ROONEY TO SEEK SEAT ON COUNTY COURT BENCH
WEST PALM BEACH — Six months after announcing he wouldn’t seek a sixth term in Congress, U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney has applied for an opening on the Palm Beach County bench.
Rooney is among 32 attorneys who have applied to replace County Judge Dana Santino, who was booted from office by the Florida Supreme Court last month over inappropriate comments she made about her opponent in the 2016 election.
Rooney, a Republican from Okeechobee, along with the other applicants, will be interviewed by a local judicial nominating commission on Aug. 27. After interviewing each candidate for 10 minutes, the commission will pick their top choices. The short list will be sent to Gov. Rick Scott, who will select the new county judge to oversee misdemeanor cases and minor civil lawsuits, such as evictions, where less than $15,000 is at stake.
Rooney, 47, who is to remain in Congress until January, declined comment about his new choice for
a career. He moved to Palm Beach Gardens in his teens. A University of Miami Law School graduate, he served as a U.S. Army judge advo- cate and taught criminal and constitutional law at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point before being elected to Congress in 2008.
When he announced in February that he would end his congressional career at the end of his current term, he said he wanted to spend more time with his wife and three teenage sons. He mentioned the possibility of seek- ing a judgeship in Florida’s 19th Judicial Circuit, which for Santino’s position are: is composed of Martin, St. Parnel Auguste, Thomas Lucie, Okeechobee a nd Baker, William Beard, ElizIndian River counties. abeth Berkowitz, Lawrence
If he is selected by Scott Buck, Marsha Bunn, Melafor Santino’s seat, he would nie Casper, William Chaphave to move to Palm Beach man, Adrienne Ellis, Paige County. Unless Scott agrees Gillman, Mark Hamel, Ron to hold the post open for Herman, George Lagos, Ilana him, he would also have to Marcus, Maureen Martinez, resign from his congressio- Melissa McCartney, Brian nal seat, representing resi- McMahon, Jean Marie Middents in a vast rural swath dleton, Steven Miller, Annefrom Okeechobee to Venlies Mouring, John Parnofiice on the state’s Gulf Coast. ello, Angela Prudenti, Sarah
The congressman is a mem- Shullman, Ori Feistmann ber of the wealthy, well-con- Silver, Joseph “J.D.” Small, nected Rooney family, which Rosalyn Baker Sutton, Richowns the Pittsburgh Steelers ard Valuntas, Karen Velez, and the Palm Beach Kennel Melanie Weseman, Maxine Club, a greyhound racing Williams and Kevin Walsh. track in West Palm Beach.
Others who have applied