A statewide committee is looking at doing something that hasn’t been done in Florida in more than 50 years — redrawing the boundaries of the state’s 20 circuit court districts, a project some call long overdue and others call unnecessary, or even an attempted power grab.
Florida’s 67 counties are covered by 20 judicial circuits, some covering five, six or up to seven counties. South Florida is unique in that each of its four counties are covered by one district — the 11th in Miami-Dade, the 15th in Palm Beach, the 16th in Monroe, and the 17th in Broward.
Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, is the only other county with its own judicial circuit. All other circuits cover at least two counties, and the Third Circuit in North Florida covers seven.
“We haven’t really looked at the circuit structure in the state since the late 1960s,” said Broward Chief Administrative Judge Jack Tuter.
That alone justifies the reexamination of circuit boundaries, though some are questioning the motives of the elected officials proposing what’s being called “court circuit consolidation.” Fewer circuits would mean fewer elected top prosecutors, but no one can agree on whether that would benefit Republicans or Democrats.
Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this week suspended Democratic State Attorney Monique Worrell, whose Ninth Circuit covers Orange and Osceola counties. A year before that, he removed Tampa’s State Attorney, Andrew Warren, also a Democrat. Combining their circuits with other nearby, more rural counties could make it easier for Republicans to compete for those jobs, said Aaron Wayt, a Tallahassee lawyer who serves as legislative chair of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
House Speaker Paul Renner asked Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos G. Muñiz for the formal review of the state’s current judicial circuit boundaries in June, along with the potential benefits of redrawing them.
Renner said he believes consolidation would lead to “substantial cost savings” to taxpayers and “might lead to greater efficiencies and uniformity in the judicial process, thereby increasing public trust and confidence.”
It is “a long overdue review,” said Nova Southeastern University law professor Bob Jarvis. “I hope all of the possibilities get a fair hearing, whether it’s reducing the number of circuits, keeping it the same, or even expanding them. All of this needs to be looked at.”
“No one could be 100 percent sure what the consequence would be,” Jarvis said.
That won’t stop the speculation.
“It’s a power grab,” said state Rep. Michael Gottlieb, a Democrat who represents central Broward County. “Through consolidation, they could conceivably gerrymander the lines to give us all GOP districts, with no elected Democratic state attorneys. I don’t think that’s outside the realm of possibility.”
It is highly unlikely, though, others said.
Combining any of the South Florida circuits would create massive bureaucracies and logistical challenges. Monroe County may not have the same population as its northern neighbors, but it is, literally, spread thin: It takes three hours to get from Key West to the mainland. Combining Monroe and Miami-Dade would make it that much more challenging to adequately serve the Keys, Jarvis said.
Broward’s circuit serves nearly 2 million residents, and Palm Beach serves nearly 1.5 million. Palm Beach could combine with Martin, Hendry and Okeechobee Counties and still serve fewer residents than Miami-Dade (2.7 million), but even that seems unlikely, said Wayt.
“I can’t imagine them trying to target Miami-Dade, Broward or Palm Beach,” he said. “I wouldn’t put it past them to target Tampa or Orlando, though.”
Those are cities where DeSantis has already removed elected state attorneys over political differences (neither had been accused of criminal wrongdoing, the usual impetus behind such suspensions).
The Judicial Circuit Assessment Committee, made up of 13 judges, clerks and state attorneys from across the state, must provide a recommendation to the Florida Supreme Court by Dec. 1.
Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer Christopher Cann contributed to this report.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.