Nominating Committee Seeking Applicants for County Judge Vacancy

Qualified attorneys who would like to be considered for a county judge opening have until 5 p.m. Friday, July 23 to apply.

The Tenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission has been asked to provide Gov. Ron DeSantis with nominees for the vacancy on the Polk County Court created by the elevation of Judge Lori A. Winstead to the Tenth Judicial Circuit Court.

The commission requests that interested candidates submit an application for consideration. Applicants must meet the qualifications for county court judges described in Article V, Section 8 of the Florida Constitution.

Applicants must submit two copies of their application by 5 p.m. Friday, July 23.

as follows:

(1) : The original unredacted application shall be emailed in .pdf format to: kmahalak@petersonmyers.com.

(2) : A redacted .pdf of the application shall be emailed to kmahalak@petersonmyers.com. Personal information not subject to public disclosure-such as the social security number-shall be redacted as permitted by Section 119.071 of the Florida Statutes.

Untimely applications will not be considered. The filename for .pdf applications should be as follows "21.07.23 FIRSTNAME LASTNAME County Application (redacted /unredacted)."

Applications may be downloaded from The Florida Bar's website at https://www.floridabar.org/directories/jnc/applications/ and the Office of the Governor.

To assist the Judicial Nominating Commission in its review of applications, all questions must be fully and completely answered. Applications must include current contact information, including e-mail addresses, for judges, co-counsel, opposing counsel, and references to facilitate the background investigation that will be conducted by the members of the commission.

TENTH CIRCUIT JUDICIAL NOMINATING COMMISSION MEMBERS

Krista Mahalak (Chair) Peterson & Myers, P.A. 242 West Central Avenue Winter Haven, FL 33880

Tel .: 863-294-3360

kmahalak@petersonmyers.com

Frederick J. Murphy, Jr. (Vice-Chair)

Boswell & Dunlap, LLP 245 S. Central Avenue Bartow, FL 33830

Tel .: 863-533-7117

fjm@bosdun.com

Patrice F. Behnstedt

Office of the Public Defender Polk County Courthouse Third Floor

P.O. Box 9000

Bartow, FL 33831-9000

Tel .: 863-534-4200

pbehnstedt@pd10.org

Benjamin W. Hardin, Jr. Hardin & Ball, P.A.

P.O. Box 3604

Lakeland, FL 33802-3604

Tel .: 863-688-5200

bwhardin@hardinpalaw.com

Edward Blake Paul Peterson & Myers, P.A

P.O. Box 24628 Lakeland, FL 33802-4628

Tel .: 863-683-6511

bpaul@petersonmyers.com

Robert S. Swaine Swaine & Harris, P.A.

425 S. Commerce Avenue Sebring, FL 33870

Tel .: 863-385-1549

bob@heartlandlaw.com

Richard E. Straughn Straughn & Turner, P.A. 255 Magnolia Avenue SW Winter Haven, FL 33880 Tel: 863-293-1184

Rstraughn@straughnturner.com

Lydia S. Zbrzeznj (Chair)

Southern Atlantic Law Group, PLLC 99 Sixth Street SW

Winter Haven, FL 33880

Tel .: 863-656-6672

lydia@southernatlanticlaw.com

Nicholas T. Zbrzeznj

Southern Atlantic Law Group, PLLC 99 Sixth Street SW

Winter Haven, FL 33880

Tel .: 863-656-6672

nick@southernatlanticlaw.com