S. Court shows need for 43 additional judgeships.

The Florida Supreme Court has asked for 30 new circuit judgeships and 13 county judgeships in its annual certification of need to the legislature.

The court did not seek any new district court of appeal judges and -- following a request by the legislature -- applied, in part, a new Rand Corporation developed "Delphi-based" caseload weighing system to assess judicial workload to help determine the number of new judges needed.

The court asked the legislature to fund an assessment of the use of senior judges, general masters and hearing officers in Florida's courts, and their relationship to the case weights derived from the recent Delphi study.

The court also asked the legislature to join with the judiciary in undertaking a comprehensive study of the juvenile delinquency system, similar to a recent effort undertaken in the area of juvenile dependency.

Every circuit, except the Eighth, 12th and 16th, was recommended for at least one new circuit judgeship in the unanimous certification opinion written by Chief Justice Major B. Harding and released February 29.

The court recommended one circuit judge each for the First, Second, Third, Sixth, Seventh, 10th, 14th, 18th, and 19th circuits. Two circuit judges were recommended for the Fourth, Fifth, 13th, and 20th circuits and three new judges were proposed for the Ninth, 11th, and 15th circuits. The court also asked for four new judges in the 17th Circuit.

The court also certified the need for one additional county judge each in Okaloosa, Duval, Lake, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota counties and two new judges in Hillsborough, Broward and Brevard counties.

"Full funding of the requests certified in this opinion is absolutely essential if Florida's courts are to fulfill their constitutional mandate to resolve cases in a fair, impartial and timely manner," Chief Justice Harding said.

Chief Justice Harding said the 43 additional judgeships is a larger certification than in prior years for several reasons. First, the Delphi Report time study reveals that the thresholds used by the court, at which it was presumed there was a need for additional circuit and county judgeships, were too high.

"The implication is that the methodology we have used in the past to assess judgeship needs underestimated actual requirements," the Chief Justice said. "The mix of cases in various of Florida's circuit and county courts, when weighted to reflect differential requirements for judicial time, demands considerably...