Florida's judicial races are set.

Voters in August will decide 35 contested circuit court races around Florida and another dozen county court races.

In November they will decide any runoffs from those contested trial court judgeships, plus consider the merit retention of one Supreme Court justice and 23 district courts of appeal judges.

Another 246 circuit court judges and 49 county court judges were elected without opposition when filing for the court system closed at noon on May 2.

As is typical for the trial courts, most--but not all--incumbents were reelected without opposition, and contested races tended to concentrate on open seats where the incumbents were not seeking reelection. Some open seats drew three, four, and even five candidates.

Any races not settled on the August 28 primary ballot will go to the November 4 general election ballot, where DCA judges and Supreme Court Justice Charles T. Wells also will appear on the merit retention ballot.

Wells is the only justice on the ballot this year.

DCA judges up for merit retention are:

* First DCA: Robert T. Benton, Marguerite H. Davis, Joseph Lewis, Jr., Ricky L. Polston, Clay Roberts, and William A. Van Nortwick, Jr.

* Second DCA: Chris W. Altenbernd, Carolyn K. Fulmer, Morris Silberman, and James W. Whatley.

* Third DCA: Gerald B. Cope, Jr., David M. Gersten, Barbara Lagoa, Juan Ramirez, Jr., and Vance E. Salter.

* Fourth DCA: Mark E. Polen, W. Matthew Stevenson, and Martha C. Warner.

* Fifth DCA: Kerry I. Evander, C. Alan Lawson, Richard B. Orfinger, William David Palmer, and Thomas D. Sawaya.

Circuit Courts

Of the 35 contested circuit court races, 21 are in four circuits, the Second, 11th, 13th, and 17th. No other circuit has more than two contested groups. Almost 88 percent of the races were uncontested, and all but a handful of those involved incumbents.

Contested circuit elections are:

* In the Second Circuit, incumbent P. Kevin Davey is being challenged by David Frank in Group 2; Dawn Caloca-Johnson and Charles Dodson are running for Group 4; Errol H. Powell, Lisa Raleigh, and Frank Sheffield are running for Group 7; and incumbent Angela C. Dempsey and William J. "Bill" Miller, Jr., are running for Group 16.

* In the Third Circuit, Chris Craun, Greg Parker, and Thomas Stone are running for Group 4.

* In the Fourth Circuit, Mark Hulsey and Adrian G. Soud are running for Group 11; and Rick Buttner and Virginia Norton are running for Group 28.

* In the Fifth Circuit, Sandy Hawkins, Michael Lamberti, and Denise Lyn are running for Group 3; and Richard A. Howard and Rhonda Portwood are running for Group 11.

* In the Sixth Circuit, Violet M. Assaid, Mary Handsel, and Bruce G. Howie are running for Group 6; and Kenneth Foote, Susan L. Gardner, and Robert Angus Williams are running for Group 8.

* In the Ninth Circuit, John Crotty, Fred Schott, and Jim Turner are running for Group 22.

* In the 10th Circuit, John Radabaugh and Nathaniel White are running for Group 19.

* In the 11th Circuit, Jorge E. Cueto and Josie Perez Veliz are running for Group 11; Migna Sanchez-Llorens and Manny Segarra are...