Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced two local judicial appointments March 3 for the Eighth Judicial Circuit and Alachua County Court.
Gainesville’s Jonathan Ramsey will serve on the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court, filling a judicial vacancy created by SB 2508, according to a press release from the governor’s office. Signed by DeSantis in 2025, the law aims to increase the number of circuit judges in certain judicial circuits while also increasing the number of county court judges in certain counties.
The Eighth Judicial Circuit serves Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union counties.
Ramsey’s appointment comes two years after DeSantis appointed him as an Alachua County Court judge in 2024. He previously worked as an associate at Gainesville-based law firm Fine, Farkash & Parlapiano, and he earned both his bachelor’s degree and juris doctor from the University of Florida.
Serving on Alachua County Court, Newberry’s Joy Danne fills a judicial vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Kirstine Van Vorst.
DeSantis appointed Van Vorst to the Eighth Circuit Court in August 2025, a position she continues to hold.
Danne has served as an assistant public defender in the Eighth Judicial Circuit since 2013. She previously worked as a legal intern at Montgomery, Alabama-based Barfoot & Schoettker. Danne earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and her juris doctor from the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law at Faulkner University in Alabama.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: DeSantis announces two local judicial appointments
Reporting by Elliot Tritto, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
