Former State Attorney Jeff Ashton wins a close race for circuit judge.

1 of 3 new judges on circuit bench in Orange, Osceola

Former Orange-Osceola State Attorney Jeff Ashton was elected circuit judge Tuesday in a close race against Howard Friedman, a former general magistrate.

With all precincts reporting Tuesday night Ashton had 56 percent of the vote to Friedman’s 44 in group 15.

“It’ll be nice to be back in public service again,” Ashton said.

Ashton said he was “very relieved.” Friedman, who left his position as a general magistrate to run, had sent a mailer to voters telling the story of his wife, Annette Schultz, a long-time prosecutor who was fired from Ashton’s office in 2014 and later received an $85,000 settlement after suing for discrimination.

“It was an unpleasant in ways that judicial races haven’t been and shouldn’t be, but we got through it,” Ashton said.

Ashton will be one of three new judges on the circuit bench in Orange and Osceola counties come January.

In group 26, Tom Young, who specializes in appellate law and started the appellate division for Florida’s Guardian ad Litem program, defeated Joseph Haynes Davis, a former radio broadcaster who is now an Orlando attorney and special magistrate. Young received about 58 percent of the votes, and Haynes Davis 42 percent with all precincts reporting.

One race will go to a runoff in November because no candidate won the majority of votes cast: Laura Shaffer, an Orlando attorney who specialized in juvenile law and is a former supervising attorney for the Florida Department of Children and Families, got 42 percent of the vote in group 41. Dean Mosley, a private defense attorney in Orlando, got 31 percent of the vote, and will also appear on the ballot in November. Lorraine De Young, a long-time assistant state attorney in Orange and Osceola counties, got 27 percent and will not be part of the runoff.

Orange County Judge Adam McGinnis, who was first elected in 2012, was re-elected Tuesday with 64 percent of vote. His challenger, Dori Miller Rivas of The Rivas Law Firm, got 36 percent of votes.

An empty seat on the Osceola County bench drew three candidates: Christine Arendas, who specializes in adoption law; Ernest “Ernie” Mullins, a criminal defense attorney whose expertise is in drivers license cases; and Daniel Villazon, a former assistant public defender who now represents real estate professionals. Arendas won with 53 percent, with Mullins at 27 percent and Villazon at 20.

Both incumbent judges facing opposition in Seminole County kept their seats.

Circuit Judge Melissa Dyan Souto, who since being appointed to the bench in 2015 has taken juvenile and criminal cases, got 54 percent of the vote with Adam Pollack, a private defense attorney and former assistant public defender who self-financed his campaign, getting 46 percent.

Seminole County Judge Debra Krause had two challengers: Assistant Public Defender Wayne Culver and Cameron Shackelford, who specializes in aviation law. She got 43 percent of the vote, meaning she will appear on the November ballot with Culver, who got 36 percent Tuesday. Schackleford got 21 percent of the vote and will not be part of the runoff.