Six sitting judges — including the chief justice — want to keep their jobs, and four candidates want two others. If judicial races leave you scratching your head, here’s who’s running, who’s up for retention and where to learn more.
It’s one of the questions voters ask most often before an election: Who are all these judges on my ballot, and how am I supposed to know whether to vote for them?
Unlike candidates for governor, Congress or the Legislature, judicial candidates generally don’t spend months dominating the headlines. And Florida’s judicial elections are nonpartisan, meaning voters won’t find party affiliations alongside their names.
This year, Coconut Grove voters will encounter two kinds of judicial decisions.
Six sitting appellate judges — including the chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court — are seeking another term through what’s called a merit-retention election.
In two other contests, voters will choose between candidates seeking seats on Miami-Dade County’s circuit court.
Here’s a guide to the names on the ballot, with links to official judicial biographies and campaign websites.
The Coconut Grove Spotlight does not endorse candidates.
Florida Supreme Court
Chief Justice Carlos G. Muñiz
Appointed: 2019, by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Muñiz previously served as general counsel for the U.S. Department of Education and held senior legal positions in Florida state government, including deputy attorney general.
He graduated from Yale Law School and has worked in private practice and government.
Official judicial biography — Florida Supreme Court
Voters will decide whether Muñiz should remain on Florida’s highest court for another six-year term.
Third District Court of Appeal
Five judges on the Third District Court of Appeal face separate retention votes.
The court reviews decisions from trial courts in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
Judge Kansas R. Gooden
Appointed: 2024, by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Before joining the court, Gooden was a private-practice appellate attorney who handled hundreds of appeals and served as a leader in Florida’s appellate legal community.
Official judicial biography — Third District Court of Appeal
Judge Monica Gordo
Appointed: 2019, by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Gordo previously served as an Eleventh Judicial Circuit judge and spent more than a decade as a prosecutor in the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
Official judicial biography — Third District Court of Appeal
Judge Fleur Jeannine Lobree
Appointed: 2019, by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Lobree previously served on Miami-Dade’s county and circuit courts and worked as an assistant state attorney, assistant attorney general and judicial law clerk.
Official judicial biography — Third District Court of Appeal
Judge Thomas Logue
Appointed: 2012, by Gov. Rick Scott.
Before joining the appellate court, Logue spent 30 years as an assistant county attorney for Miami-Dade County. He served as chief judge of the Third District Court of Appeal from 2023 to 2025.
Official judicial biography — Third District Court of Appeal
Judge Bronwyn Catherine Miller
Appointed: 2018, by Gov. Rick Scott.
Miller previously served as a Miami-Dade County Court judge, appointed in 2005 by Gov. Jeb Bush, and as a circuit court judge, appointed in 2010 by Gov. Charlie Crist. Before becoming a judge, she worked as a prosecutor.
Official judicial biography — Third District Court of Appeal
What does a retention vote mean?
For each of these six judges, voters are asked a yes-or-no question: Should the judge remain in office?
A yes vote retains the judge for another six-year term.
If a majority votes against retention, the judge leaves office when the current term expires. The governor then fills the vacancy through Florida’s judicial appointment process.
There is no opposing candidate in a retention election.
Circuit Court — 11th Judicial Circuit
Two contested judicial elections also appear on the ballot.
Unlike the appellate retention votes, these races require voters to choose between candidates.
Circuit judges preside over major civil cases, felony criminal cases, family law proceedings and other matters within Florida’s trial court system.
Group 5 — Choose one
Arthur LeMar “Marty” McNeil
McNeil campaign website
Monica Segura
Segura campaign website
Group 69 — Choose one
Rita Maria Baez
Baez campaign website
Bonita Jones-Peabody
Jones-Peabody campaign website
Campaign websites offer information about the candidates’ legal experience, backgrounds and reasons for seeking office. They are also campaign materials, so readers may want to consult independent sources before deciding.
For additional information about judges facing retention votes, readers can consult The Florida Bar’s merit-retention voter guide.
Before You Vote
Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.
Polls: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Early voting: Oct. 19 through Nov. 1, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
Vote-by-mail ballot request deadline: Thursday, Oct. 22, at 5 p.m. — today.
Completed vote-by-mail ballots: Must be received by the Miami-Dade County Elections Department by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Check your ballot and polling location through the Miami-Dade County Elections Department.
Election 2026: A Coconut Grove Voter’s Guide
Previously: Part 1 covered amendments and referendums on Miami’s November ballot.
Coming Monday: Part 3 covers candidates for county, state and federal office.
