Dear SABA Florida and affiliated members,
Please see the announcement below from the 17th Circuit’s JNC.
SEVENTEENTH CIRCUIT JUDICIAL NOMINATING COMMISSION
NOTICE OF CIRCUIT COURT VACANCY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2026
CONTACT: Camille Coolidge Shotwell, Chair
Seventeenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission
Email: coolidge@coolidgelaw.com
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Seventeenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission has been asked to provide Governor Ron DeSantis with nominees for the vacancy in the Broward Circuit Court created by the retirement of Circuit Court Judge Carlos Rebollo.
The Commission requests that interested candidates submit an application for consideration. Applicants must meet the qualifications for circuit court judge described in Article V, Section 8 of the Florida Constitution.
Applications must be received by 12:00 PM on Thursday, May 21, 2026. The application may be downloaded in PDF and Word format at:
https://www.flgov.com/eog/info/judicial/applications
Submission Instructions:
- The original unredacted application shall be emailed in .pdf format to: coolidge@coolidgelaw.com. Receipt of the application will be confirmed in writing.
- A redacted .pdf of the application shall be separately emailed to coolidge@coolidgelaw.com. Personal information not subject to public disclosure, such as a 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 formatted as: “FIRSTNAME LASTNAME Application (redacted or unredacted).” Applicants are asked to strictly follow all requests and instructions in this notice. Failure to do so could result in an application not being considered.
NOTE TO APPLICANTS: To assist the Judicial Nominating Commission in its review, all questions must be fully and completely answered. Applications must include current contact information, including email addresses, for judges, co-counsel, opposing counsel, and references to facilitate the background investigation. Please print to .pdf in lieu of scanning where possible.
Include (1) all letters of recommendation that the applicant wishes the Commission to consider; and (2) any additional information that the applicant feels may be helpful to the Commission in assessing the applicant’s qualifications. The application, letters, and additional information should be appended into one PDF file, and the original and redacted files should be identical except for the confidential information removed in the redacted copy.
The Commission strongly suggests that applications be submitted as soon as they are prepared and well before the deadline. Applicants granted an interview will be scheduled in the order in which applications are received.
After the deadline, the Commission will determine which applicants will be interviewed. It is anticipated that interviews will be conducted in person on June 15, 2026, although this date is subject to change.
SEVENTEENTH CIRCUIT JUDICIAL NOMINATING COMMISSION MEMBERS
Camille Coolidge Shotwell (Chair)
Coolidge Law Group, P.A.
110 SE 6th Street, Suite 1700
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Phone: (954) 761-7781
coolidge@coolidgelaw.com
Thomas D. Oates
Law Offices of Oates & Oates, P.A.
1701 East Atlantic Boulevard, Suite 4
Pompano Beach, FL 33060-6767
Phone: (954) 942-6500
toates@pompanolaw.com
Joseph S. Van de Bogart
FAU Office of the General Counsel
777 Glades Road, AD10-370
Boca Raton, FL 33431
Phone: (561) 703-5752
vandebogartjnc@gmail.com
Alice K. Sum
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
801 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1950
Miami, FL 33131-4901
Phone: (305) 982-6300
sumal@sec.gov
Levi G. Williams, Jr.
Law Offices of Levi Williams, P.A.
12 SE 7th Street, Suite 710
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301-3474
Phone: (954) 463-1626
levi@leviwilliamslaw.com
Eric Yesner (Vice Chair)
GrayRobinson, P.A.
401 E. Las Olas Blvd., Suite 1000
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Phone: (954) 761-8111
eric.yesner@gray-robinson.com
William G. McCormick
McCormick Law Firm, PLLC
500 E. Broward Blvd., Suite 900
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33394
Phone: (954) 859-6041
wgm@wgmccormicklaw.com
Valerie Barnhart
Barnhart Law Firm, P.A.
12555 Orange Drive FL 2
Davie, FL 33330-4340
Phone: (954) 526-1814
valerie@barnhartfirm.com
John H. Richards
Boyd, Richards, Parker & Colonnelli
1600 W Commercial Blvd., Suite 201
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309-3006
Phone: (954) 848-2460
jrichards@boydlawgroup.com