State considers combining court circuits: What would that mean for South Florida?

A statewide committee is looking at doing something that hasn’t been done in Florida in more than 50 years — redrawing the boundaries of the state’s 20 circuit court districts, a project some call long overdue and others call unnecessary, or even an attempted power grab.

Florida’s 67 counties are covered by 20 judicial circuits, some covering five, six or up to seven counties. South Florida is unique in that each of its four counties are covered by one district — the 11th in Miami-Dade, the 15th in Palm Beach, the 16th in Monroe, and the 17th in Broward.

Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, is the only other county with its own judicial circuit. All other circuits cover at least two counties, and the Third Circuit in North Florida covers seven.

“We haven’t really looked at the circuit structure in the state since the late 1960s,” said Broward Chief Administrative Judge Jack Tuter.