United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (in case citations, M.D. Fla.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
(M.D. Fla.)
Location	Orlando More locations Fort Myers Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse (Jacksonville) Ocala Tampa
Appeals to	Eleventh Circuit
Established	July 30, 1962
Judges	15
Chief Judge	Marcia Morales Howard
Officers of the court
U.S. Attorney	Sara C. Sweeney (acting)
U.S. Marshal	William B. Berger Sr.
www.flmd.uscourts.gov

Sam Gibbons Federal Courthouse, Tampa

The District was established on July 30, 1962, with parts of the Northern and Southern Districts transferring into the newly created Middle District.

As of February 18, 2025^[update], the acting United States attorney for the District is Sara C. Sweeney.

Organization of the court

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida is one of three federal judicial districts in Florida. Court for the District is held at Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, and Tampa.

Fort Myers Division comprises the following counties: Charlotte, Collier, Desoto, Glades, Hendry, and Lee.

Jacksonville Division comprises the following counties: Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Flagler, Hamilton, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, and Union.

Ocala Division comprises the following counties: Citrus, Lake, Marion, and Sumter.

Orlando Division comprises the following counties: Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia.

Tampa Division comprises the following counties: Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota.

Current judges

As of November 2, 2024^[update]:

#	Title	Judge	Duty station	Born	Term of service			Appointed by
					Active	Chief	Senior
32	Chief Judge	Marcia Morales Howard	Jacksonville	1965	2007–present	2024–present	—	G.W. Bush
21	District Judge	Steven Douglas Merryday	Tampa	1950	1992–present	2015–2020	—	G.H.W. Bush
33	District Judge	Mary Stenson Scriven	Tampa	1962	2008–present	—	—	G.W. Bush
36	District Judge	Sheri Polster Chappell	Ft. Myers	1962	2013–present	—	—	Obama
38	District Judge	Paul G. Byron	Orlando	1959	2014–present	—	—	Obama
39	District Judge	Carlos E. Mendoza	Orlando	1970	2014–present	—	—	Obama
40	District Judge	William F. Jung	Tampa	1958	2018–present	—	—	Trump
41	District Judge	Thomas P. Barber	Tampa	1966	2019–present	—	—	Trump
42	District Judge	Wendy Berger	Jacksonville	1968	2019–present	—	—	Trump
43	District Judge	John Badalamenti	Ft. Myers	1973	2020–present	—	—	Trump
44	District Judge	Kathryn Kimball Mizelle	Tampa	1987	2020–present	—	—	Trump
45	District Judge	Julie S. Sneed	Orlando	1969	2024–present	—	—	Biden
46	District Judge	vacant	—	—	—	—	—	—
47	District Judge	vacant	—	—	—	—	—	—
48	District Judge	vacant	—	—	—	—	—	—
15	Senior Judge	Elizabeth A. Kovachevich	Tampa	1936	1982–2018	1996–2002	2018–present	Reagan
17	Senior Judge	Patricia C. Fawsett	Orlando	1943	1986–2008	2003–2008	2008–present	Reagan
19	Senior Judge	Harvey E. Schlesinger	Jacksonville	1940	1991–2006	—	2006–present	G.H.W. Bush
20	Senior Judge	Anne C. Conway	Orlando	1950	1991–2015	2008–2015	2015–present	G.H.W. Bush
22	Senior Judge	Henry Lee Adams Jr.	Jacksonville	1945	1993–2010	—	2010–present	Clinton
23	Senior Judge	Susan C. Bucklew	Tampa	1942	1993–2008	—	2008–present	Clinton
24	Senior Judge	Richard A. Lazzara	Tampa	1945	1997–2011	—	2011–present	Clinton
25	Senior Judge	James D. Whittemore	Tampa	1952	2000–2017	—	2017–present	Clinton
26	Senior Judge	John Antoon	Orlando	1946	2000–2013	—	2013–present	Clinton
27	Senior Judge	John E. Steele	Ft. Myers	1949	2000–2015	—	2015–present	Clinton
28	Senior Judge	James S. Moody Jr.	Tampa	1947	2000–2014	—	2014–present	Clinton
29	Senior Judge	Gregory A. Presnell	Orlando	1942	2000–2012	—	2012–present	Clinton
30	Senior Judge	Timothy J. Corrigan	Jacksonville	1956	2002–2024	2020–2024	2024–present	G.W. Bush
31	Senior Judge	Virginia M. Hernandez Covington	Tampa	1955	2004–2020	—	2020–present	G.W. Bush
34	Senior Judge	Charlene Edwards Honeywell	Tampa	1957	2009–2023	—	2023–present	Obama
35	Senior Judge	Roy B. Dalton Jr.	Orlando	1952	2011–2022	—	2022–present	Obama
37	Senior Judge	Brian J. Davis	Jacksonville	1953	2013–2023	—	2023–present	Obama

Vacancies and pending nominations

Seat	Prior judge's duty station	Seat last held by	Vacancy reason	Date of vacancy	Nominee	Date of nomination
8	Tampa	Charlene Edwards Honeywell	Senior status	December 4, 2023	–	–
9	Jacksonville	Brian J. Davis		December 30, 2023	–	–
15		Timothy J. Corrigan		November 2, 2024	–	–
11	Tampa	Steven Douglas Merryday		August 31, 2025	–	–

Former judges

#	Judge	State	Born–died	Active service	Chief Judge	Senior status	Appointed by	Reason for termination
1	John Milton Bryan Simpson	FL	1903–1987	1962–1966	1962–1966	—	Truman/Operation of law	elevation to 5th Cir.
2	Joseph Patrick Lieb	FL	1901–1971	1962–1971	1966–1971	—	Eisenhower/Operation of law	death
3	William McRae	FL	1909–1973	1962–1973	1971–1973	—	Kennedy/Operation of law	death
4	George C. Young	FL	1916–2015	1962–1981	1973–1981	1981–2015	Kennedy/Operation of law	death
5	Charles R. Scott	FL	1904–1983	1966–1976	—	1976–1983	L. Johnson	death
6	Ben Krentzman	FL	1914–1998	1967–1982	1981–1982	1982–1998	L. Johnson	death
7	Gerald Bard Tjoflat	FL	1929–present	1970–1975	—	—	Nixon	elevation to 5th Cir.
8	William Terrell Hodges	FL	1934–2022	1971–1999	1982–1989	1999–2022	Nixon	death
9	John A. Reed Jr.	FL	1931–2015	1973–1984	—	—	Nixon	resignation
10	Howell W. Melton	FL	1923–2015	1977–1991	—	1991–2015	Carter	death
11	George C. Carr	FL	1929–1990	1977–1990	1989–1990	—	Carter	death
12	Susan H. Black	FL	1943–present	1979–1992	1990–1992	—	Carter	elevation to 11th Cir.
13	William J. Castagna	FL	1924–2020	1979–1992	—	1992–2020	Carter	death
14	John H. Moore II	FL	1929–2013	1981–1995	1992–1995	1995–2013	Reagan	death
16	G. Kendall Sharp	FL	1934–2022	1983–2000	—	2000–2022	Reagan	death
18	Ralph Wilson Nimmons Jr.	FL	1938–2003	1991–2003	—	—	G.H.W. Bush	death

1. Reassigned from the Southern District of Florida.
2. From 1962-1966, Judge Young was jointly appointed to the Middle, Northern, and Southern Districts of Florida.

Chief judges

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.

A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.

When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.

Succession of seats

Seat 1 Reassigned from Southern District on July 30, 1962 by 76 Stat. 247 Simpson 1962–1966 Krentzman, Jr. 1967–1982 Sharp 1983–2000 Antoon II 2000–2013 Mendoza 2014–present

Seat 2 Reassigned from Southern District on July 30, 1962 by 76 Stat. 247 Lieb 1962–1971 Hodges 1971–1999 Whittemore 2000–2017 Barber 2019–present

Seat 3 Reassigned from Southern District on July 30, 1962 by 76 Stat. 247 McRae, Jr. 1962–1973 Reed, Jr. 1973–1984 Fawsett 1986–2008 Scriven 2008–present

Seat 4 Seat assigned on July 30, 1962 by 76 Stat. 247 (concurrent with Northern and Southern Districts) Seat reassigned solely to Middle District on September 17, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 Young 1962–1981 Kovachevich 1982–2018 Badalamenti 2020–present

Seat 5 Seat established on March 18, 1966 by 80 Stat. 75 Scott 1966–1976 Carr 1977–1990 Conway 1991–2015 Jung 2018–present

Seat 6 Seat established on June 2, 1970 by 84 Stat. 294 Tjoflat 1970–1975 Melton, Sr. 1977–1991 Schlesinger 1991–2006 Howard 2007–present

Seat 7 Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Black 1979–1992 Adams, Jr. 1993–2010 Dalton, Jr. 2011–2022 Sneed 2024–present

Seat 8 Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Castagna 1979–1992 Bucklew 1993–2008 Honeywell 2009–2023 vacant 2023–present

Seat 9 Seat established on October 20, 1978 by 92 Stat. 1629 Moore II 1981–1995 Lazzara 1997–2011 Davis 2013–2023 vacant 2023–present

Seat 10 Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 Nimmons, Jr. 1991–2003 Covington 2004–2020 Mizelle 2020–present

Seat 11 Seat established on December 1, 1990 by 104 Stat. 5089 Merryday 1992–present

Seat 12 Seat established on November 29, 1999 by 113 Stat. 1501 Steele 2000–2015 Berger 2019–present

Seat 13 Seat established on November 29, 1999 by 113 Stat. 1501 Moody, Jr. 2000–2014 Byron 2014–present

Seat 14 Seat established on November 29, 1999 by 113 Stat. 1501 Presnell 2000–2012 Chappell 2013–present

Seat 15 Seat established on November 29, 1999 by 113 Stat. 1501 Corrigan 2002–2024 vacant 2024–present

Courthouse history

Historic Federal Courthouse in Tampa

Completed in 1908 by architect John Knox Taylor, the historic Federal courthouse in Tampa stands as the only civic building constructed in the eclectic renaissance style. Initially serving as a U.S. Post Office, the courthouse moved two blocks down to its current location in 1998. Congress named the court in honor of long-time Tampa representative and University of Florida Law alumnus Sam Gibbons; the congressman is largely recognized as the founder of the University of South Florida.

U.S. Attorneys

• Edward F. Boardman 1961–69
• John L. Briggs 1969–78
• John J. Daley 1978–79
• Gary L. Betz 1979–82
• Robert W. Merkle, Jr. 1982–88
• Robert W. Genzman 1988–93
• Douglas N. Frazier 1993
• Larry H. Colleton 1994
• Donna A. Bucella 1994
• Charles R. Wilson 1994–99
• Donna A. Bucella 1999–2001
• Paul Ignatius Perez 2002?–2007
• James R. Klindt 2007
• Robert E. O'Neill 2007–2008
• A. Brian Albritton 2008–2010
• Robert E. O'Neill 2010–2013
• A. Lee Bentley III 2014–2017
• William S. Muldrow 2017
• Maria Chapa Lopez 2018–2021
• Karin Hoppmann 2021
• Roger B. Handberg 2021–2025

Federal Defenders

• Robert W. Knight (1977–1983) (office established)
• H. Jay Stevens (1983–1999)
• R. Fletcher Peacock (1999–2007)
• Donna Lee Elm (2007–2021)
• Alec F. Hall (2021–present)

See also

• Courts of Florida
• List of current United States district judges
• List of United States federal courthouses in Florida
• Playboy Enterprises, Inc. v. Frena (1993)
• United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

References

1. "History of the Federal Judiciary - Federal Judicial Center". Fjc.gov. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
2. "United States Attorney's Office Announces Departure Of Roger B. Handberg As U.S. Attorney" (Press release). U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida. February 18, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
3. 28 U.S.C. § 89
4. "Future Judicial Vacancies | United States Courts". www.uscourts.gov.
5. "National Registry". Npgallery.nps.gov. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
6. Wade-Bahr, Linda H. "Official Site of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida". Flmd.uscourts.gov. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
7. "Public Law 104-230" (PDF). Gpo.gov. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
8. "Donna Bucella | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
9. "The United States Department of Justice – United States Attorney's Office". April 8, 2008. Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
10. "Lawyer goes full circle: From defense to prosecution and back again". Florida Trend. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
11. "U.S. Attorneys Listing | USAO | Department of Justice". November 15, 2017. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2024.

External links

• Official website for the U.S. District Court for the MDFL
• Official website for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the MDFL

28°32′32″N 81°23′05″W / 28.5422°N 81.3847°W / 28.5422; -81.3847