ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 11.106-09/2021- IN RE: ALTERNATE ASSIGNMENTS

To promote the efficient administration of justice, judges are designated as “alternates” to preside over emergency matters when the paired judge is away from the courthouse.

NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the authority conferred by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.215, effective October 4, 2021 it is ORDERED as follows:

1. Alternates shall coordinate with one another to ensure that one of them will be in the courthouse during normal court hours.
2. If alternates are both scheduled to be absent from the courthouse for periods of vacation, etc. then it shall be the responsibility of each judge to procure emergency coverage for his or her division by another judge.
3. If for any reason alternate judges do not carry out this responsibility, then the duty judge shall preside over emergency matters in such divisions.
4. The following is a listing of the alternate judges:

CIRCUIT COURT CIVIL
Judge J. Keyser / Judge Schosberg Feuer
Judge Nutt / Judge J. Marx
Judge Coates, Jr. / Judge Curley
Judge Harper / Judge Kastrenakes
Judge G. Keyser / Judge Hafele
Judge Goodman/ Judge Gillman

CIRCUIT COURT FAMILY DIVISION
DOMESTIC DIVISION
Judge Cheesman / Judge Johnson / Judge Francis

JUVENILE DIVISION
Judge Rowe / Judge Small
Judge Kroll / Judge Bell

CIRCUIT COURT CRIMINAL DIVISION
Judge Caracuzzo / Judge Volker / Judge Gillen
Judge Weiss / Judge Shepherd
Judge Scher / Judge Suskauer

CIRCUIT COURT PROBATE/GUARDIANSHIP DIVISION
Judge Cheesman / Judge Johnson / Judge Francis

COUNTY COURT DIVISIONS
Judge Shullman / Judge Bristow
Judge Garrison / Judge Parnofiello
Judge Hanser / Judge Surber
Judge Panse / Judge Collins
Judge Zuckerman / Judge Eissey
Judge Bonavita / Judge Castor

NORTH COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Judge Willis / Judge Moses Stephens1 / Judge Miller / Judge Keever-Agrama
Magistrate Baker / Magistrate Kirigin

WEST COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Judge Alijewicz2

SOUTH COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Judge Delgado / Judge Martz / Judge Laurie / Judge Kerner
Judge Corlew / Judge Bryson / Judge Damico
Magistrate Klee / Magistrate Bassaline

CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMPLEX / GUN CLUB
Judge Burton / Judge Booras

MAGISTRATES / MAIN COURTHOUSE
Magistrate Fanelli (DOR)/ Magistrate James Williams
Magistrate Printz / Magistrate Maxine Williams / Magistrate James Williams

DONE and SIGNED, in Chambers, at West Palm Beach, Florida, this 29th day of September, 2021.
____________________________
Glenn D. Kelley, Chief Judge
* supersedes Admin. Order No. 11.106-08/2021


1 Judge Moses Stephens is the only County Judge located at the North County Courthouse. As such, the Circuit Judges located there must assist as her alternate.

2 Judge Alijewicz is the only County Judge located at the Belle Glade Complex. As such, the Gun Club Judges will serve as her alternate with all Circuit matters being handled by Judge Burton and all County matters handled by Judge Booras. Exception being for all Juvenile matters, Division JM (currently Judge Small) will serve as the alternate. Further exception being for the mental health cases for Division IW, see AO 6.101C.3. Further exception being for Division FW, see AO 5.501A.4.

FREE VACCINATIONS/SHOTS AT THE MAIN COURTHOUSE ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TH

On Monday, September 27, the Vaccination Van will return and park outside the Main Courthouse in West Palm Beach from 9:00 A.M. – 3:30 P.M. 

To receive a vaccination, you do not need to be a court-related employee.  Anyone can receive a free dose of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine during this time.   

Booster shots are also available if you meet the criteria.  Please remember to speak with your health providers first to decide if you are eligible. 

Mediation, One of the Answers to Conflict and Disruption!

By: Lawrence Gordon
Published: October 2021 

It has been more than a decade since I decided to become a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator. I was smitten by the Mediation process in the 1980s while attending mediations and negotiating on behalf of several insurance carriers. Mediation was relatively new and rarely used in settling injury claims at that time. I knew right away that I wanted to be a Certified Mediator and own a mediation practice. I was blessed to start Phoenix Mediation in 2018.

I have been a member of the Palm Beach County Bar Association for several years. I am honored to serve on the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Committee. Even though I have published several articles in the Palm Beach County Bar Association Bulletin, this one is different and special. The ADR Committee invited me to write this article in honor of “Mediation Week,” October 18-22, 2021. I want to thank them all for the confidence that they have shown in me. I would like to especially thank Ted Deckert for encouraging me to step forward in his stead as he has historically written the “Bulletin ” article for Mediation Week.

Mediation Week is recognized by both the American Bar Association and the Florida Bar Association. In the past, the American Bar Association has emphasized such Mediation Week themes as Mediation, Civil Discourse, and The Importance of Selecting Diverse Neutrals. This year’s theme is Mapping the Future So Conflict Doesn’t Disrupt. Additionally, the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) has declared October 21, 2021, as “Conflict Resolution Day.”

This year’s theme seems very appropriate as we appear to have become a tribal society. Red versus Blue, liberals versus conservatives, 

White versus Black and on and on. How do we address these issues and conflicts to avoid them disrupting the future of this great nation? Mediative-type activities may very well be our best path to cooperation, communication, and positive future societal growth. Our best route to a society where diversity, equality, and inclusion become our reality and not just a nice-sounding phrase that’s often spouted while little to nothing changes. A world in which we hear and listen to each other, a society where we accept each other’s points of view even if we can’t agree. Mediative-type activities can create a world where we depersonalize and depressurize situations by focusing on issues, rather than people. One where we do our homework before making asinine ignorant statements, where we keep open minds, care about others, and empathize with our neighbors. We should take time to educate ourselves about our neighbors and remove ourselves from negative situations which have shaped much of our past. Mediation-type activities can certainly help us structure things in a way that lessens conflicts and disruption. We can make a difference.

Once again, our ADR Committee will be doing its part to make Mediation Week a success. We will again ask the Palm Beach County Commission, the Palm Beach County School Board, and various cities throughout Palm Beach County to issue proclamations officially declaring October 18-22, 2021, Mediation Week in their respective municipalities. As a six-term elected official and Vice Mayor in the Town of Haverhill, I previously spearheaded our proclamation process and will continue to do so this year. The Palm Beach County Bar Association President, the ADR Committee chair, and ADR committee members will appear before various commissions to accept proclamations and speak on the importance of Mediation Week and civil discourse.

As usual, the ADR Committee will present its annual lunchtime seminar during Mediation Week. Visit the Palm Beach County Bar Association’s website for details: https://www.palmbeachbar.org/.    

Please also watch for details about our signature event, the 19th ANNUAL ADR SEMINAR coming February 2022.


The ADR Committee will continue to offer speakers to civic groups and other professional organizations to discuss mediation and alternate dispute resolution in general. Any group wishing to invite an ADR speaker should contact the ADR Committee Chair: Kenyetta Alexander: kenyetta@osherowpllc.com. We also invite you to visit the ADR Committee webpage at http://www.palmbeachbar.org/adr for previously published articles and other information on mediation and alternate dispute resolution.

Lawrence Gordon is President of Phoenix Mediation, LLC. He is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator and a Florida Supreme Court Qualified Arbitrator. He’s a member of the Florida Academy of Professional Mediators and serves on the Florida Bar Board of Governors Advisory Committee. Mr. Gordon’s email address is lgordon@phoenixmediation.net.

FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OPEN POSITION – SUPERVISING TRIAL COURT STAFF ATTORNEY

STATE-FUNDED POSITION
POSITION TITLE: Supervising Trial Court Staff Attorney
STARTING SALARY: $64,382.28/annually
DEPARTMENT: Court Administration
PAY GRADE: 52
POSITION NUMBERS: 22008962

SUMMARY:

The Fifteenth Judicial Circuit seeks a Supervising Senior Trial Court Staff Attorney (Supervisor). This position is based in downtown West Palm Beach, but may require travel to the North and South County branches. The Supervisor will manage other staff attorneys while also conducting legal research and writing. This is demanding, professional, and highly responsible work.

Supervision duties include training, assigning and evaluating work, counseling, and ensuring that deadlines as assigned are met. Must ensure quality work product from staff. Provides guidance to the attorneys, as needed, in researching, interpreting, and applying legal principles of the most complex nature within the assigned work area. Reviews, edits, analyzes, discusses, and provides final approval for written work of attorneys on a regular basis and as needed. Monitors workflow to identify and address potential workload issues and to ensure performance goals are met. Supervisor monitors and reports on the status of the department’s backlogged cases and identifies solutions to address backlog and workload issues. Will be responsible for various reports concerning department statistics and other records. Works independently, as well as cooperatively in a team environment. Complete multiple tasks and meet deadlines.

Legal research and writing duties include reviewing case files, researching the law, preparing memoranda and proposed orders in a variety of legal areas brought before the trial court. Supervisor provides legal advice to Judges, General Counsel, and others as may be required.

The State of Florida provides excellent benefits at a low cost including:

 Medical benefits (HMO/PPO) at a cost of $50.00 single coverage; $180.00 for family coverage
 Life Insurance provided by the State of Florida
 Optional coverage including dental and vision care, disability coverage
 Florida Retirement Plan options
 Vacation and Sick Leave accruals
 13 Court paid holidays

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Graduation from an accredited law school with excellent academic standing and five years experience in the practice of law or as a law clerk in an appellate or trial court Managerial, administrative, or supervisory experience preferred. Law Review, journal, or significant law school writing and editing experience preferred. Membership in the Florida Bar; Exceptional writing skills; Well-rounded understanding of many areas of law, court procedures, court systems, and judicial rules.

COVID-19 PRECAUTION(S):
 Use of court-issued personal protective equipment required
 Temperature screenings
 Social distancing guidelines in place
 Sanitizing, disinfecting, or cleaning procedures in place

HOW TO APPLY:
Interested parties should electronically submit an application package consisting of a:
 Cover letter
 Resume
 College and law school transcripts (official or unofficial)
 Writing sample not to exceed ten (10) pages
 State of Florida Application available at: https://www.15thcircuit.com/sites/default/files/files/jobDocuments/StateOfFloridaApplication.pdf

The application package must be submitted to: Chief of Personnel, Tammy Anton, at CAD-Recruiting@pbcgov.org.

NOTICE:
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications will continue to be received until filled. Submission of an application does not guarantee the applicant an interview. Applicants will be subject to a criminal background check. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate against any of the protected classes.

If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in the interviewing process once selected, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact Tammy Anton, Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator, Palm Beach County Courthouse, 205 North Dixie Highway West Palm Beach, Florida 33401; telephone number (561) 355-4380 at least 7 days before your scheduled either in-person or telephonic interview; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call “711.”

ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 11.108-09/21* IN RE: DUTY JUDGE/EMERGENCIES

The prompt and efficient administration of justice requires a judge to be available in chambers during work hours and on-call after work hours to handle emergency matters. Advances in technology have made it so any judge may serve as duty judge regardless of the judge’s assigned courthouse. Accordingly, effective 12:01 a.m. on January 3, 2022, the following policies and procedures will govern duty judge coverage.

NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the authority conferred by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.215, it is ORDERED:

DEFINITION OF “EMERGENCY”

1. By separate administrative order, the chief judge shall promulgate an annual duty roster so that a judge, commonly referred to as the “duty judge,” shall be available at all times to handle applications for search warrants, pen registers, petitions for ex parte injunctive relief to prevent domestic violence, and other emergency matters. In this context, the term “emergency” encompasses ex parte applications and other matters of extreme urgency, i.e., matters of life and death, or instances of irreparable harm. Not included in this definition are matters of extreme urgency in cases which have been assigned to a trial division if the assigned trial judge or his or her alternate is present in the courthouse.

HOURS

2. The duty judge shall be available from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each work day at their assigned courthouse. Before leaving the courthouse each work day, the duty judge shall call the domestic violence clerk at extension 3-4506 to determine whether they are processing any last-minute petitions and, if so, the duty judge must remain at the courthouse until the petition is completed, reviewed and acted upon by the duty judge. On holidays and weekends, the duty judge shall be available from 9:00 a.m. until approximately noon at the Criminal Justice Complex on Gun Club Road in West Palm Beach. After-hours coverage shall be initiated through cell phone and/or email contact.

RESPONSIBILITIES

3. Whether a judge should clear his or her calendar to be available to handle the duty judge’s responsibilities is a matter left to the discretion of each judge. If a judge maintains a normal or reduced workload during the duty judge assignment period, that judge is obligated to stop what he or she is doing to accommodate duty judge responsibilities.

4. FIRST APPEARANCES – HOLIDAYS & WEEKENDS The duty judge shall preside at holiday and weekend first appearance hearings which shall commence at 9:00 a.m. at the Criminal Justice Complex on Gun Club Road in West Palm Beach. Petitions for Risk Protection Order filed pursuant to Administrative Order 6.312(5) will also be heard by the duty judge at first appearance.

5. COURT HOLIDAYS WHEN THE CLERK’S OFFICE IS OPEN: In the event the Court is observing a holiday on a day that the Clerk’s Office is open to the public, the following coverage shall apply between the hours of 8 am and 4pm.
a. Baker and Marchman Act Petitions shall be covered by the Administrative Magistrate or his/her designee.
b. Eviction related matters, domestic violence petitions, and guardianship and probate emergency matters (including Risk Protection Orders) shall be covered by the divisional judge assigned to the case or his/her designee.
c. Any other emergency matter not referenced above shall be referred to the duty judge.

All magistrates and judges assigned to coverage under this section shall contact the Clerk’s Chief Operating Officer – Courts and Official Records no later than the close of business on the last business day before the court holiday to advise how they wish to be reached on the court holiday (e.g. via email, cell phone contact, etc.).
Any emergency filed after 4pm shall be referred to the duty judge.

6. EXTENSION HEARINGS – Extension hearings shall be scheduled before the Family Division Judge to which the case is assigned.

TRANSFER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND EQUIPMENT

7. The transfer of responsibility from one duty judge to the next shall occur at 8:30 a.m. on Monday of each week, including those weeks in which Monday is a holiday. A cellular phone shall be provided to the duty judge. A binder containing relevant statutes, rules and case law shall be provided to the duty judge. This material will also be available to the duty judge on the court’s computer system. The equipment and information shall be transferred from one duty judge to the next at the beginning of the duty assignment.

OPERATING PRINCIPLES

8. Every judge in the circuit shall be assigned to preside at weekend and holiday first appearance hearings. All County Court Judges are hereby temporarily assigned to serve as Circuit Judges while functioning as a duty judge and they are vested with all and singular the powers and prerogatives conferred by the Constitution and Laws of the State of Florida upon a Circuit Court Judge.

9. Duty judge assignments shall rotate in alphabetical order except that no judge should be required to serve more than one holiday weekend in a calendar year, in which case the Chief Judge may alter the schedule as necessary to ensure fairness and equity.

10. Alterations or substitutions in the published annual duty judge roster must be done in writing with a copy sent to Court Administration.

DONE and SIGNED in Chambers at West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida, this 20th day of September, 2021.
_____________________________
Glenn D. Kelley
Chief Judge
*supersedes admin. order 11.108-09/08 as of 12:01 a.m. on January 3, 2022. Administrative Order 11.108-09/08 remains in effect until then.