Q&A – Retention Votes for Florida's Judges
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Today’s entry: Hi Brian, I listen to your show most every morning and have not heard you talk about the judges on the Florida ballot. Could you please give me some guidance on who they are so I can make an informed decision when I vote.
Bottom Line: Evaluating how to vote for judges is often the most difficult decision for voters. The combination of non-partisan elections and non-household names of sitting judges or candidates tends to be a challenging thing to evaluate. In this year's election cycle, there are six judicial candidates that are up for what are known as retention votes to remain in their places on their respective courts for voters with the 4th District. This includes one Supreme Court Justice and five court of appeal judges. So about evaluating judicial candidates...
In general, I start by seeing if there’s anything specific to them that I’m familiar with/may have had strong feelings about. IE: Court rulings. Next, search for information about them online. This often includes background data such as the political party they may be registered with, associations, and background information.
As for the judges up retention votes – here's an overview of each that may prove to be helpful - including the governors who appointed them:
Supreme Court Justice Carlos Muniz: A member of the Federalist Society, appointed by Governor DeSantis to the Florida Supreme Court in 2019. He was elected by the court's justices to serve as chief justice in 2022 and was retained with 65.7% of the vote in 2020.
4th District Court of Appeal Judge Alan Forst: A member of the Federalist Society, was appointed to the 4th District Court of Appeal by Governor Rick Scott in 2013. He was retained with 64.1% support in 2020.
4th District Court of Appeal Judge Mark Klingensmith: President of the Florida Conference of District Court of Appeal Judges, appointed to the 4th District Court of Appeal by Governor Rick Scott in 2013. He was retained with 63% of the vote in 2020.
4th District Court of Appeal Judge Johnathan Lott: A former U.S. attorney, was appointed to the 4th District Court of Appeal in 2025 by Governor DeSantis. He is up for his first retention vote.
4th District Court of Appeal Judge Shannon Shaw: A former Assistant U.S. Attorney, was appointed to the 4th District Court of Appeal in 2025 by Governor DeSantis. She is up for her first retention vote.
4th District Court of Appeal Judge Caroline Shepherd: A former U.S. attorney and circuit court judge, was appointed to the 4th District Court of Appeal in 2025. She is up for her first retention vote.
Hopefully this overview provides a usual basis for deciding how to vote. Non-partisan races might not receive the same level of attention, however as those who are engaged with the news are well aware, judges and justices are extremely important positions at all levels.