Florida Supreme Court Certifies Need for 25 Additional Judges Across State Circuits

The Florida Supreme Court formally recommended the creation of 25 new judgeships on Wednesday to address caseload demands across the state’s judicial system. Through its annual “certification of need” process, the high court identified specific jurisdictions requiring additional judicial resources to maintain efficient case management.

According to the certification released by the court, the recommendation includes a request for 13 new circuit judges and 12 county judges statewide. The report specifically highlights a significant need in Southwest Florida’s 20th Judicial Circuit, calling for the addition of eight circuit judges in that region alone. Other recommendations for circuit judges include one addition each for the 1st Judicial Circuit in Northwest Florida, the 5th Judicial Circuit in Central Florida, the 7th Judicial Circuit in Northeast Florida, the 18th Judicial Circuit covering Brevard and Seminole counties, and the 19th Judicial Circuit in Southeast Florida.

At the county level, the Supreme Court’s analysis pinpointed high-volume jurisdictions requiring support. The certification recommends adding three county judges each in Duval and Miami-Dade counties, and two in Orange County. Additionally, single county judgeships were requested for Walton, Highlands, Hillsborough, and Lee counties. These recommendations are based on a statistical analysis of case filings and judicial workload.

This year’s request follows a similar pattern from December 2024, when the Supreme Court certified a need for 48 new judges—23 circuit and 25 county. In response to that previous request, the Legislature approved 22 circuit judges and 15 county judges. The current certification now moves to the Legislature for consideration during the upcoming session.

Judicial Resource Allocation

The annual certification process serves as a formal mechanism for the judiciary to signal operational stress points to the legislative branch. While the Supreme Court relies on objective data regarding caseloads and processing times to justify these requests, the final authority to create and fund these positions rests with the Florida Legislature. The disparity between the previous year’s request and the actual appointments indicates that lawmakers weigh these judicial needs against broader budgetary constraints. The substantial request for the 20th Judicial Circuit suggests a demographic or administrative shift in Southwest Florida necessitating immediate attention to prevent case backlogs.