St. Johns County Circuit Court

Florida's Two-Tier Trial Court System

Florida uses a two-tier trial court structure created by Article V of the Florida Constitution. Circuit courts sit at the top of that structure and are courts of general jurisdiction. County courts sit below them as courts of limited jurisdiction. Every county in Florida has both, and the two operate from the same courthouse complex in St. Johns County. Cases that exceed county court authority or involve felonies, family matters, probate, and most civil disputes above $50,000 belong in the circuit court.

The distinction matters for records searches. Felony charges, dissolution of marriage petitions, probate estates, and large civil suits all generate circuit court case files. Misdemeanor charges, small claims, and most traffic infractions generate county court files. Both types are searchable through the Clerk's Benchmark court records portal, but selecting the correct Court Type filter speeds up the search considerably. For case dockets and related lookups, the court dockets page explains the Benchmark interface in more detail, and the court records page covers search fields and copy fees.

Florida should not be confused with states that call their local trial court a "district court." In Florida, "district court" refers to the District Courts of Appeal, which are intermediate appellate courts. The word "district" in a Florida court context almost always means appellate, not trial. The St. Johns County trial court for serious matters is the Circuit Court.

The Seventh Judicial Circuit's St. Johns County page describes the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center as the 1994 courthouse where all circuit and county judges for St. Johns County are assigned. The screenshot below, from the Seventh Judicial Circuit website, shows the St. Johns County courthouse listing and judge assignments.

The page confirms the courthouse address at 4010 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine, and lists the current judicial roster with judicial assistants and direct phone numbers.

The Seventh Judicial Circuit

St. Johns County is one of four counties in the Seventh Judicial Circuit. The others are Flagler, Putnam, and Volusia. The circuit seat rotates administrative functions across its counties, but each county has judges who primarily serve there. The Seventh Circuit homepage states the circuit has 29 circuit judges and 17 county court judges. Of those, five circuit judges and three county court judges are assigned to St. Johns County. Administrative matters for the circuit, including case-assignment orders, are issued by the Chief Judge.

Chief Judge Leah R. Case was reappointed to serve another term beginning July 1, 2025, per a March 5, 2025 circuit announcement. The Chief Judge supervises the administrative operation of all four counties in the circuit and issues orders governing how cases are assigned and managed. The most recent St. Johns County case-assignment order is G-2025-044-SJ, effective October 1, 2025, which revised divisional assignments for St. Johns County circuit courts.

The circuit spans a wide geographic area, with court sessions held in Bunnell, Daytona Beach, DeLand, Palatka, South Daytona, and St. Augustine. St. Johns County cases are heard at the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center, 4010 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine, FL 32084.

St. Johns County Circuit Court Judges

The Seventh Judicial Circuit lists nine judges currently assigned to St. Johns County, covering both circuit-court and county-court divisions. All of them operate from the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center. The table below shows each judge, the judicial assistant who handles scheduling and correspondence, and the direct phone number for that chamber. Contacting a judicial assistant is the correct path for scheduling, case-status questions, and procedural matters in a pending case.

Judge Benjamin J. Rich was appointed county judge in September 2025. A State Attorney news release dated September 9, 2025, confirmed that Benjamin Rich, who had been the Managing Assistant State Attorney in St. Augustine, was appointed to the bench by the Governor. The State Attorney announcement also noted new leadership for the St. Augustine office of the Seventh Circuit State Attorney.

Judicial appointments like this affect case assignments and office contact information; the table above reflects the current roster as reported by the Seventh Circuit and State Attorney.

What the Circuit Court Handles

Florida circuit courts are courts of general jurisdiction, meaning they can hear cases that are not specifically reserved for another court. In St. Johns County, the circuit court handles felony criminal matters, all family law cases, probate and guardianship proceedings, juvenile delinquency and dependency, mental health proceedings, and civil disputes where the amount in controversy exceeds $50,000. It also hears appeals from county court decisions, which places it above the county court in the local appellate chain.

Circuit civil matters include auto negligence above the threshold, medical malpractice, contract disputes, foreclosures, quiet title actions, partition of property, eminent domain, and declaratory judgment actions. Family cases include dissolution of marriage, paternity, child support modification, injunctions for protection, name changes, and adoption. Probate cases include formal and summary administration, guardianship, incapacity proceedings, trust administration, and disposition of personal property without administration. All of these case types generate circuit court records searchable in Benchmark.

Circuit Court vs. County Court in St. Johns County

Florida does not have a justice court or JP court system at the county level. The two trial courts are the circuit court and the county court. The table below shows the main differences between them in St. Johns County. Both courts sit at the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center, and both have records in the Clerk's Benchmark system. The county court page covers misdemeanor, small claims, and county civil matters in more detail.

How a Case Moves Through the System

Florida courts follow a clear appellate ladder. County court sits at the base for limited-jurisdiction matters. Circuit court sits above it for general-jurisdiction cases and for appeals from county court. The District Court of Appeal handles appeals from the circuit court. The Supreme Court of Florida takes cases at the top, primarily through discretionary review and constitutionally assigned matters. Most litigants in St. Johns County who appeal a circuit court ruling go to the District Court of Appeal before any question reaches the Florida Supreme Court.

Florida case flow (appellate ladder): County Court › Circuit Court › District Court of Appeal › Supreme Court of Florida

For a criminal case, the path inside the circuit court typically runs from arrest through first appearance in county court, then information or indictment by the State Attorney, arraignment, pretrial motions, trial (or plea), sentencing, and any direct appeal to the District Court of Appeal. A civil case moves from filing and service through answer, discovery, mediation where required, trial or settlement, judgment, and appeal. Probate cases have their own process of petition, appointment of personal representative, notice to creditors, inventory, and order of discharge, all under circuit court supervision.

The State Attorney for the Seventh Circuit is R.J. Larizza, whose office prosecutes felony and some misdemeanor cases in St. Johns County. The Public Defender is Matthew Metz, whose office represents appointed indigent defendants. Both offices operate within the same Seventh Judicial Circuit that covers St. Johns County.

Veterans Court and Specialty Programs

The Seventh Judicial Circuit operates a Veterans Treatment Court that includes St. Johns and Putnam counties. The Veterans Court page describes the program as addressing the distinctive needs of veterans in the criminal justice system, including PTSD, traumatic brain injury, substance use disorders, mental health conditions, and the challenges of transitioning from military to civilian life. Eligibility extends to people who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, including Reserve and National Guard members, Department of Defense contractors, and foreign allied military personnel, subject to offense eligibility and service verification.

A May 2025 Seventh Circuit news release on problem-solving court achievements stated that the St. Johns County Veterans Court began in 2017 and had 122 graduates at the time of the celebration. That record shows a meaningful local commitment to therapeutic court programs for veterans. The contact for the St. Johns and Putnam Veterans Court is VeteransCourtCCMS@circuit7.org, with court dates listed on the circuit website. The location is the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center, 4010 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine.

The circuit also operates drug court and DUI court programs. A problem-solving courts news release from the Seventh Circuit described the circuit as being at the forefront of innovative justice solutions and noted St. Johns County Judge Alexander R. Christine Jr. in connection with problem-solving court work. The screenshot below is from the circuit's problem-solving courts news release.

The release highlights how specialty courts combine judicial oversight with health and social services to reduce recidivism for participants with substance use and mental health needs.

The Veterans Court page lists 2026 court dates and contact details for the St. Johns and Putnam program, confirming the program remains active.

Federal Court vs. Florida Circuit Court

The federal court that covers St. Johns County is the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division. Federal district courts are entirely separate from Florida's state circuit courts. They handle federal crimes, civil rights cases, federal employment claims, bankruptcy (through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court), and civil suits involving federal law or parties from different states above the federal dollar threshold. Federal court records are searched through PACER, not through the Clerk's Benchmark portal. The Jacksonville federal courthouse, the Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse, is in Jacksonville at 300 North Hogan Street, not in St. Augustine.

Most court cases that St. Johns residents experience day to day are in the state circuit or county courts. Federal prosecutions are handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, not by the Seventh Circuit State Attorney. Federal and state courts operate under separate rules, statutes, and procedures. The distinction between "federal district court" and "Florida circuit court" is one of the most common points of confusion for first-time researchers.

Chief Judge and Recent Court Administration

Circuit Judge Leah R. Case was appointed to serve another term as Chief Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, beginning July 1, 2025. A March 5, 2025 circuit announcement confirmed the reappointment. The Chief Judge oversees administrative matters for the entire circuit, including approving administrative orders and managing judicial assignments. For St. Johns County specifically, the most recent case-assignment order is G-2025-044-SJ, effective October 1, 2025.

The screenshot below shows the Seventh Circuit announcement of Chief Judge Case's reappointment.

Administrative orders affect how cases are distributed among judges. Anyone involved in an active St. Johns County circuit court case should verify the current assignment by checking the case record in Benchmark or contacting the Clerk at (904) 819-3600.

Courthouse Location and Clerk Contact

All St. Johns County circuit and county court proceedings take place at the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center. The courthouse was built in 1994 and is described by the Seventh Circuit as a three-story pastel pink stucco building with Spanish design features that fit St. Augustine's architectural character. It sits in a government center cluster on Lewis Speedway near the Sheriff's Office and the Detention Center. The building is the modern, active judicial center and should not be confused with historic downtown St. Augustine sites.

The Clerk of the Circuit Court is the record custodian for all circuit and county court cases. For case filings, certified copies, and court fees, contact the Clerk's office at the address above. Court records are also accessible online through the Benchmark portal at apps.stjohnsclerk.com/Benchmark.

Related St. Johns County Court Resources

For case dockets and online search steps, see St. Johns County court records and court dockets. For misdemeanor, small claims, and county civil matters, see the county court page. For Clerk contact, fees, and certified copies, see the Clerk of the Circuit Court page.