Florida Statute 26.021 - Full Text and Legal Analysis

The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title V
JUDICIAL BRANCH

Chapter 26
CIRCUIT COURTS

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F.S. 26.021

26.021 Judicial circuits; judges.—The state is divided into 20 judicial circuits:

(1) The first circuit is composed of Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton Counties.

(2) The second circuit is composed of Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla Counties.

(3) The third circuit is composed of Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, and Taylor Counties.

(4) The fourth circuit is composed of Clay, Duval, and Nassau Counties.

(5) The fifth circuit is composed of Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, and Sumter Counties.

(6) The sixth circuit is composed of Pasco and Pinellas Counties.

(7) The seventh circuit is composed of Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, and Volusia Counties.

(8) The eighth circuit is composed of Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy, and Union Counties.

(9) The ninth circuit is composed of Orange and Osceola Counties.

(10) The tenth circuit is composed of Hardee, Highlands, and Polk Counties.

(11) The eleventh circuit is composed of Miami-Dade County.

(12) The twelfth circuit is composed of DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties.

(13) The thirteenth circuit is composed of Hillsborough County.

(14) The fourteenth circuit is composed of Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington Counties.

(15) The fifteenth circuit is composed of Palm Beach County.

(16) The sixteenth circuit is composed of Monroe County.

(17) The seventeenth circuit is composed of Broward County.

(18) The eighteenth circuit is composed of Brevard and Seminole Counties.

(19) The nineteenth circuit is composed of Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie Counties.

(20) The twentieth circuit is composed of Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties.

(21) Notwithstanding subsections (1)-(20), the territorial jurisdiction of a circuit court may be expanded as provided for in s. 910.03(3).

The judicial nominating commission of each circuit, in submitting nominations for any vacancy in a judgeship, and the Governor, in filling any vacancy for a judgeship, shall consider whether the existing judges within the circuit, together with potential nominees or appointees, reflect the geographic distribution of the population within the circuit, the geographic distribution of the caseload within the circuit, the racial and ethnic diversity of the population within the circuit, and the geographic distribution of the racial and ethnic minority population within the circuit.

History.—s. 4, ch. 72-404; s. 1, ch. 80-164; s. 1, ch. 81-220; s. 1, ch. 82-238; s. 1, ch. 94-137; s. 2, ch. 94-184; s. 8, ch. 2008-4; s. 7, ch. 2014-182.

Note.—Former ss. 26.02, 26.03, 26.04, 26.05, 26.06, 26.07, 26.08-26.16, and 26.161-26.165.

F.S. 26.021 on Google Scholar

F.S. 26.021 on CourtListener

Amendments to 26.021

Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 26.021

Total Results: 18

Nipper v. Smith

39 F.3d 1494, 1994 WL 642754

Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | Filed: Dec 2, 1994 | Docket: 64019036

Cited 25 times | Published

counties (many of which are rural). See Fla.Stat.Ann. § 26.021 (West 1988). Each circuit judge has jurisdiction

In Re Doe

932 So. 2d 278, 2005 WL 3007102

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Nov 10, 2005 | Docket: 1285759

Cited 17 times | Published

order with factual findings required under section 26-21-4, Alabama Code (1975), which, unlike the Florida

BD. OF T. OF INT. IMP. TRUST F. v. Mobil Oil

455 So. 2d 412

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Sep 4, 1984 | Docket: 1317107

Cited 11 times | Published

County are in separate judicial circuits. See § 26.021. *416 The local action rule in Florida is that

Bloom v. Weeks Marine, Inc.

225 F. Supp. 2d 1334, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20496, 2002 WL 31215138

District Court, M.D. Florida | Filed: Aug 19, 2002 | Docket: 2432729

Cited 7 times | Published

payment be decreed on motion." Norris, supra, at § 26:21 (footnotes omitted). However, if there is no dispute

Mallory v. Harkness

895 F. Supp. 1556, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11790, 1995 WL 469512

District Court, S.D. Florida | Filed: Jul 7, 1995 | Docket: 1135801

Cited 7 times | Published

the state legislature amended Florida Statute § 26.021 to provide that [t]he judicial nominating commission

Ward v. State

753 So. 2d 705, 2000 WL 282568

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Mar 17, 2000 | Docket: 1433787

Cited 6 times | Published

Jefferson, Wakulla, Liberty, and Franklin Counties. § 26.021(2), Fla. Stat. (1997).

To v. ALACHUA JUVENILE DETENTION CTR.

668 So. 2d 243

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Feb 15, 1996 | Docket: 1290282

Cited 5 times | Published

jurisdiction of the Seventh Judicial Circuit. Section 26.021(7), Florida Statute (1995). Review of an order

Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. v. Rigby

96 So. 3d 1146, 2012 Fla. App. LEXIS 15238, 2012 WL 3964978

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Sep 12, 2012 | Docket: 60311466

Cited 2 times | Published

(citing Martin J. Norris, The Law of Seaman, Vol. 2, § 26.21 (4th ed. 1985)); Carline v. Cap. Marine Supply

McGrail & Rowley v. Babbitt

986 F. Supp. 1386, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19688, 1997 WL 759844

District Court, S.D. Florida | Filed: Dec 9, 1997 | Docket: 2512599

Cited 2 times | Published

in violation of 16 U.S.C. § 668dd and 50 C.F.R. § 26.21 (General trespass provision) for entering a closed

Wright v. Douglas N. Higgins, Inc.

617 So. 2d 460, 1993 WL 141254

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: May 4, 1993 | Docket: 457735

Cited 2 times | Published

Arthur Larson, The Law of Workmen's Compensation § 26.21 (1992). An exception is recognized for tryout periods

Stanek-Cousins v. State

896 So. 2d 865, 2005 WL 433138

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Feb 25, 2005 | Docket: 1282935

Cited 1 times | Published

which is in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit. See § 26.021(15), Fla. Stat. (2003). Appeals from cases tried

State v. Alves

610 So. 2d 591, 1992 WL 362209

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Dec 11, 1992 | Docket: 1414006

Cited 1 times | Published

have jurisdiction. Fla. Const. art. V, § 4(b)(1); § 26.021, Fla. Stat. (1991); Fla.R.App.P. 9.030(b)(1)(a)

In Re: Judicial Circuit Assessment

Supreme Court of Florida | Filed: Dec 21, 2023 | Docket: 68107501

Published

Art. V, §§ 1, 5(a), Fla. Const. (1968). 12 See § 26.021, Fla. Stat. (2023); § 26.01, Fla. Stat. (1969)

Reproductive Health Services v. Daryl D. Bailey

Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | Filed: Jun 30, 2021 | Docket: 60037855

Published

amendments to Alabama’s Parental Consent Act, Ala. Code § 26-21-4, which regulates an unemancipated minor’s ability

Reproductive Health Services v. Daryl D. Bailey

Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | Filed: Jun 30, 2021 | Docket: 60027590

Published

to Alabama’s Parental Consent Act, Ala. Code § 26-21-4, which regulates an unemancipated minor’s ability

Jacobs v. State

687 So. 2d 24, 1996 Fla. App. LEXIS 13283, 1996 WL 729706

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Dec 20, 1996 | Docket: 64770614

Published

circuit court ... ") (footnotes omitted); see also § 26.021(9) Fla. Stat. (1995) (stating that Orange County

Brooks v. Lockett

658 So. 2d 1205, 1995 Fla. App. LEXIS 8541, 1995 WL 475566

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Aug 11, 1995 | Docket: 64758165

Published

staying a pending action in another jurisdiction. Section 26.021(5), Florida Statutes (1993) defines the territorial

Kohut v. Evans

623 So. 2d 569, 1993 Fla. App. LEXIS 8735, 1993 WL 321732

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Aug 20, 1993 | Docket: 64698446

Published

of the court as defined by the legislature. Section 26.021(13), Florida Statutes (1991), defines the territory