17th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida

Chief Deputy Trial Court Technology Officer, Veaceslav Talpis, joined other early risers for a 3 mile fun run before the start of today's presentations at the NACM annual conference

Staff from the 17th Circuit are in attendance at this week's annual National Association for Court Management conference in New Orleans. NACM is the largest organization of court management professionals in the world and this year's conference focuses on leadership opportunities and challenges to ensure effective court leaders in the future.

The Seventeenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission has been asked to provide Governor Ron DeSantis with nominees for the vacancy in the Broward Circuit Court created by the resignation of Circuit Court Judge John J. Murphy.

For information, please click on the link below:
https://tinyurl.com/JNCAnnc24

The Community Court Pompano Beach was featured in the Community Spotlight for Channel 7 News on Friday, July 12, 2024.

The news story follows two adult brothers who had fallen on hard times through homelessness
and financial hardship. For more information, please click on the link below:
https://search.app/gqXDoHhCgbpbBJRp8

Judge Jackie Powell was recognized by Mayor Samson Borgelin of North Lauderdale Tuesday June 26, 2024.

Judge Powell was honored when she received a letter of recognition from Mayor Borgelin in honor of her work in the community, and her representation of the Caribbean community during National Caribbean American Month.

Court Program Specialist III La Kita O’Donnell attended the Digital Court Reporting Managers and Leads conference in Tavares, Florida on Friday, June 14, 2024.

At the conference, attendees learned about various management styles, and shared best practices from their circuit’s experience.

Judge Lauren M. Alperstein was the special guest who introduced the new chair of the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar, Christopher Rumbold, on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.

Judge Alperstein’s introduction was part of a ceremony where the executive board was presented as part of the Family Law Installation.

The new board members of the Broward County Judicial Assistants Association were sworn in at the 17th Circuit courthouse on Monday, June 24, 2024.

At the ceremony, all of the new board members were sworn in by Judge Jeffrey R. Levenson, Judge Lauren M. Alperstein and Judge David A. Haimes.

Photographed here are Circuit Representative Carol Hermiston, Treasurer Christine Kortabani, Secretary Geavonna Lapmarado, Vice President Laura Gonzalez and President Alissa Quintero.

A new Administrative Order has been issued regarding the extension of time periods for Broward County in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit due to flooding.

For more details, refer to the Administrative Order in its entirety at the link below:
https://bit.ly/NewAOFlood

The 17th Judicial Circuit of Florida will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 in observance of Juneteenth. Operations will resume on Thursday, June 20, 2024.

More information can be found on courthouse closure here: https://bit.ly/CourtClosure24

The Problem Solving Courts of the 17th Judicial Circuit joined the South Florida Wellness Network and WestCare for a presentation called “Fentanyl Awareness: Harm Reduction & Narcan” on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.

The presentation discussed substance abuse with a focus on Fentanyl and other harmful stimulants, and how the problem solving courts can partner with various organizations in the community to help families and individuals dealing with these situations.

A group of students from the Debate Club at Maplewood Elementary toured the 17th Circuit courthouse on Wednesday, May 29, 2024.

During their visit, they met with Judges Jessica M. Marra, Marina Garcia-Wood, Catalina Avalos, and Jackie Powell. Students spoke with the judges about what a career in the field of law looked like, and how they could use their knowledge of debate to achieve greatness.

The 17th Judicial Circuit of Florida is open for normal operations Friday, June 14, 2024.

The 17th Circuit held the investitures of Judges Michele McCaul Ricca and Chistopher Wigand on Friday, June 7, 2024. Attendees included colleagues, their friends and family, and fellow judicial staff from the 17th Circuit.
Both judges shared memories about their experience with the field of law, and thanked their loved ones for their support and involvement in their success.

The 17th Judicial Circuit of Florida will be closed on Thursday, June 13, 2024 due to inclement weather.

Operations will resume on Friday, June 14, 2024.

Students from the Broward Social Network visited the 17th Circuit courthouse on Thursday, May 30, 2024. Included in the group were students from Sea Castle Elementary and Miramar High School.

While visiting the courthouse, the group of students met with Public Defender Gordon Weekes, Judges Lorena V. Mastrarrigo, George Odom, Jr., Stacy M. Ross and Catalina Avalos. Each judge shared their perspective of the US judicial system and their experience so far on the bench.

A group of students from Moreland Academy of Pompano Beach, Florida came to visit the 17th Circuit courthouse for a guided tour on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.

Students met with Judges Lorena V. Mastrarrigo, Catalina Avalos and Michael A. Robinson in their courtrooms, where each judge participated in a Q & A session and shared their knowledge of the United States justice system.

The Community Court Fort Lauderdale was highlighted by CBS News Miami on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.

In the news story, a former participant of the Community Court program comes back to visit and give an update on his path to sobriety, and the impact that the program has made in his life.

For the full news clip, click on the link below:
https://tinyurl.com/CommCourtFtl

Judge Robert F. Diaz joined attorneys Kimberly Wald, and Michael Santucci in holding lunch for summer interns on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
The interns received valuable advice from each lawyer, and participated in dialogue around each attorney’s journey in their careers.

Judges Natasha DePrimo and Tabitha Eves represented the 17th Circuit in honor of Asian Pacific Islander American Month.

Judges DePrimo and Eves attended the South Asian Bar Association conference at Nova Southeastern Law School on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. At the event, they shared ideas, stories and experiences of their professional and personal journeys and discussed the importance of representation. Joining Judges DePrimo and Eves was Judge Raag Singhal of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Judges DePrimo and Eves also served as panelists at the Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s event on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. Both judges were part of an open dialogue about careers in the field of law and answered questions from attendees.

Judge Jackie Powell served as judge and keynote speaker for a mock trial competition at St. Thomas University-Benjamin L. Crump College of Law on Friday, May 17, 2024.

Over ninety 9th and 10th grade students from Miami Carol City High School and Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial High School participated in the competition with Judge Powell. The competition is a part of Judge Palermo’s Mentorship Program, which was created to encourage students and future leaders to have a strong knowledge about the United States constitution, civics and the law.

Judge Robert F. Diaz welcomed a group of interns from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law to the 17th Circuit courthouse on Friday, May 24, 2024.

Judge Diaz had the interns meet in his courtroom to be briefed on their time here at the circuit, and gave them more insight on what to expect while completing their internship.

The 17th Circuit will be closed on Monday, May 27, 2024 in observance of Memorial Day. Operations will resume on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.

A small group of young men from the 5,000 Role Models club of Margate Middle School came to visit the 17th Circuit courthouse on Thursday, May 23, 2024.

The students visited Judges Elijah H. Williams, Ari Abraham Porth, and Robert F. Diaz and participated in a Q&A session with each one.

Several staff members from Court Administration at the 17th Circuit attended the Administrative Services Training in Kissimmee, Florida. The training was sponsored by the Office of the State Courts Administrator and offered sessions about budget, finance and accounting, human resources, general and legal services. Discussions were also had about best practices throughout the judicial branch and trial courts.

Photographed here from left to right are Human Resources Manager Fred Cariano, Chief Deputy Court Administrator Diana Sobel, Accountant II Greissy Amorocho, General Counsel Patricia Judge-Lashley, Finance and Accounting Manager Gigi Garcia, and Trial Court Administrator Joseph M. D’Amico, Esq.

The Haitian American judges and magistrates of the 17th Circuit were honored at the Tet a Tet panel discussion in North Miami on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

At the event, Federal Magistrate Judge Peniota Agustin-Birch and Judges Florence Taylor Barner, Phoebee Francois, Danielle Sherriff, Fabienne E. Fahnestock, and Magistrate Yves Laventure participated on the panel and shared their experience with their career paths. All of the panelists were honored by the City of North Miami for their dedication to the Haitian American community with a proclamation.

The 17th Circuit’s Community Court was highlighted as part of a news story with CBS4 Miami on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

Featured in the story is the Task Force for Ending Homelessness, who partner with the Community Court for the City of Fort Lauderdale and help place local residents in secure housing.

For the full news story, click on the link below:

https://tinyurl.com/CommCourtHomeless

The 17th Judicial Circuit’s Early Childhood Court (ECC) and Dependency Drug Court (DDC) attended the All Sites Conference in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.

At the conference, the circuit was represented by Dependency Judges, child welfare Dependency Case Managers from Child Net, Children Legal Services Attorney, and Parent Attorneys, Guardian ad Litem staff, ECC Coordinator, Juvenile Problem-Solving Court Coordinator, and treatment providers.

Photographed here from left to right are Raven Jordan, DDC Case Manager at ChildNet, Diane Rufus, Division Manager at ChildNet, Judge Jose Izquierdo, Judge Hope Tieman Bristol, Dawseah Hunter, DDC Supervisor at ChildNet, Jill Katz, ECC & DDC Attorney at Guardian ad Litem Office, Dr. Ziggie Jones, Child Parent Psychotherapist at CMET, Wendy Buchanan, Drug Court Specialist at WestCare, Roxanne Carrington, ECC Case Manager at ChildNet, Daynason Eugene, DDC Case Manager at ChildNet, Trent Baker, Problem-Solving Court Program Coordinator, Ty Lee, ECC Case Manager at ChildNet, Leah Gavin, DDC Case Manager at ChildNet, Terra Singletary, ECC Case Manager at ChildNet, Tiffany Jackson, ECC Coordinator, Sherrelle Young, ECC Supervisor at ChildNet, Wendy Louis, GAL Supervisor at Guardian ad Litem Office, Brittany Johnson, Managing Attorney at ORC-4, Matt Mandelkorn, Parent
Attorney at SPD, Sheila Gonsalves, Assistant Director at Guardian ad Litem Office, and Rebecca Frieden, ECC Attorney at Children's Legal Services.

Judge Christopher Wigand was sworn in at the 17th Circuit courthouse on Friday, May 17, 2024.

Swearing Judge Wigand in was Chief Judge Jack Tuter, who welcomed friends and family to be present during this significant event.

Judge Shari Africk-Olefson was the keynote speaker at the Solomon Leadership Program’s graduation on Thursday, May 9, 2024.

Judge Africk-Olefson is photographed here speaking to the students during the graduation with words of wisdom and encouragement towards their bright futures. Also pictured here is State Attorney Harold F. Pryor, who received an award for his mentorship with the program.