Florida
Three Attorneys Contest Vacant Florida County Court Seat in August Primary
Melina Buncome, Marquita Green, and Octavius Holliday Jr. are on the ballot to replace retiring Judge Mose Floyd The post Three lawyers competing for vacant Duval County judge seat appeared first on The Florida Trib.
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Key points
- Three candidates are seeking the Duval County Court Group 13 bench in Florida’s August 18 primary election.
- The candidates include a former court magistrate, a veteran public defender managing specialty courts, and a state prosecutor with prior defense experience.
- If any candidate wins over 50 percent of the primary vote, they will secure the six-year judicial term outright.
NewsWK — As voters prepare for Florida’s August 18 primary election, three local attorneys are competing for an open judicial bench in Northeast Florida. According to a report first published by The Florida Trib, candidate lawyers Melina Buncome, Marquita Green, and Octavius Holliday Jr. are vying for the Duval County Court Group 13 seat, which is being vacated by retiring Judge Mose Floyd.
County courts handle misdemeanor criminal offenses, civil contract actions, citizen disputes, traffic offenses, and family or probate matters. Candidates in the nonpartisan race are pitching their distinct backgrounds in court administration, prosecution, and defense to primary voters.
Backgrounds and Judicial Philosophy
Green currently serves as the interim director of pro bono programs for Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and previously served nearly five years as a general magistrate, where she conducted court hearings and drafted judicial recommendations for county judges.
Buncome, a public defender since 1997, serves as director of the Fourth Judicial Circuit’s Problem Solving Courts, managing specialty dockets for veterans, mental health, and drug treatment. Buncome stressed the importance of balanced sentencing that protects public safety while being mindful of taxpayer costs. “I believe that in trying to address the issues and the problems that each person comes before us with, that we can reduce recidivism as well as save our community money,” Buncome told The Florida Trib.
Holliday serves as director of the human rights division for the State Attorney’s Office under State Attorney Melissa Nelson. His prosecutorial focus centers on elder abuse and financial exploitation, along with serving on officer-involved shooting review panels and grand juries. Having also worked as a defense attorney and in private civil practice, Holliday argued that broad exposure across legal disciplines is vital on the bench. “There’s no shortcut to experience,” Holliday told the outlet, noting that seeing both prosecution and defense perspectives “makes you a better judge.”
Primary Rules and Judicial Slate
Under Florida law, if any candidate secures more than 50 percent of the vote in the August 18 primary, that candidate wins the seat outright and earns a six-year term without advancing to the November general election.
The Group 13 contest is the most competitive judicial race in the circuit this cycle. Group 1 is also open due to the retirement of Judge Scott Mitchell, while sitting judges in Groups 6, 14, and 16 are running for reelection unopposed.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
Based on reporting by Molly Farrar originally published by The Florida Trib. Read the original story.
