Orange County judicial races coming into focus

Eight candidates have qualified for the ballot and two others have withdrawn their candidacies for seven seats on the Orange County Courts bench.

Another seven candidates have filed and there are prospects for contested elections for at least five of the seven judgeships. Candidates have until noon Friday to qualify.

In the county’s Group 1, Eric DuBois from Orlando has qualified. He has been running for a full year and qualified on Monday, the first possible day. Roger Scott of Orlando, who did not file his intention to run until March, had not yet qualified by end of business Wednesday,

In Group 4, Kafi D. Kennedy Swanson and Thomas Wade Young, both of Orlando, filed and qualified on Wednesday. W. Michael Miller of Orlando, who filed in March, withdrew his candidacy on Wednesday. Evellen H. Jewett of Orlando filed on Wednesday but has not yet qualified.

In Group 5, Frank George of Orlando qualified for the ballot, while Mark Anthony Arias of Orlando, Harold M. Bacchus of Winter Park and John Zachary Pare have filed but not yet qualified. All four first filed to run in March.

In Group 8, incumbent Judge Elizabeth Starr of Orlando, who filed August, qualified on Monday, while David P. Johnson of Maitland, who filed in April, has not yet done so.

In Group 9, incumbent Judge Wayne J. Shoemaker of Orlando is the only candidate who has filed so far, and he qualified on Monday.

In Group 12, Gisela T. Laurent of Orlando filed in January and qualified on Monday, making her the only candidate so far. Swanson initially had filed in this group in January but withdrew on Wednesday and refiled for Group 4.

In Group 14, incumbent Judge Tanya Davis Wilson of Orlando filed to run in October and qualified on Monday. She is the only candidate in the group.