by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Budget constraints change judges’ conference
It was founded nearly 40 years ago for the betterment of the Florida judicial system, and a Duval County judge is leading the Florida Conference of County Court Judges through changes in its operation caused by recent budget constraints.
County Court Judge Gary Flower became president of the Conference in the spring of 2009 after serving a year as president-elect, four years as Fourth Judicial Circuit Court Representative and as a member of the Conference’s Judicial Education Committee. He had become familiar with the procedures of the Conference during his involvement, but changes took place shortly after he took office.
“It was, basically, like being a government in exile,” said Flower. “Like governing Afghanistan from England.”
What Flower referred to was the cancellation of the Conference’s conferences in 2009. It would normally hold two conferences a year, one in the summer and another in the winter. The purpose of the conferences was to provide judicial education opportunities for its members, provide a forum for judges to discuss problems and allow it to address business, including the election of officers.
“That all changed when I took office due to budgetary constrains,” said Flower. “It has been quite a challenge and has kept me quite busy.”
With the summer and winter conferences of the 2009-2010 term canceled, Flower had to utilize the Internet and telephone conferencing to stay informed with the members.
“Some people think, ‘Great, you’re president, so you can take care of Duval County and bring home the bacon,’” said Flower. “That’s not how it works. There is no bacon. I represent judges from Key West to Pensacola and I’m taking care that the mission of the group as a whole is advanced.”
That kind of representation requires a lot of travel and telephonic conferences over lunch hours.
“I usually have a meeting or two a week during lunch,” said Flower. “I communicate regularly with the membership about legislation and statutory changes. One member proposed that Juvenile Court fees be allowed to be satisfied by community service hours. It’s my job to see if we can affect change that way, through legislation.”
The Conference was created in 1973 by the Florida Supreme Court. It issued a rule forming the Conference of County Court Judges of Florida. The conference was initially formed with three goals in mind: “to better the judicial system in the state, to improve the procedure and practice in county courts and to conduct conferences for continuing judicial education, and forums for county court judges to meet and discuss mutual problems and solutions.”
County Court judges Roberto Arias, vice president, Brent Shore, circuit representative and Russell Healy, current circuit representative, have also served the conference.
Judge Roberto Arias currently serves on the criminal rules committee of the Conference.
“We are working on legislation that would allow the courts to collect more fees,” said Arias. “We’ll just have to see how it goes.”
The next conference that the judges may attend will take place in July in July 2010, and Flower will wrap up his term at the conference.
“I will go in as president and two days later I will be going out as president,” said Flower.
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