Elections

Judge George Paulk Announces Retirement, Closing Out More Than a Decade on the Bench

Published on

By Robert W. Burns III
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After years of service to Brevard County’s legal community and the broader 18th Judicial Circuit, Circuit Judge George T. Paulk has announced his retirement, effective January 5, 2027. The announcement creates a late open seat for this year’s election.

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The announcement, shared by the Brevard County Bar Association, prompted an outpouring of appreciation for a judge whose legal career has spanned private practice, public service, legal education, and the judiciary.

Paulk’s path to the bench was rooted in both local ties and a long career in the law. A Merritt Island High School graduate, he went on to earn an associate degree from Florida State University, a business degree from the University of Florida, and later his law degree from the University of Florida College of Law in 1985.

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Before becoming a circuit judge, Paulk built a broad legal résumé that included private practice in Brevard and Seminole counties, service as an assistant state attorney in the 18th Judicial Circuit, and more than a decade as supervising attorney for the Guardian ad Litem Program in Brevard and Seminole. He also spent years teaching as an adjunct professor in business, criminal justice, and paralegal studies.

Paulk was elected to the 18th Judicial Circuit bench in 2014, with his term beginning on January 6, 2015. He later sought reelection in 2020 and was again elected to continue serving on the circuit court. He ran unopposed ini 2020 which appeared would be the case for this election in 2026 (judge’s terms are 6 years). His announcement creates an open seat in Group 13 with only a few weeks left for qualifying (April 20-24) to run. Attorney George Cole Gaspard, who is the general counsel for the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office immediately filed paperwork to run for the position today after the announcement. He replaced Laura Moody who served as BCSO general counsel until she was appointed as judge by Governor DeSantis in 2024 to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Nancy Maloney. The deadline to qualify for petition is this coming Monday making it impossible for any new candidate to get the required number of signatures, so they will have to pay the qualifying fee of about $7300 if they want to appear on the ballot.

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Paulk’s official judicial biography reflects service in the Family Division and domestic violence matters beginning in 2015, while current court records show he has also served in Circuit Civil. That range underscores the breadth of work handled over the course of his judicial tenure.

With a retirement date set for January 5, 2027, Paulk will leave the bench after nearly 12 years as a circuit judge, capping a legal career that reaches back nearly four decades to his admission to The Florida Bar in 1986.

For many in Brevard County’s legal community, Judge Paulk’s retirement marks the close of a significant chapter. Judges often leave their imprint quietly, not through headlines, but through years of decisions, courtroom management, and public service that shape the lives of families, litigants, attorneys, and the justice system itself.

As he prepares to step away from the bench, Paulk leaves behind a long record of service to the law and to the community he has served for decades.