Two attorneys vie for open Duval County Court judge seat in August primary

Two Jacksonville attorneys in private practice are competing for an open Duval County Court judge seat in the August 2026 primary election, with early voting beginning August 7. Matt Lufrano, a criminal defense attorney, and Latoya Williams Shelton, who practices family and personal injury law, are both seeking the County Court Group 1 position currently held by retiring Judge Scott Mitchell.

Both candidates have emphasized their commitment to civil legal aid and community service as central themes of their campaigns, though their professional backgrounds differ substantially. The race is one of several judicial contests on Duval County's August ballot.

What's happening

The County Court Group 1 seat is one of two open judicial positions on the Duval County Court in the August 2026 primary. Three local attorneys are also running for the County Court Group 13 seat, while three sitting county judges in Groups 6, 14, and 16 faced no opposition and will retain their benches.

Lufrano previously ran for a judicial seat in 2024. He began his legal career at the public defender's office before establishing a private criminal defense practice in 2014. He currently serves as president of the board of directors for Jewish Family and Community Services and works with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA) on pro bono cases.

Williams Shelton opened her own law firm in 2010, focusing on family law and personal injury cases. She serves on the JALA board and has mentored high school students, according to campaign materials. Williams Shelton's campaign declined interview requests from the Florida Trib.

Williams Shelton's husband, Vernon Shelton, was a Duval County teacher who faced professional discipline in 2019 after allegedly texting a female student that he wanted to "hug and kiss" her and told her he thought of her sexually, according to Florida Department of Education documents. He received a reprimand, two years' probation, was ordered to complete a sexual harassment education ethics course, and was fined $750. Latoya Williams Shelton represented her husband in that matter.

Vernon Shelton later worked as a building inspections manager for the City of Jacksonville from 2018 until earlier this year. He resigned after being placed on administrative leave following sexual harassment complaints filed by two employees with the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission, according to city workplace complaint documents. One complaint alleged he repeatedly requested hugs, touched an employee's waist, and kissed her neck. Another complaint stated he made sexual comments about an employee's body and tattoos and "ran his finger across the back of my neck." Williams Shelton's campaign did not respond to a request for comment regarding the allegations against her husband.

What county court judges do in Jacksonville

County court judges in Florida handle misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic violations, small claims disputes up to $8,000, and county ordinance violations. In Duval County's consolidated city-county government, these judges form the front line of the local judicial system, processing thousands of cases annually ranging from DUIs to landlord-tenant disputes.

The position carries a six-year term and requires candidates to be members of the Florida Bar for at least five years. County court judges in Jacksonville hear cases at the Duval County Courthouse in downtown and at branch courthouses throughout the city.

Lufrano emphasized the mentorship role that county court judges play for young attorneys. "County court judges are able to mentor young lawyers practicing regularly in their courtrooms," he said in an interview, citing his own experience learning from local judges early in his career. "Judges are really supposed to be servants to the people. They're not supposed to lord over people."

What this means for Jacksonville's legal community

The race highlights the pathways attorneys take to the bench in Duval County and the role of community legal service in judicial campaigns. Both candidates have positioned their pro bono work and involvement with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid as qualifications for the position, reflecting the legal community's emphasis on access to justice issues.

JALA provides free civil legal services to low-income residents of Duval, Clay, Nassau, and St. Johns counties in matters including housing, family law, consumer protection, and public benefits. Board service and pro bono work with the organization are common resume items among Jacksonville attorneys seeking judicial appointments or election.

The mentorship aspect Lufrano emphasized reflects a practical reality of county court practice: many young attorneys cut their teeth in these courtrooms, handling their first trials and learning courtroom procedure. The temperament and approach of county court judges can shape how hundreds of new lawyers develop their skills, creating ripple effects through the local legal profession for years.

The race also illustrates the competitive nature of judicial elections in Duval County. With three sitting judges running unopposed in other groups, the contested races draw attorneys willing to campaign during the summer months and navigate the challenges of name-recognition building in nonpartisan judicial contests.

Character and judicial campaigns

Judicial campaigns in Florida are governed by strict rules under the Code of Judicial Conduct that limit what candidates can say about how they would rule on specific issues. This typically pushes campaigns toward emphasizing professional experience, temperament, community involvement, and character rather than positions on legal questions.

The personal conduct of a candidate's family members occupies an ambiguous space in judicial races. While Florida's judicial campaign rules prohibit certain types of personal attacks, the public nature of government employment records and professional disciplinary documents means such information becomes part of the public record that voters and media may consider.

Williams Shelton's representation of her husband in the 2019 education case is consistent with the ethical right of attorneys to represent family members. However, the subsequent workplace complaints against Vernon Shelton while he was a city employee raise questions some voters may weigh about judgment and character, even though those allegations involve her spouse rather than the candidate herself.

The decision by Williams Shelton's campaign not to engage with the Florida Trib's interview requests or respond to questions about the allegations against her husband leaves voters without her perspective on these matters as they head to the polls.

How Duval County voters choose judges

Judicial elections in Florida are nonpartisan, meaning candidates' political party affiliations do not appear on the ballot. This can make judicial races less visible to voters than partisan contests further up the ballot, and turnout patterns often differ substantially from other races.

County court judges are elected countywide in Duval County. Early voting for the August 2026 primary runs from August 7 through the days preceding the primary election date. Duval County voters can cast ballots at any early voting location in the county, regardless of their precinct.

Because these are judicial seats rather than partisan offices, there is no separate primary for different parties — all candidates run in a single primary, and if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff in the general election. If one candidate wins outright with a majority in August, that candidate wins the seat without appearing on the November ballot.

The low profile of county court races means voters often have limited information when they enter the voting booth. Bar association ratings, when available, newspaper endorsements, campaign literature, and word-of-mouth within the legal community typically provide the information ecosystem for these contests. The candidates' professional networks, name recognition from their private practices, and community involvement often determine outcomes as much as any particular policy position.

What happens next

Early voting is currently underway and will continue through the days before the August primary election. Duval County's Supervisor of Elections office operates multiple early voting sites across Jacksonville, with locations and hours available on the county elections website.

The winner of the County Court Group 1 race will take the bench following the election, replacing retiring Judge Scott Mitchell. The new judge will serve a six-year term and would need to run for retention in 2032 to continue on the bench.

The Group 13 seat, which also has multiple candidates, will be decided in the same August primary. The three unopposed sitting judges in Groups 6, 14, and 16 will continue their terms without appearing on the ballot.

For voters seeking additional information about the candidates, the Duval County Supervisor of Elections website provides candidate filing information, and the Florida Bar website offers attorney disciplinary history and bar admission dates. Judicial candidates are also required to file financial disclosure forms that detail their income sources, assets, and potential conflicts of interest.

The race comes as Jacksonville's court system handles the caseload of a growing metropolitan area. As Duval County and the broader Northeast Florida region continue to add population, the administrative demands on the court system grow, and the judges hearing misdemeanor and small claims cases serve as the most frequent point of contact between residents and the judicial branch. The temperament, efficiency, and fairness voters elect to the county court bench will shape how thousands of Jacksonville residents experience their day in court over the next six years.