OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – An Osceola County circuit judge could face a public reprimand after what an investigative panel described Friday as “significant delays in rulings and orders.”
The investigative panel of the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission filed what is known as a notice of formal charges against Circuit Judge John Beamer. It also filed at the Florida Supreme Court an agreement reached with Beamer that would lead to him receiving a public reprimand.
The commission conducts investigations and makes recommendations, but the Supreme Court has ultimate authority over disciplining judges.
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One document filed Friday said the chief judge of the 9th Judicial Circuit met with Beamer on “no less than three occasions between late 2021 and early 2023 to discuss complaints about his delays in entering rulings and to stress the importance of entering prompt rulings.”
It also said Beamer, who has been a judge since 2020, did not properly document cases that were under advisement.
“The commission credits Judge Beamer’s candid response to the investigative panel and his willingness to work to clear out the backlog,” the document, which included findings and recommendations, said. “However, the commission has serious concerns that it took the involvement of the commission for him to address this issue, after the chief judge met and counseled the respondent (Beamer) repeatedly about the need to render prompt rulings.”
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