Since beating former Republican – now Democrat – Charlie Crist for Florida Governor almost six years ago, Rick Scott has appointed Elizabeth Scherer, Stacy Ross and Jose A. Izquierdo to the Circuit Court while appointing Kal Le Var Evans, Stephen J. Zaccor, Daniel Kanner, Nina DiPietro and Michael Davis to the County Court.
Facing opponents in the August 30th primary are County Court Judges Kal Evans, Stephen Zaccor and Nina DiPietro. Izquierdo, Kanner and Davis will face Broward voters in 2018.
Evans – one of only six African-American judges on the bench – faces Fort Lauderdale attorney Phyllis Pritcher in the primary. A criminal defense lawyer and certified civil court mediator, Pritcher told the Sun-Sentinel that “she believe the voters, not the governor, should decide who gets to sit on the bench.”
Zaccor – a tenacious former prosecutor under Mike Satz for almost 17 years – faces Kathleen McCarthy, an attorney for the state’s Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, where she has worked for the last eight years.
DiPietro – a former assistant Public Defender under Howard Finkelstein – faces former Broward County Chief Traffic Magistrate Brenda Di Ioia and former Broward County Court Judge Ian Richards. A former TV reality series star on the TruTV show “Speeders Fight Back,” Di Ioia served as chief magistrate, in addition to supervising 21 traffic hearing officers. Richards – a former Miami Dade prosecutor – is a former Broward County Court Judge who lost re-election to a second term in office in 2014.
Circuit Court Judges serve for a six-year term and handle civil cases in excess of $15,000.00, in addition to criminal felony cases and misdemeanor appeals. The position pays $146,079.96 a year. County Court judges also serve for a six-year term and handle civil cases not exceeding $15,000.00, in addition to criminal misdemeanor and traffic cases. The position pays $138,019.92 a year.
Because judicial races in Florida are non-partisan, any registered voter can cast a ballot regardless of party affiliation. In contested races with more than two candidates, if one does not earn more than 50% of the vote, the top two will proceed to the general election on November 8th.
