A former Crescent City commissioner’s attempt to reclaim his seat by suing Gov. Ron DeSantis must take place in the state leader’s backyard, a judge ruled Friday.
A petition effort that aims to spur a special election for the Crescent City Commission seat Cynthia Burton currently holds is now in the hands of a circuit court judge.
Becoming a judge was not something Kenneth Janesk II thought about when he started his legal career. Janesk, a St. Augustine resident, said in a recent phone interview that his interest in becoming a judge developed after he d practiced law as a prosecutor for a decade or so. “After 10 years of looking at judges almost everyday of your life, Janesk said, it becomes something that you start to think: “This is something that I’d love to do, I’d like to have their job. I’d love to serve the community the way they do.” Now Janesk will get that opportunity. Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed Janesk to serve as a circuit judge in the 7th Judicial Circuit, which covers Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Jacksonville Beach and St. Augustine attorneys Friday to judicial vacancies in the adjacent Fourth and Seventh judicial circuits. DeSantis named Jeb Branham of Jacksonville Beach to serve as a circuit judge in the Fourth Judicial Circuit, which encompasses Duval, Clay and Nassau counties. He fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge David Gooding who was based in Duval County.. Branham has been the owner and president of Jeb T. Branham, P.A. in Jacksonville Beach since 2002. He previously served as an associate with McGuireWoods.He received his bachelor’s degree from Emory University and his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law.