Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed two Treasure Coast attorneys to serve as judges for the 19th Judicial Circuit, which covers Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Okeechobee counties.
Steven Robert Wilson, 41, of Vero Beach, and Katherine Donaldson Mish, 36, of Fort Pierce, were appointed, according to a news release from the office of the governor Dec. 22.
“It’s an honor to be selected by the governor and to serve the people of the 19th Circuit,” Wilson said Dec. 23. “I want to do the best job that I can and represent the people in applying the law fairly and ethically to the cases that come before me.”
Mish said this is something she has always wanted to do, and she is grateful for the support of the local community and for the opportunity to have her name be sent to the governor’s office.
“I was very excited to receive the call,” Mish said Dec. 24. “It’s nice when you have the support of the community. This is where I grew up. I’m very excited to get started and thankful that the governor appointed me.”
Two seats have been open in the 19th Circuit. One is created by the Dec. 31 retirement of Circuit Judge Lawrence Mirman. The second seat is a new judgeship created by the Florida Legislature in the spring, according to Adam Schwartz, president of the 19th Judicial Circuit Nominating Committee.
DeSantis signed SB 2508 this year that increases the number of circuit and county court Judges statewide because of Florida’s population growth and increasing caseloads. The number of circuit judges in the 19th Circuit increases from 19 to 20, including the chief judge; there also are 10 county judges and several magistrates.
Wilson received his juris doctorate degree in 2010 from the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in Montgomery, Alabama and was admitted to the Florida Bar that same year. He has been an associate attorney with Rossway, Swan, Tierney, Barry, and Oliver in Vero Beach since 2021, practicing primarily in the areas of guardianship, mental health and elder law. He was an assistant state attorney for the 19th Circuit before that, and served as the county court supervisor for Indian River County, according to his application.
Mish received her juris doctorate degree in 2014 from Florida Coastal School of Law, a private school in Jacksonville that closed in 2021, and was admitted to the Florida Bar later that year. She has worked as an attorney for Treasure Coast Legal in Stuart since 2015, practicing primarily in the areas of family law and bankruptcy. Before that she was an associate attorney with Cleaveland & Cleaveland, P.L., in Jacksonville, according to her application.
Wilson said applications were submitted in October to the 19th Judicial Circuit Nominating Committee. He got a call from the governor’s office the morning of Dec. 19, telling him that he would be appointed, which he said was very exciting and humbling.
The official start dates have not been set, as the court is still working through details of the transition, but Wilson said it will probably be sometime during January 2026.
Olivia Franklin is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Olivia on X @Livvvvv_5 or reach her by phone at 317-627-8048. E-mail her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: DeSantis appoints 2 Treasure Coast attorneys as judges for 19th Circuit
Reporting by Olivia Franklin, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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