TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed nine judges across six Florida courts, filling vacancies that stretch from Pinellas County to Miami-Dade and drawing heavily from the prosecutorial pipeline that has defined his approach to the bench.
Five of the nine appointees served as assistant state attorneys before entering private practice or joining the judiciary, and three — Knute Nathe of Dade City, Kevin Kohl of Lake Wales and Elisabeth Espinosa Marin of Miami — are DeSantis-appointed county court judges now elevated to circuit court. A fourth, Jorge Perez Santiago of Pinecrest, is a Miami-Dade County Court judge the governor first placed on the bench in 2023 and is now moving up to the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court.
Four of the nine vacancies were created by the enactment of Senate Bill 2508, which expanded the judiciary. Those seats go to Espinosa Marin, Perez Santiago, Andrew McGinley of Miami and Michelle Roth of Miami. The remaining five vacancies stem from the resignation of Judge Helinger, the elevation of Judge Hubbard, and the retirements of Judge Masters and Judge Griffin.
Olivier Lindemann of Palm Harbor, tapped for Pinellas County Court, has served as associate counsel for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office since 2022 and previously prosecuted cases as an assistant state attorney for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and his juris doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
McGinley, named to Miami-Dade County Court, has served as general counsel for the Florida Department of Children and Families since 2021. Before coming to Florida he worked as an assistant attorney general for the Illinois Office of the Attorney General. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Western Ontario and his juris doctor from the University of Idaho.
Taylor Bowman of Winter Haven, appointed to the Tenth Judicial Circuit Court, has worked as a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson since 2018 after serving as an assistant state attorney for the Tenth Judicial Circuit. Jordan Wells of Bartow, named to Polk County Court, has served as a career attorney for Judge Robert Morris of the Second District Court of Appeal since 2009 — the longest current tenure among the nine appointees. Roth has worked as a partner at Roth Law Partners since 2021 and previously served as an assistant state attorney for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit.
Nathe, a former Dade City commissioner first appointed to the Pasco County bench in 2023, fills the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court vacancy left by Judge Helinger’s resignation. Kohl, a DeSantis appointee to the Polk County bench since 2021, moves to the Tenth Judicial Circuit Court under a seat created by Senate Bill 2508. Espinosa Marin, on the Miami-Dade County bench since her 2019 appointment, previously prosecuted cases in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. All nine appointees hold juris doctor degrees from institutions including the University of Florida, Florida State University, Stetson University and the University of Miami.
The appointments are subject to Florida Senate confirmation during the next legislative session.