Gov. Ron DeSantis appoints five judges

Continuing his makeover of Florida’s judiciary, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the appointments of five judges Wednesday, including Tesha Ballou to the 18th Judicial Circuit Court, serving Seminole and Brevard counties.

The appointments also included Stephanie Silver and Zachary James to the Miami-Dade County Court, Charles Young to the Escambia County Court, and Anthony Salem to the Duval County Court.

Ballou, 49, of Sanford, fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Tonya Rainwater.

Ballou has been a General Magistrate for Seminole County since 2015. She previously served as a prosecutor for the 5th Circuit State Attorney’s Office, serving Orange and Osceola counties. She received her bachelor’s degree from Stone Hill College and her law degree from New England School of Law.

Silver, 42, of Miami, fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Michelle Barakat to a bench in the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami. DeSantis made that appointment in March.

Silver has been Assistant State Attorney for the 11th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office since 2000. She is currently the chief of the County Court Division. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina and her law degree from Florida State University.

James, 39, of Miami, fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Tanya Brinkley to a bench in the 11th Judicial Circuit. DeSantis made that appointment in March.

James has been a partner at Meland, Russin and Budwick P.A. since 2011. He formerly served as a prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and his law degree from the University of Miami.

Young, 58, of Pensacola, fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Joyce Williams.

Young has been a lawyer at Clark Partington & Hart since 2018. He formerly served as a civics teacher before attending law school. He received his bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University and his law degree from Florida State University.

Salem, 34, of Jacksonville, fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Meredith Charbula to a bench in Florida’s 4th Judicial Circuit, covering Clay, Duval, and Nassau counties. DeSantis made that appointment in April.

Salem has been an Assistant General for the City of Jacksonville since 2017. He previously served as a prosecutor for the 4th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and his law degree from Stetson University College of Law.