Five attorneys vying for county judge seat
Runoff would be in November if no one tops 50% Aug. 28.
Five attorneys are vying for the Palm Beach County judge seat opened by the retirement of Judge Peter Evans.
In the Group 4 race, the candidates are: Allen “Antonio” Ambrosino, 48, a West Palm Beach criminal defense attorney; Lloyd Comiter, 53, a civil and commercial litigator based in Boca Raton; Broward County Assistant Public Defender Gabe Ermine, 42, of Delray Beach; Allegra Fung, 43, a civil attorney in West Palm Beach who specializes in foreclosure defense; and Palm Beach County Assistant Public Defender Ashley Zuckerman, 34.
The victor in the nonpartisan race wins a six-year term in county court, which handles misdemeanors, evictions and small-claims disputes. In many cases, county court litigants aren’t represented by attorneys and are novices to the legal system.
Ambrosino is a former elementary school teacher who attended law school at Tulane University. He worked for the Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office from 2006 to 2016. Ambrosino said his heavy caseload as a public defender — he juggled as many as 120 defendants at a time —
taught him communication skills that would serve him well as a judge.
“I’m able to educate them. I’m able to make sure they have a level playing field, no matter who they are or where they came from,” Ambrosino said.
Comiter is a graduate of St. Thomas University’s law school and a veteran civil attorney who often represents clients in evictions and small-claims suits. He said he goes out of his way to explain legal nuances to opposing litigants who are unrepresented.
“Quite often, the other side doesn’t have an attorney,” Comiter said. “After the judge makes their ruling, I will say to my client, ‘I want to speak to them, with your permission, and explain to them in layman’s terms what just happened. Even though I don’t represent them, I just want to make sure they understand the process.’ ”
Comiter said he’d carry that approach to the bench.
Ermine studied law at Nova Southeastern University and has handled more than 100 jury trials as an assistant public defender in Broward County. Before that, he worked briefly as a prosecutor in the MiamiDade County State Attorney’s Office.
Ermine said he has wanted to be a judge ever since he worked as a summer intern for a Miami-Dade County judge.
“I really saw firsthand the difference that a judge can make in the lives of people that come before him or her,” Ermine said. “A judge can change somebody’s life with one word — guilty.”
Fung studied law at St. Thomas University. She spent nine years as a criminal defense attorney and nine years as a civil attorney.
Fung said her pet peeve is judges who don’t read attorneys’ motions before court appearances — leaving Fung to wonder why she devoted hours to composing 20-page memos.
“That was a style I did not appreciate, nor would I ever put any attorney in that position,” Fung said.
Fung said she would make a point of doing her homework before litigants appear before her.
Zuckerman is a graduate of Nova Southeastern’s law school. She joined the Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office in 2010, and she said her frequent appearances in county courtrooms would serve her well on the bench.
“A lot of times in county court, you have people representing themselves. They tend to get steamrolled at times,” Zuckerman said. “It’s important to have someone who’s able to explain the process, be fair to them, be calm, be patient.”
As of late July, Ermine led the race in outside fundraising, while Fung had contributed the most to her own campaign. Emrine had raised $44,781 and loaned his campaign $10,000. Comiter raised $35,905 and loaned himself $5,000. Zuckerman raised $21,010 and loaned her campaign $20,000. Fung brought in $12,720 in contributions and loaned herself $100,000. Ambrosino raised $3,199 and loaned himself $19,500.
In Florida, county judges make an annual salary of $151,821.96.
If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote Aug. 28, the top two vote-getters will go to a runoff in November.