The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (in case citations, M.D. Fla.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
The district was established on July 30, 1962, with parts of the Northern and Southern Districts transferring into the newly created Middle District.
, the United States attorney for the district is Gregory Kehoe.
Organization of the court The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida is one of three federal judicial districts in Florida. Court for the District is held at Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, and Tampa.
Fort Myers Division comprises the following counties: Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, and Lee.
Jacksonville Division comprises the following counties: Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Flagler, Hamilton, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, and Union.
Ocala Division comprises the following counties: Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, and Sumter.
Orlando Division comprises the following counties: Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia.
Tampa Division comprises the following counties: Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota.
Current judges :
Vacancies and pending nominations
Seat Prior judge's duty station Seat last held by Vacancy reason Date of vacancy Nominee Date of nomination 15 Jacksonville Timothy J. Corrigan Senior status November 2, 2024 Robert E. Long September 14, 2026
Former judges
Chief judges
Succession of seats
Courthouse history Completed in 1908 by architect John Knox Taylor, the historic Federal courthouse in Tampa stands as the only civic building constructed in the eclectic renaissance style. Initially serving as a U.S. Post Office, the courthouse moved two blocks down to its current location in 1998. Congress named the court in honor of long-time Tampa representative and University of Florida Law alumnus Sam Gibbons; the congressman is largely recognized as the founder of the University of South Florida.
U.S. attorneys
Edward F. Boardman 1961–69 John L. Briggs 1969–78 John J. Daley 1978–79 Gary L. Betz 1979–82 Robert W. Merkle Jr. 1982–88 Robert W. Genzman 1988–93 Douglas N. Frazier 1993 Larry H. Colleton 1994 Donna A. Bucella 1994 Charles R. Wilson 1994–99 Donna A. Bucella 1999–2001 Paul Ignatius Perez 2002?–2007 James R. Klindt 2007 Robert E. O'Neill 2007–2008 A. Brian Albritton 2008–2010 Robert E. O'Neill 2010–2013 A. Lee Bentley III 2014–2017 William S. Muldrow 2017 Maria Chapa Lopez 2018–2021 Karin Hoppmann 2021 Roger B. Handberg 2021–2025
Federal defenders Robert W. Knight (1977–1983) (office established) H. Jay Stevens (1983–1999) R. Fletcher Peacock (1999–2007) Donna Lee Elm (2007–2021) Alec F. Hall (2021–present)
See also Courts of Florida List of current United States district judges List of United States federal courthouses in Florida Playboy Enterprises, Inc. v. Frena (1993) United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
References
External links Official website for the U.S. District Court for the MDFL Official website for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the MDFL