11th Judicial Circuit of Florida

For Immediate Release

February 21, 2019

Contact:  Eunice Sigler, Director

Office of Government Liaison & Public Relations

Phone (305) 349-7189 Fax (305) 349-7190 Cell (786) 348-7381

THE HONORABLE BERTILA SOTO

RE-ELECTED TO FOURTH TERM AS CHIEF JUDGE

The Eleventh Judicial Circuit is pleased to announce that the Honorable Bertila Soto was re-elected – without opposition – to a fourth two-year term as Chief Judge. She is the first female and first Hispanic Chief Judge in the history of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit.

First elected to the bench in 1997 as a County Court Judge, Chief Judge Soto served in the Domestic Violence Division and Misdemeanor Jail Divisions before being appointed to the Circuit Court in 2002 by then-Governor Jeb Bush. As a Circuit Court Judge, she served in the Criminal Division, rising through the ranks to become Associate Administrative Judge and eventually Administrative Judge of that division, prior to being elected Chief Judge by her colleagues in 2013.

“I am humbled and honored by the trust my colleagues have placed in me,” Chief Judge Soto said. “Every day I feel blessed to be able to work in a field where we uphold the law and protect the rights of our citizens. I look forward to continuing to serve our community.”

The Chief Judge has administrative authority over the entire Circuit and is elected to this post every two years by her fellow judges.

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The mission of Florida’s judicial branch is to protect rights and liberties, uphold and interpret the law, and provide for the peaceful resolution of disputes.

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