judicial circuits at Tampa meeting

TAMPA — Judges, state attorneys, sheriffs and other elected officials from throughout Florida filled a Hillsborough County courtroom Friday to oppose a proposal to consolidate some of the state’s 20 judicial circuits.

Dozens of speakers from as far as Florida’s Panhandle or Key West warned that an idea by House Speaker Paul Renner to shrink the number of circuits would disrupt the judicial process and decrease local representation for constituents.

The committee tasked with making a recommendation to the Florida Supreme Court held the public hearing at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse in downtown Tampa ahead of submitting its report in December. The group previously held another meeting for public comment in August in Orlando.

Appointed Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez said consolidation is warranted if there is evidence that it will help crime victims. But if there is no evidence that it will help her office pursue justice and provide support for victims, then the committee should be against the changes.

“I ask you not to lose sight of the mothers, daughters, sons and fathers who have shared their stories with me and trusted me to find justice for them,” said Lopez, who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis after he suspended Andrew Warren last year.

Lopez spoke just after Hillsborough Public Defender Julianne Holt, who said that consolidation of judicial circuits would be “inefficient on its face.”

Two local lawyers prominent in Republican politics and the legal community told the Tampa Bay Times this week that DeSantis is opposed to consolidating the 13th Judicial Circuit, which encompasses Hillsborough County. The governor’s office did not immediately respond to an email sent Friday afternoon requesting comment.

Holt and Lopez were among public speakers that included county commissioners, sheriffs, state attorneys, state representatives, judges, public defenders and lawyers. Residents from around the state also called in to express opposition.

Florida’s Supreme Court established the Judicial Circuit Assessment Committee this year at Renner’s request. Renner suggested merging some districts could save money and increase efficiency.

State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, D-Orlando, said that after talking with legal experts and her constituents, she didn’t see how the process could make the courts more streamlined.

“Caseloads are a huge issue and I’m concerned that the merger of circuits will just create more backlog and larger caseloads, which will not allow for justice to be served ethically or efficiently,” Eskamani said.

Three lawyers spoke in favor of consolidating districts during the five-hour meeting.

Attorney Jeff Aaron with the GrayRobinson law firm said that the number of judicial circuits makes his legal team’s job more difficult than it has to be. He referred to the people who spoke against merging circuits as “a few extremists,” and said the way that each judicial circuit is managed deserves scrutiny.

Kansas Gooden, an appellate lawyer from South Florida, said that consolidating districts could help with the amount of time that she has to wait for hearings.

“I have numerous cases in the 15th and 17th circuits, and I’m waiting six and eight months, depending on the judge, for hearings,” Gooden said.

After Gooden spoke, several other lawyers said that merging districts could make hearing times even more inconsistent, and suggested that the answer to solving problems with hearing times is to increase the number of judges in certain districts.

The committee had planned a private session at the end of public comment but announced it would skip it to provide more time for public input. Two more private sessions are scheduled for November.

Those closed-door meetings have drawn scrutiny from public records experts. On Thursday, Lopez’s office sent a letter to Attorney General Ashley Moody asking for a legal review of whether those sessions violate Florida’s Sunshine Law.