In re: Redefinition of Appellate Districts and Certification of Need for Additional Appellate Judges
Acting on the recommendations of a Court-appointed District Court of Appeal Workload and Jurisdiction Assessment Committee, the Florida Supreme Court certified to the Legislature the need to create a Sixth District Court of Appeal and to realign the First, Second, and Fifth Districts, along with six new appellate judgeships (one in the realigned Second District, five in the realigned Fifth District). Duval/Clay/Nassau move from the First to the Fifth District; Orange/Osceola move from the Fifth to the Second; and Pasco, Pinellas, DeSoto, Manatee, Sarasota, and Hillsborough form the new Sixth District. Justice Polston dissented, arguing no compelling need or objective workload justification existed under Rule 2.241(b).
Key facts
- The Florida Supreme Court, acting on recommendations from a Court-appointed District Court of Appeal Workload and Jurisdiction Assessment Committee, certified to the Legislature the need to create a new Sixth District Court of Appeal and realign the First, Second, and Fifth Districts.
- The realignment moves Duval, Clay, and Nassau counties from the First to the Fifth District; Orange and Osceola counties from the Fifth to the Second District; and Pasco, Pinellas, DeSoto, Manatee, Sarasota, and Hillsborough counties form the new Sixth District.
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Why it matters
This is a structural milestone — the first change to Florida's appellate district map since the Fifth DCA was created in 1979 — and it directly changes where civil appeals from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Sarasota… — full analysis with a trial
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