Four new judges across Florida’s circuit courts will take the bench after winning runoffs in South and Central Florida Tuesday night.

Voters elected two new judges in Miami-Dade’s 11th Circuit, one in Broward’s 17th, and one in the 9th Circuit Court serving Orange and Osceola counties. Arthur LeMar “Marty” McNeil and Rita Maria Baez will take the bench in Miami, while Temika Hampton-Johnson will serve the 9th Circuit and Tamar Hamilton in Broward.

The majority of jury trials take place in Florida’s 20 circuit courts, which include up to seven counties. The jurisdiction includes all criminal and civil matters not handled by the lesser county courts, like criminal felonies, civil matters over $50,000, and juvenile and family matters. The judges can also hear certain appeals.

Of the 23 circuit court judge races in Florida this year, 19 contests were resolved after the primary election when one candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote. 

McNeil and Baez win circuit court appointments in Miami-Dade

In Miami, Arthur LeMar “Marty” McNeiland Rita Maria Baez won judgeships in Miami-Dade’s 11th Circuit Tuesday night. Public defender McNeil won with 51.25% of the vote in Group 5, ahead of his opponent Monica Segura, according to unofficial results.

Segura, a senior managing associate general counsel at University Property & Casualty Insurance Company, garnered 48.75% of the vote.

Also in Miami-Dade, Rita Maria Baez, is a longtime civil litigation attorney at her own private practice, overwhelmingly defeated trial attorney Bonita Jones-Peabody with more than 58% of the vote in Group 69, according to unofficial results.

9th Circuit and Broward’s 17th Circuit choose new judges

Voters in Orange and Osceola counties overwhelmingly elected Temika Hampton-Johnson over Charles Hart to serve as a 9th Circuit Court judge. Hampton-Johnson, a private practice attorney, earned nearly 65% of the vote, or 352,944 votes.

Hampton-Johnson will replace Judge Mikaela Nix, who was already knocked off the bench in August’s primary.

In Broward County, Tamar Hamilton won 53.78% of the vote, defeating David Andrew Fry, who earned 46.22%, according to unofficial results. Hamilton works in civil litigation, real property, probate, and contract law, while Fry, who lives in Coconut Creek, is currently an assistant public defender, according to his campaign bio, after beginning his career as an assistant state attorney in Orlando.  

In August’s primary, two sitting circuit court judges were defeated by rarely successful primary challenges, including Nix. Judge Mavel Ruiz in Miami-Dade was defeated by Coral Gables civil litigation attorney Destiny Alvarez, while seven other judges defended their positions.

Molly Farrar covers accountability and policy in the consolidated city-county government of Jacksonville for The Florida Trib. Before joining us as a Report for America corps member, Farrar worked as a staff writer for Boston.com with the Boston Globe, WHDH Channel 7, and as a freelance reporter in the Greater Boston area covering local politics. Her news and transportation reporting won regional awards, and Farrar was selected as a First Amendment Institute Fellow with the New England First Amendment Coalition. Her investigative work on criminal justice and prisons was published in GBH News and The Intercept. Her stories have also appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The Boston Globe. Farrar graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism and cello performance, where she also served as editor-in-chief of the Daily Free Press, the independent student newspaper. You can reach Molly at molly.farrar@floridatrib.org.