Polston to lead Florida's courts.

The courtroom was full last month as Justice Ricky Polston was sworn in as the Florida Supreme Court's 55th chief justice, the first to come from west of the Apalachicola River since 1925.

Chief Justice Polston, a native of Graceville and a graduate of the Florida State University College of Law, was joined at the ceremony by his wife, Deborah, their 10 children, and four grandchildren.

"We've been through challenging times, and the challenges continue," said then-Chief Justice Charles Canady before administering the oath of office. "But Justice Polston, by his temperament and background, his work ethic, and his dedication to this court and to our court system, I know will serve this court and the judicial system and the people of this state with great distinction."

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Canady has led the court for the past two years, instituting the Florida Innocence Commission and guiding the court system through tough economic times.

"Justice Canady has succeeded in not only getting appropriations from the Legislature, but he also dealt with the cash shortages that we were faced with," said Chief Justice Polston. "He was able to steer our courts through extremely difficult times. He obtained the resources we needed even when he had to borrow them, and he remained a faithful steward of the public trust he'd been given.

"He spared us all in the public the pain of furloughs, court closures, and other measures that could have hurt not only our employees, but every resident in the state of Florida."

The new chief justice moved beyond accolades for his predecessor, describing his plans for his time in office and acknowledging the continued challenges the court system faces in the coming two years.

Significant internal changes at the courts are at the top of his list, including the pending retirement of Clerk of the Court Tom Hall in 2013 and State Courts Administrator Lisa Goodner in 2014.

"Facing me in my two-year administration here as chief justice is somehow dealing with the huge void that these two very important people in our branch will leave and how to deal with that," Polston said.

Chief Justice Polston also addressed court funding, an issue which has long plagued the judicial branch, and the recent $30 million state budget cut to Florida's clerks of courts.

"To provide justice ... we have to be open for business," said Polston. "Because of that, the budget has been the first and...