A new appellate court district has been established in Florida following a November 2021 recommendation by the Florida Supreme Court to redraw the district court boundaries. In June 2022, the Florida Legislature passed HB 7027, which was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), to establish the court effective January 1, 2023. The Sixth District Court of Appeal is located in Lakeland and has jurisdiction over the Ninth, Tenth, and Twentieth circuit courts. The Second District Court of Appeal, which previously heard arguments in Lakeland, has relocated to St. Petersburg.
A committee working under the Supreme Court found that the addition of a new district would “provide adequate access to oral arguments and other proceedings, foster public trust and confidence based on geography and demographic composition, and help attract a diverse group of well-qualified applicants for judicial vacancies.”
DeSantis appointed judges to fill each of the court’s nine seats prior to the formation of the court. The nine judges are:
- Chief Judge Meredith Sasso, who was reassigned from the 5th District.
- Judge Jay Cohen, who was reassigned from the 5th District.
- Judge John Stargel, who was reassigned from the 2nd District.
- Judge Daniel Traver, who was reassigned from the 5th District.
- Judge Mary Alice Nardella, who was reassigned from the 5th District.
- Judge Carrie Ann Wozniak, who was reassigned from the 5th District.
- Judge Keith White, who was a judge on the 9th Circuit Court.
- Judge Jared Smith, who formerly sat on the 13th Circuit Court.
- Judge Joshua Mize, who was a judge on the 9th Circuit Court.
The last addition to Florida’s appellate courts was the Fifth District Court of Appeal, which was established in 1979.
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