Gov. DeSantis fills several open seats for South Florida judgeships

---

A half dozen appointees were named by DeSantis to advance to the bench in South Florida.
Gov. Ron DeSantis added a hefty roster of new judges to close out July, and he loaded up on South Florida picks.

Christopher Green is being tapped to serve as a judge in the 11th Judicial Circuit in South Florida. Green has been a Miami-Dade County Court judge since DeSantis appointed him to that post in 2023.

Green is a former Assistant City Attorney for the City of Miami. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Maryville University and his law degree from Nova Southeastern University (NSU).

Alicia Priovolos, also of Miami, will join the 11th Judicial Circuit as a judge along with Green. She’s been a Miami-Dade County Judge since 2023 and is a former Assistant State Attorney in that Circuit. Priovolos earned her bachelor’s and law degrees from Florida International University (FIU).

Two more Miami residents are advancing to become judges for the Miami-Dade County Court. DeSantis named Gustavo Losa for the job.

He’s worked as a Senior Associate General Counsel for Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Co. since 2021. He’s also a former Chief Compliance Counsel for the Downs Law Group and got his bachelor’s degree from FIU and law degree from St. Thomas University.

Johanna Benedi is advancing to judge on the Miami-Dade County Court. Benedi was an Associate Trial Attorney for Farmers Insurance Exchange since 2023 and was a former Assistant State Attorney for the 11th Judicial Circuit. She earned her bachelor’s from FIU and law degree from Barry University.

Autumn Gurrola from West Palm Beach was selected to serve as a judge on the 15th Judicial Circuit Court. She’s served as an Assistant State Attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit since 2008 and got her bachelor’s from the University of North Caroline and her law degree from NSU.

And Jeffrey Martz of Lake Worth is joining Gurrola on the Circuit Court Bench for the 15th Circuit. He’s been a trial attorney for Smith Ball Baez & Prather since 2021 and earned his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and law degree from the University of Florida.

Other judicial appointments from outside of South Florida included: In Tallahassee, Andrew King has been chosen by DeSantis to be a judge for the Second Judicial Circuit Court. James Chandler of Naples was appointed judge in the 20th Judicial Circuit Court, and Kristan Burns of Punta Gorda was given the nod to be a judge on the Lee County Court.