Ron DeSantis appoints four new judges in 11th Circuit

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced his appointment of four new judges in the 11th Judicial Circuit for Miami-Dade County.

“With today’s announcement, (half) of Governor DeSantis’ appointments to the bench since taking office have been women,” his office touted in a news release.

“All four have distinguished legal careers and I have no doubt they will continue to uphold the rule of law in their new positions,” the Republican Governor said in a statement. “I am proud that since taking office we have continued to appoint individuals diverse in gender, race, age and practice area.”

The new judges are:

— William Altfield.

Altfield, 59, of Miami, has been serving as a Miami-Dade County Court judge since 2011. He previously served as a special assistant in the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida and as an Assistant State Attorney in the 11th Circuit State Attorney’s Office.

He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and his law degree from the University of Florida College of Law. Altfield fills the vacancy created by the confirmation of Judge Rodney Smith to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

— Gina Beovides.

Beovides, 37, of Miami, has been serving as a Miami-Dade County judge since 2016. She previously served as a senior staff attorney for Dade Legal Aid.

She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and her law degree from the University of Miami School of Law. Beovides fills the vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Monica Gordo to the 3rd District Court of Appeal.

— Laura Shearon Cruz.

Cruz, 41, of Coral Gables, has been serving as a Miami-Dade County Court judge since 2018. She previously served as an assistant state attorney for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.

She received her bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and her law degree from Tulane University School of Law. Cruz fills the vacancy created by confirmation of Judge Rodolfo Ruiz to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

— Marlene Fernandez-Karavetsos.

Fernandez-Karavetsos, 44, of Miami, is the special counsel and assistant attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

She received her bachelor’s degree from Florida International University and her law degree from the University of Miami School of Law. Fernandez-Karavetsos fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Maria Sampedro-Iglesia.

“Thank you Governor DeSantis for these diverse appointments,” said Kyleen Hinkle, president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers. “It is encouraging that 50 percent of Governor DeSantis’ judicial appointments have been women. FAWL believes our legal system works better when Floridians of all backgrounds are represented on the bench.”