Judge John M. Harris will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot for a merit retention vote on Florida's Fifth District Court of Appeal.

Harris qualified for merit retention on the November 2026 ballot, according to The Florida Bar News, which confirmed his qualification in April 2026. He is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data. The race is nonpartisan. Voters will mark "yes" to retain Harris or "no" to remove him, according to BallotReady.

Candidate information

  • Name: John M. Harris
  • Office: Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal
  • Residence: Mims, Florida
  • Education: Bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma, 1988; juris doctor from Florida State University, 1991
  • Florida Bar admission: 1991
  • Judicial philosophy: Harris describes himself as a textualist, according to his Voting for Justice profile. He is a member of the Federalist Society, according to the same profile.
  • Other: Florida Supreme Court certified judicial mentor, according to Voting for Justice

Experience and public service

Gov. Rick Scott appointed Harris to the Fifth District Court of Appeal in July 2018, according to Space Coast Daily. He filled the vacancy left by the resignation of Judge Thomas D. Sawaya.

Before that appointment, Harris served as chief judge of the 18th Judicial Circuit, which covers Brevard and Seminole counties, according to a post by the 18th Judicial Circuit.

Harris's judicial career began in March 2002, when Gov. Jeb Bush appointed him to the Brevard County Court, according to Space Coast Daily. Bush later appointed him to the 18th Judicial Circuit Court in 2006 to replace Judge Kerry Evander. Harris ran unopposed for that circuit court seat in both 2008 and 2014, according to Voting for Justice.

Before joining the bench, Harris practiced law for about 11 years. His Voting for Justice profile states he argued 100 non-jury trials and 300 cases before administrative bodies. His practice focused on business and commercial litigation, estate planning, construction law, insurance law and family law. He also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Central Florida in 1997.

Prior retention result

Harris won his 2020 merit retention vote with 72.9% support, receiving 1,682,568 "yes" votes to 626,170 "no" votes out of 2,308,738 total votes cast, according to Voting for Justice.

Harris's retention question appears on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.