by Kathleen Haughney
The News Service of Florida
The new chair of the Senate’s government accountability committee wants to change eligibility for circuit and county judicial candidates by requiring them to have been a lawyer for 10 years before they can run for judge.
Sen. Jeremy Ring (D-Margate), one of two Democrats having been given a Senate committee chairmanship, has filed a proposed constitutional amendment that requires judicial candidates to have worked as a lawyer in Florida for 10 years, changing it from the current requirement of five years. The change is necessary, Ring said, to ensure that everyone running is qualified.
Laws regulating judicial races virtually prohibit many modern campaign techniques such as making promises to voters or casting doubt on an opponents’ suitability for the office. As a result, Ring said, voters often lack extensive information about the candidates.
“When they’re campaigning, they’re allowed to say very little,” he said. “They have a lot of restrictions on them and someone who is not qualified can easily beat someone who is highly quali-
fied.“
Ring said he began speaking with various stakeholders, including representatives of The Florida Bar, about the issue following the August primary. The judicial elections in Broward particularly troubled him, he said.
In the August primary, there were 20 judicial races in Broward County with 42 candidates. Fifteen of the races involved judicial incumbents.
It was tough for voters to distinguish between the candidates, said Ring, who lives in Broward County. He declined to say whether a particular judicial candidate spurred his interest, though.
Unfamiliar judicial candidates have long been an issue, said Tallahassee lawyer Pete Dunbar, who served as general counsel for former Gov. Bob Martinez, and who now represents the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar.