Florida Supreme Court Suspends Pinellas-Pasco Judge Jennifer Cruz Dubbeld 20 Days Over 2024 Campaign Misconduct

The Florida Supreme Court has ordered Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Jennifer Cruz Dubbeld suspended without pay for 20 days and summoned her to Tallahassee for a public reprimand over ethics violations she committed while running for the bench in 2024. The seven justices agreed unanimously on the discipline on Sept. 22, 2026, according to a court filing first reported by the Tampa Bay Times. A date for the reprimand, which Dubbeld must receive in person before the court, has not been set.

The case grew out of a Judicial Qualifications Commission investigation that found Dubbeld's campaign solicited contributions directly, disparaged an opponent, featured partisan politicians in a nonpartisan race and used photographs that suggested endorsements from lawyers and officials who had never backed her. Dubbeld admitted the violations, and the order makes her the latest Florida trial judge to lose pay over conduct on the campaign trail.

What the commission found

The Judicial Qualifications Commission, the statewide agency that investigates complaints against judges, began looking into Dubbeld in June 2025 and served her with a notice of investigation. On Sept. 5, 2025, she appeared with a lawyer before the commission's investigative panel, testified under oath and acknowledged that her conduct as a candidate fell short of the standards required. The commission filed formal charges in March 2026.

The charges cited four violations of Canon 7 of the Florida Code of Judicial Conduct, the section that governs political and campaign activity by judges and judicial candidates:

• Disparaging an opponent. A post on her campaign Facebook page questioned an opponent's straightforwardness and qualifications.
• Soliciting money personally. She handed out flyers at campaign events with a QR code and the words "scan here" and "contribute to the Committee to elect Jenn Dubbeld," linking to an account set up to accept donations. Florida judicial candidates may raise money only through a campaign committee and may not personally ask for contributions.
• Partisan associations. Her campaign website showed photographs of her with candidates in partisan races, including Republican U.S. Reps. Laurel Lee and Gus Bilirakis, who had active opposition in their own elections.
• Implied endorsements. Her website and Facebook page used photos of public officials and attorneys who had not endorsed her, creating what the commission described as a false appearance of support.

"Judge Dubbeld's actions, and the actions of her campaign, violated Canon 7 in that they (misled) the public, raised an appearance of impropriety, and reflected poorly on judicial independence," commission chair Gregory Coleman, an attorney, wrote in the commission's report, according to the Times. The commission noted that Dubbeld had expressed remorse and regretted that her actions reflected poorly on judicial independence.

Why the Supreme Court sent the deal back

Under Article V of the Florida Constitution, the commission can investigate and recommend discipline, but only the Supreme Court can impose it. That holds even when a judge agrees to the punishment.

Dubbeld and the commission initially submitted a stipulation calling for a public reprimand and a 20-day suspension. The justices declined to approve it because it did not specify that the suspension would be without pay, according to a judicial ethics digest that tracks discipline cases and the Times' account. The commission then filed a revised recommendation asking for a 20-day unpaid suspension plus the reprimand, and the court accepted that version.

The insistence on unpaid time fits a pattern. In 2025 the court refused to accept a reprimand and fine for Broward Circuit Judge Stefanie Moon, who was accused of making improper political contributions and of reminding an attorney in court about an unreturned call tied to her re-election campaign, and said it would approve discipline only if it included a 10-day suspension without pay.

A razor-thin 2024 race

Dubbeld, a longtime public defender, entered the 2024 race for an open Pinellas-Pasco circuit seat against two private attorneys, appellate lawyer Cornelius Demps and civil attorney Nick Fiorentino. No candidate won a majority in the Aug. 20, 2024, primary, so Dubbeld and Fiorentino advanced to a Nov. 5 runoff. She won by fewer than 1,000 votes out of more than 600,000 cast, the Times reported.

That margin is part of why the violations matter to critics of judicial campaign conduct. Judicial races in Florida draw little voter attention, and many voters rely on endorsements, party cues and familiar faces when choosing among lawyers they know little about. The canons are designed to keep partisan signals out of nonpartisan judicial elections and to prevent judges from being seen as personally indebted to donors who may later appear in their courtrooms.

Dubbeld took office in January 2025 for a six-year term in the Sixth Judicial Circuit, which covers Pinellas and Pasco counties, and held her formal investiture ceremony in August 2025. She is not on the 2026 ballot.

How judicial discipline works in Florida

The Judicial Qualifications Commission is made up of judges, lawyers and members of the public. Its investigative panel reviews complaints and decides whether to file formal charges. A judge can contest the charges at a hearing before the commission's hearing panel, or, as Dubbeld did, negotiate a stipulated outcome. In either case the recommendation goes to the Supreme Court, which can approve it, reject it, or ask for a different penalty.

The available sanctions range from a public reprimand to fines, suspension without pay and, in the most serious cases, removal from office. A public reprimand delivered in person before the justices is the most visible of the lesser sanctions, because the judge must stand in the Supreme Court's courtroom and hear the rebuke on the record.

What it means for the Pinellas-Pasco courts

The order does not end Dubbeld's tenure. She remains a circuit judge, and while she is suspended her cases will have to be handled by colleagues or rescheduled, a burden on a circuit that serves roughly 1.5 million residents across Pinellas and Pasco counties.

The discipline will follow her into any future election. Circuit judges in Florida face contested elections only when an opponent qualifies, and a public reprimand from the Supreme Court is the kind of record that challengers often raise. Dubbeld's attorney did not respond to the Times' requests for comment.

What's next

The Supreme Court will schedule Dubbeld's appearance in Tallahassee for the public reprimand, which must take place in person in the Supreme Court's courtroom. The court filing did not make public when the 20-day unpaid suspension will be served. No further proceedings are expected before the commission, since Dubbeld admitted the violations and the case is resolved.

The commission's broader message is aimed at the next crop of judicial candidates. With circuit and county court races on Florida ballots every two years, the case offers a clear example of how campaign shortcuts, such as a QR code on a flyer or a photo with a member of Congress, can cost a newly elected judge both pay and reputation.