House Bill hb0045E

    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 45-E

        By Representative Goodlette






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the judiciary; amending s.

  3         26.031, F.S.; increasing the number of judges

  4         in specified judicial circuits; providing for

  5         election or appointment by the Governor;

  6         providing an effective date.

  7  

  8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

  9  

10         Section 1.  Section 26.031, Florida Statutes, is

11  amended to read:

12         26.031  Judicial circuits; number of judges.--The

13  number of circuit judges in each circuit shall be as follows:

14  

15  JUDICIAL CIRCUIT                                         TOTAL

16         (1)  First...........................................21

17         (2)  Second..........................................15

18         (3)  Third........................................... 6

19         (4)  Fourth..........................................31

20         (5)  Fifth........................................25 23

21         (6)  Sixth........................................41 40

22         (7)  Seventh......................................24 23

23         (8)  Eighth.......................................12 11

24         (9)  Ninth........................................38 36

25         (10)  Tenth.......................................22 20

26         (11)  Eleventh....................................74 72

27         (12)  Twelfth.....................................19 18

28         (13)  Thirteenth..................................37 36

29         (14)  Fourteenth..................................... 9

30         (15)  Fifteenth...................................34 33

31         (16)  Sixteenth...................................... 4

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 45-E

    704-189-02E






 1         (17)  Seventeenth.................................53 51

 2         (18)  Eighteenth..................................24 23

 3         (19)  Nineteenth.....................................15

 4         (20)  Twentieth...................................23 22

 5         Section 2.  (1)  The judicial offices created by this

 6  act for the fifth, sixth, seventh, tenth, twelfth, thirteenth,

 7  and twentieth judicial circuits shall be filled by election in

 8  2002 pursuant to chapter 105, Florida Statutes. Candidates for

 9  those judicial offices shall qualify as provided in chapter

10  105, Florida Statutes, no earlier than noon on July 22, 2002,

11  and no later than noon on July 26, 2002. Judges elected to

12  office as provided in this subsection shall take office for a

13  term beginning March 1, 2003, and expiring on January 6, 2009.

14  For purposes of these judicial offices filled by election, a

15  vacancy does not occur until March 1, 2003.

16         (2)  The judicial offices created by this act for the

17  eighth, ninth, eleventh, fifteenth, seventeenth, and

18  eighteenth judicial circuits shall be filled through

19  appointment by the Governor. Judges appointed as provided in

20  this subsection shall take office for a term beginning on

21  March 1, 2003.

22         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.

23  

24            *****************************************

25                       LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY

26  
      Increases the number of judges for specified judicial
27    circuits. Provides for the election or appointment of
      such judges. See bill for details.
28  

29  

30  

31  

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.