Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
First Caribbean American in Florida Supreme Court
Justice Francis calls herself the ‘epitome of the American Dream’
A Palm Beach County judge will become the first Caribbean American to sit on the Florida Supreme Court, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday in Miami.
DeSantis appointed Jamaican-born Renatha Francis and John Couriel, a Miami lawyer, to the state’s seven-justice high court.
“Caribbean Americans should know in Florida the sky is the limit,” DeSantis said, noting that Francis could be the first Caribbean American to sit on any state Supreme Court.
The openings occurred when two justices previously appointed by DeSantis — Robert Luck and Barbara Lagoa — were confirmed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by the U.S. Senate.
Francis, 42, received her bachelor’s degree from the University of the West Indies in 2000 and immigrated to Florida as an adult. In Jamaica, Francis operated a bar and trucking company while attending college in Kingston and caring for a much younger sibling.
Francis said she grew up the daughter of a single mother who never finished high school.
“From very humble beginnings to standing before you all today, I am truly the epitome of the American dream,” she said.
She earned her law degree from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2010 and worked about seven years as a law clerk and attorney with the First District Court of Appeal. She joined Shutts & Bowen in 2017, where she represented insurance providers in personal injury protection litigation and specialized in the interpretation of automobile policies.
Former Gov. Rick Scott appointed Francis to serve as a county judge in Miami-Dade County in September 2017 and then she was promoted to circuit judge.
In October 2019, DeSantis named her to replace Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Meenu Sasser, who died in July. Francis said she applied for the judgeship because her husband had gotten a job in Palm Beach County.
DeSantis has been under pressure to appoint a black justice.
The retirement of Justice Peggy Quince in January 2018 marked the first time in decades that the Florida Supreme Court didn’t have a black justice.
Francis was appointed to the Supreme Court despite not meeting a requirement that justices serve at least 10 years as a lawyer. She said she will join the court on Sept. 24, when she will reach that milestone.
“Her understanding of the Constitution reminds me of another famous Caribbean American — Alexander Hamilton,” DeSantis said.
The son of Cuban immigrants, Couriel, 42, graduated from Harvard Law School in 2003. After law school, Couriel worked as an assistant U.S. attorney. Couriel then joined the Kobre & Kim law firm, where he handles cross-border disputes with a focus on Latin America.
DeSantis noted Couriel is giving up a hefty income to serve on the Supreme Court, a post that pays $220,600 a year. On his financial disclosure statement, Couriel listed his income at $1.6 million. Francis listed her income at $150,045. Couriel said his father came to the United States as an unaccompanied child.
“I am grateful to my parents who made the most of the opportunities available only here, only to Americans,” he said.
The coronavirus pandemic delayed DeSantis’ announcement.
DeSantis was past the self-imposed deadline of May 1 to fill two Florida Supreme Court vacancies — a deadline he extended beyond the March 23 deadline set in state law.