As part of our commitment to providing you with what you need to make an informed decision in the 2026 elections, News 6 joined with the News Collaborative of Central Florida to present the Voting Central Florida 2026 Voter’s Guide.
Tuesday, Aug. 18 is the Florida Statewide Primary election, a mix of party primaries and nonpartisan local elections, such as school board races, judicial races, and county commission races in some counties.
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[ELECTION 2026: Make sure you’re eligible to vote|How to vote by mail|Election Myths]
Florida has a closed primary system, which means only members of a political party may vote in party primaries. To be eligible, a voter had to identify with that party by July 20.
However, judicial races and local races, for the most part, are open to all registered voters, regardless of political party.
Everything you need to know in order to vote in the Aug. 18 Statewide Primary, including how to vote by mail, vote early, and vote on Election Day, can be found in our Election 2026 section HERE.
9th Circuit Judge – Group 31 candidates
The 9th Judicial Circuit of Florida handles state civil and criminal cases for Orange and Osceola counties. These are nonpartisan races, open to all voters.
Of the 22 groups up for election this year, Group 1, Group 2, and Group 31 drew more than one candidate.
You can read about the Group 1 race HERE.
You can read about the Group 2 race HERE.
The News Collaborative of Central Florida created a list of common questions to ask the candidates. Questionnaires were sent to all candidates.
Not all of the candidates responded. Where candidates did not respond, we have filled out the information to the best of our abilities.
Our News Collaborative partners at Vox Populi compiled the candidate responses for the 9th Circuit Court race. Below is an excerpt of each candidate’s profile.
George “Steve” Kerestes
WEBSITE: electkerestes.com/
What professional experiences have best prepared you for the bench?
First, being in the courtroom as much as I have over the past 20 years. Not only have I spent years of my work life in the courtroom, I have spent years of my work life in courtrooms throughout Central Florida. I have spent years in the courtroom as a prosecutor. I have spent years of my work career in the courtroom as a defense attorney. Those many years of courtroom experience are not limited to only appearing in the 9th Circuit. I have appeared in courtrooms throughout Central Florida and beyond. I have appeared in courtrooms as far south as the Keys and I have appeared in court in Jacksonville and most places in between. The Courtroom is a place where I feel comfortable because of the amount of time I have spent there. I have seen all manner of Judges operate on the bench. I have seen efficient judges and I have seen some less so. I have seen all manner of Judges behaving in all manner of ways over the past 20 years. I will bring the best of what I have experienced to the people of the 9th Circuit.
What role should personal values play in judicial decision-making?
I’ll answer with the answer they taught us to use in law school, it depends. There are times when a judge has discretion within the applicable law and there are times when a Judge does not have discretion within the applicable law. Obviously, when a Judge does not have discretion under the applicable law, personal values should not play a role in judicial decision-making. However, there are times when a Judge has discretion under the applicable law. When a Judge has discretion, the Judge will exercise that discretion in some manner in order to make a ruling. Even in a situation where a Judge tells the parties the Judge is not exercising its discretion, that is still a decision by the human being wearing the robe. Anytime a Judge has discretion within the law, personal values are being exercised one way or the other.
How do you balance precedent with evolving societal standards?
Forgive me for giving an answer that sounds this way, but at the trial court level, Judges don’t have the ability to make the kind of changes Judges do at the appellate levels. Judges at the trial court level do not have the final say when it comes to matters of high interest to the public. Questions relating to precedent and whether precedent will stand or not are not made at the trial court level, but by the appellate courts and of course the highest court. I am running for a position at the trial court level.
What steps do you take to avoid conflicts of interest?
Taking action early is something I do to avoid conflicts of interest. Taking action early and communicating with the appropriate party or parties. I find when I take action early and communicate effectively, conflicts of interest are resolved timely and fairly.
What barriers to justice do you see in the current system, and how would you address them?
I’m going to say here again it depends. It depends on the particular area of law we are discussing. Right now in our criminal courts, we have an excellent local defense bar that includes the public defender’s office headed by Melissa Vickers, who all perform their role in a manner the community should be proud of. I presently work at the State Attorney’s Office charged with prosecuting the vast majority of crimes in our community. When it comes to the State Attorney’s Office, it is and will always be a collaborative effort dependent on the collaborative effort of not only the Assistant State Attorneys along with their investigators and legal team members, but also law enforcement, the employees of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and also the community at large. Justice in the criminal realm is a community-wide endeavor; those community-wide actions come from jurors, witnesses, victims, law enforcement, members of the media, expert witnesses, and legislatures, etc. To achieve justice in each and every case, requires all members of that group to act together cohesively towards the end of achieving justice.
On the civil side of the courts, we have local legal aid that performs with excellence, representing those who are most vulnerable and without funds for attorney fees. Those with lower incomes usually qualify for legal assistance free of charge or at lower rates. The rich will always have access to the courts. One often hears of the middle class not being fully represented in the courts. The middle class are often left out, not only because of the monetary obstacles, but also due to the amount of time they believe will be required. Often, members of the middle class believe it just isn’t worth the time and effort. Lastly, I will say there will always be budgetary battles that play a part in the court system and, as a result, access thereto.
Kamilah Perry
WEBSITE: kamilahperryforjudge.com/
What professional experiences have best prepared you for the bench?
I have represented Fortune 500 Companies as a large firm associate, I have represented individuals and small businesses as a private practice owner, and I have managed justice for victims, witnesses and defendants as the Chief Executive of the 9th Circuit State Attorney’s Office. My 23 years + of litigation experience in virtually every area of the law uniquely qualifies me to be a judge with vast experience. Additionally, as General Counsel and Executive Director of the State Attorney’s Office, my job is to manage a $37 million-dollar budget and handle the conflicts and challenges of 385 prosecutors and staff with efficiency, diplomacy, and the fair application of the applicable rules and policies, in order to ensure that the citizens of the 9th Circuit are adequately served by the State Attorney.
What role should personal values play in judicial decision-making?
Personal values should play no role in judicial decision-making, with the exception that all judges should certainly personally value being unbiased, fair, and impartial when making all decisions.
How do you balance precedent with evolving societal standards?
Legal precedent must control over societal standards. That is the role of the judiciary - e.g. to apply the law as written to the facts presented. Unfortunately, the court’s role is not to change the law based on the temperature of society. Where no black-letter law exists, however, and justice requires a common-sense approach to decision-making, sound judicial discretion should ensure that justice is carried out based on the facts of the case.
What steps do you take to avoid conflicts of interest?
As General Counsel for the State Attorney’s Office, I’ve had to train prosecutors and employees on the importance of maintaining all appearances of objectivity and non-bias. I sincerely believe that public trust is paramount to a fair system. If a conflict of interest arose and I was either unable to remain impartial, or there was even a remote appearance that my impartiality would be unlikely, I would voluntarily recuse myself from presiding over the matter so that the parties are comfortable and the community knows that the bench can be trusted to self-disclose any conflicts.
What barriers to justice do you see in the current system, and how would you address them?
Funding is the greatest issue that the legal system faces. Unfortunately, only 1% of Florida’s budget goes to the legal system.
However, judges, prosecutors, public defenders and the clerk’s office are all charged with keeping the community safe and holding offenders accountable while maintaining high levels of transparency and keeping up with evolving technology. Funding is critical for the system to work efficiently. Lack of adequate funding means that citizens are adversely impacted by heavy dockets, slow scheduling, hearing continuances, and overall slow justice, or worse, the denial of justice. As General Counsel for the State Attorney’s Office, my job is to analyze budgetary needs and lobby the legislature for increased funding for our office. As a member of the judiciary, I would endeavor to assist the Chief Judge with impressing upon the legislature the dangers associated with inadequate funding of the judicial system and the threat to public safety and overall loss of access to justice that could result.