The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (in case citations, M.D. Fla.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
The district was established on July 30, 1962, with parts of the Northern and Southern Districts transferring into the newly created Middle District.
As of March 31, 2025, the United States attorney for the district is Gregory Kehoe.
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Organization of the court
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida is one of three federal judicial districts in Florida. Court for the District is held at Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, and Tampa.
Fort Myers Division comprises the following counties: Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, and Lee.
Jacksonville Division comprises the following counties: Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Flagler, Hamilton, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, and Union.
Ocala Division comprises the following counties: Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, and Sumter.
Orlando Division comprises the following counties: Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia.
Tampa Division comprises the following counties: Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota.
Current judges
As of November 3, 2025:
Chief judges
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
Courthouse history
Completed in 1908 by architect John Knox Taylor, the historic Federal courthouse in Tampa stands as the only civic building constructed in the eclectic renaissance style. Initially serving as a U.S. Post Office, the courthouse moved two blocks down to its current location in 1998. Congress named the court in honor of long-time Tampa representative and University of Florida Law alumnus Sam Gibbons; the congressman is largely recognized as the founder of the University of South Florida.
U.S. attorneys
Edward F. Boardman 1961–69
John L. Briggs 1969–78
John J. Daley 1978–79
Gary L. Betz 1979–82
Robert W. Merkle Jr. 1982–88
Robert W. Genzman 1988–93
Douglas N. Frazier 1993
Larry H. Colleton 1994
Donna A. Bucella 1994
Charles R. Wilson 1994–99
Donna A. Bucella 1999–2001
Paul Ignatius Perez 2002?–2007
James R. Klindt 2007
Robert E. O'Neill 2007–2008
A. Brian Albritton 2008–2010
Robert E. O'Neill 2010–2013
A. Lee Bentley III 2014–2017
William S. Muldrow 2017
Maria Chapa Lopez 2018–2021
Karin Hoppmann 2021
Roger B. Handberg 2021–2025
Federal defenders
Robert W. Knight (1977–1983) (office established)
H. Jay Stevens (1983–1999)
R. Fletcher Peacock (1999–2007)
Donna Lee Elm (2007–2021)
Alec F. Hall (2021–present)