2025 Admin Order 25-02 Amended

25-02 AMENDED, SUPERSEDES 25-02 RE: APPOINTMENT OF COUNTY COURT JUDGES TO HANDLE CIRCUIT CASES IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS - ORDERED 07/01/2025 BY MELANIE CHASE

Due to the fact that it is necessary, from time to time, for county court judges to hear and determine matters of the circuit court when a judge of that court is not available, and in order to maximize the efficient administration of justice and judicial labor in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, pursuant to Rule 2.215(b) Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration, it is thereupon, ORDERED:

1. That qualified county court judges in Brevard and Seminole Counties are authorized and directed to supplement and aid the circuit judges of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit by sitting as circuit judges in the following matters:
2. Causes of action for injunctions for protection against domestic violence, in violation of section 741.30, Florida Statutes as amended;
3. Causes of action for injunctions for protection in cases of repeat violence, sexual violence or dating violence, in violation of section 784.046, Florida Statutes as amended;
4. Causes of action for injunctions for protection against stalking, in violation of section 784.0485, Florida Statutes as amended;
5. Causes of action for contempt for failure to pay child support or other violations of a court order;
6. Causes of action for indirect criminal contempt for violation of injunctions;
7. Felony crimes;
8. Temporary and final hearings in DOM cases;
9. Modifications in DOM cases;
10. Shelter, Consequence, and Detention hearings in Juvenile matters; and
11. Probate, guardianship, Baker Acts, and Marchman Acts.
12. Civil Cases
13. Juvenile Dependency and Juvenile Delinquency
14. Causes of actions for risk protection orders, pursuant to section 790.401, Florida Statutes
15. Modifications of sentences pursuant to section 98.0751, Florida Statutes, or Article 6 Section 4 of the Florida Constitution.

2. For purposes of conducting the aforementioned proceedings, I determine the following county court judges to be appropriately qualified:

THE HONORABLE MICHELLE A. BAKER

THE HONORABLE THOMAS J. BROWN

THE HONORABLE CARSANDRA BUIE

THE HONORABLE WAYNE CULVER

THE HONORABLE JAMES J. DEKLEVA

THE HONORABLE BENJAMIN B. GARAGOZLO

THE HONRABLE SYLVIA GRUNOR

THE HONORABLE CLARISSA HARRELL

THE HONORABLE KELLY INGRAM

THE HONORABLE KATIE JACOBUS

THE HONORABLE DAVID C. KOENIG

THE HONORABLE DEBRA L. KRAUSE

THE HONORABLE KIMBERLY MUSSELMAN

THE HONORABLE AARON J. PEACOCK

THE HONORABLE DAVID E. SILVERMAN

THE HONORABLE JONATHAN A. SKINNER

THE HONORABLE JOHN L. WOODARD, III

3. When the county court judges listed above conduct any of the circuit court matters listed in subsection 1 of this Order, the services of the county court judge are to be:
4. Temporary;
5. Directed only to the specific classes of cases listed in subsection 1 of this Order;
6. Limited to assisting and supplementing the circuit court judges; and
7. Restricted to only a fraction of the pending cases.
8. No county court judge shall be assigned to perform solely circuit court work absent a special order authorizing and directing said assignment (not to exceed sixty days in duration). Crusoe v. Rawls, 472 So.2d 1163 (Fla. 1985) (footnotes 2, 3).
9. No county court judge shall be given successive and repetitive assignments to hear all circuit court matters in any special district within the circuit, absent a special order of assignment (not to exceed sixty days in duration). Payret v. Adams, 500 So.2d 136 (Fla. 1986).
10. When any of the county court judges listed above conduct any of the circuit court matters as described in subsection 1 of this Order, that county court judge shall have all powers and authority of a circuit judge in every respect. This authority includes, but is not limited to, the issuing of orders in the circuit court so assigned, as deemed necessary and appropriate.
11. This Order shall be in effect on July 1, 2025 and for a period of six months from the date of its rendition.

DONE and ORDERED this 1^st day of July, 2025.

MELANIE CHASE

CHIEF JUDGE

Additional Information:

• Supersedes AO 25-02
• Supersedes AO 24-02 2nd Amended
• Supersedes AO 24-02 Amended
• Supersedes AO 24-02
• Section 741.30, Florida Statutes
• Section 784.046, Florida Statutes
• Section 784.0485, Florida Statutes
• Section 98.0751, Florida Statutes
• Article 6 Section 4 of the Florida Constitution
• Payret v. Adams, 500 So.2d 136
• Crusoe v. Rawls 472 So.2d 1163