Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to fill vacancies created by legislation that passed this year to expand circuit and county courts.
In Palm Beach County, he elevated Judge Danielle Sherriff of Boynton Beach to serve on the 15th Judicial Circuit bench. A Florida State University alum, she has been a Judge on the Palm Beach County Court since 2023 and previously worked as an Assistant State Attorney.
DeSantis also tapped Palm Beach State College Trustee Michael Barnett, whom he previously named to the Palm Beach County Commission, to don Palm Beach County Court robes. Barnett, a Greenacres resident, holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami.
In Sarasota County, the Governor promoted County Court Judge Kennedy Legler of Sarasota to serve on the 12th Judicial Circuit Court. Legler has served in his current role since 2023 and previously was an Assistant State Attorney. He earned his Juris Doctor from Stetson University.
Assistant State Attorney Megan Leaf of Sarasota also gained an appointment to the County Court bench. A Stetson U graduate too, she worked as a prosecutor since 2017 and previously was a supervising attorney for the Department of Children and Families.
Sherriff, Barnett and Legler are filling vacancies established under SB 2508, a measure the Governor signed this year increasing the number of circuit and county court Judges statewide.
Leaf succeeds Judge David Denkin, who retired in August after more than two decades on the bench, during which he played a pivotal role in establishing Sarasota’s DUI court.
