How are Florida's courts organised, in short?

Florida's 67 counties are grouped into 20 judicial circuits with 630 circuit judges in total; appeals go to 6 district courts of appeal and then the Florida Supreme Court.

Circuit court hears felonies, family cases, probate and civil claims above $50,000 (s. 34.01).
County court, in every county, hears misdemeanors, traffic cases and civil claims up to $50,000.
The Eleventh Circuit (Miami-Dade) has the most judges (83); the Sixteenth (Monroe) has the fewest (4).
The Third Circuit covers the most counties (7).

Which counties are in each Florida judicial circuit?

The table lists every circuit with its counties, its number of circuit judges and the district court of appeal that hears its appeals.

Circuit	Counties	Main cities	Circuit judges	Appeals go to
First	Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton	Pensacola, Fort Walton Beach	26	1st DCA
Second	Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Wakulla	Tallahassee	17	1st DCA
Third	Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor	Lake City	7	1st DCA
Fourth	Clay, Duval, Nassau	Jacksonville	37	5th DCA
Fifth	Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, Sumter	Ocala, The Villages	34	5th DCA
Sixth	Pasco, Pinellas	St. Petersburg, Clearwater	45	2nd DCA
Seventh	Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, Volusia	Daytona Beach, St. Augustine	29	5th DCA
Eighth	Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy, Union	Gainesville	14	1st DCA
Ninth	Orange, Osceola	Orlando, Kissimmee, Winter Park	48	6th DCA
Tenth	Hardee, Highlands, Polk	Lakeland	30	6th DCA
Eleventh	Miami-Dade	Miami, Hialeah, Coral Gables	83	3rd DCA
Twelfth	DeSoto, Manatee, Sarasota	Sarasota, Bradenton	24	2nd DCA
Thirteenth	Hillsborough	Tampa	45	2nd DCA
Fourteenth	Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Washington	Panama City	14	1st DCA
Fifteenth	Palm Beach	West Palm Beach, Boca Raton	37	4th DCA
Sixteenth	Monroe	Key West	4	3rd DCA
Seventeenth	Broward	Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood	58	4th DCA
Eighteenth	Brevard, Seminole	Melbourne, Sanford	26	5th DCA
Nineteenth	Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, St. Lucie	Port St. Lucie, Stuart	20	4th DCA
Twentieth	Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee	Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral	32	6th DCA

Which district court of appeal covers my county?

Find your circuit above; the six district courts of appeal each cover between two and five circuits.

District court of appeal	Circuits	Headquarters	Judges
First District	First, Second, Third, Eighth, Fourteenth	Tallahassee	13
Second District	Sixth, Twelfth, Thirteenth	Pinellas County	15, falling to 13 as seats become vacant
Third District	Eleventh, Sixteenth	Miami-Dade County	10
Fourth District	Fifteenth, Seventeenth, Nineteenth	Palm Beach County	12
Fifth District	Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, Eighteenth	Daytona Beach	12
Sixth District	Ninth, Tenth, Twentieth	Lakeland	11

What changed recently?

A Sixth District Court of Appeal, seated in Lakeland, began work on January 1, 2023, and the Fourth Circuit (Jacksonville) moved to the Fifth District.

Chapter 2022-163, Laws of Florida, created the Sixth District for the Ninth, Tenth and Twentieth Circuits and redrew the others. Older guides that send Orlando, Lakeland or Fort Myers appeals to the Fifth or Second District, or Jacksonville appeals to the First, are out of date. The Second District is also shrinking: from July 1, 2025 each vacancy removes a seat until 13 remain (s. 35.06(7)).

Why does the circuit matter when you choose a lawyer?

Each circuit has its own local rules, judges and procedures, so a lawyer who practices regularly in your circuit knows how its courts work.

Your case is normally filed in the county where the defendant lives or where the events happened.
Any Florida Bar member may practice in every circuit; local experience is an advantage, not a requirement.
Our rankings name the circuit for each city.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to common questions about Florida's courts.

Which circuit is Miami in?

The Eleventh Judicial Circuit, which covers only Miami-Dade County and has 83 circuit judges, the most in Florida.

Which circuit is Orlando in?

The Ninth Judicial Circuit (Orange and Osceola Counties); its appeals go to the Sixth District Court of Appeal.

Which circuit is Tampa in?

The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit (Hillsborough County); its appeals go to the Second District Court of Appeal.

Which circuit is Jacksonville in?

The Fourth Judicial Circuit (Clay, Duval and Nassau Counties); since 2023 its appeals go to the Fifth District.

Where do appeals from a district court of appeal go?

To the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee, which takes only the cases the Florida Constitution allows, so most appeals end at the district court.

Sources

The Florida Statutes (2025 edition), read on October 9, 2026.

Last updated: October 9, 2026