You now can call him, Judge Barnett

Barnett served as the elected Chairman of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County from December 2014 until he resigned in April 2023 to focus on his governmental role.

You can now call one former Palm Beach County Commissioner "Your Honor"

Governor Ron DeSantis this week appointed Mike Barnett to the Palm Beach County Court, following a nomination from the Judicial Nominating Commission.

This follows a previous DeSantis appointment of Barnett to the County Commission to fill a seat vacated by Dave Kerner, who left in 2022 to lead the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Barnett, an attorney with the Shiner Law Group up until his judicial appointment, ran unsuccessfully for a full-term on the County Commission last year.

In a statement, he says he is "deeply honored and humbled" by the appointment and looks forward to "upholding the highest standards of integrity, impartiality, and faithfulness to the law."

Barnett has also been appointed by the governor to the Board of Trustees for Palm Beach State College. [By Joel Malkin]