Judge Monica Gordo will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot in a merit-retention vote for Florida's Third District Court of Appeal. Voters will see a single yes-or-no question asking whether Gordo should be retained in office.

A merit-retention vote has no opposing candidate. If a majority votes yes, the judge stays on the bench for a new six-year term. If a majority votes no, the governor appoints a replacement. Gordo is certified for the ballot as a nonpartisan candidate, according to state election records.

Candidate information

  • Name: Monica Gordo
  • Office sought: Florida Third District Court of Appeal, District 3 (retention)
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Raised in: Miami
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration, magna cum laude, University of Miami (1996); juris doctor, University of Miami School of Law (1999)

Experience and public service

Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Gordo to the Third District Court of Appeal on April 25, 2019, according to the court's official biography. She filled the vacancy created by the elevation of Justice Barbara Lagoa to the Florida Supreme Court, according to the governor's office. Her appointment and that of Judge Fleur Lobree marked the first time four women were seated on the Third DCA, according to the governor's office.

Before joining the appellate bench, Gordo served as a circuit court judge on the Eleventh Judicial Circuit from 2011 to 2019, according to her Federalist Society biography. She held the role of associate administrative judge in the circuit's appellate division, according to the court biography.

Gordo began her legal career at the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office, where she served as assistant state attorney and division chief. She became chief of the felony division in 2004, according to a University of Miami Law profile.

She enrolled at the University of Miami School of Business at age 17, according to the university profile. As an undergraduate, she was active in Sigma Delta Tau Sorority, Phi Alpha Delta, the Young Entrepreneur's Club and Best Buddies. At Miami Law, she co-chaired the Hispanic Law Students Association and served on the Entertainment & Sports Law Review.

Gordo served as associate appellate dean at the Florida College of Advanced Judicial Studies, according to the court biography. She is also a member of the Florida Court Education Council and the Florida Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases. She has served as a board member of the Cuban American Bar Association and the League of Prosecutors. She is a member of the Iron Arrow Honor Society at the University of Miami and a member of the Florida Federalist Society.

Gordo has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law and as mentorship co-chair of the National Association of Women Judges.

She was honored at the Cuban American Bar Association's 2023 Judicial Forum and Luncheon, which celebrated Florida's Hispanic women judges, according to The Florida Bar News. Other recognitions include the Spanish American League Against Discrimination's Judicial Recognition Award for Outstanding Community Service in 2014 and the City of Coral Gables Police Department Victim/Witness Unit's Justice for All Award in 2010. The Town of Miami Lakes Cultural Affairs Committee named her a Woman of Distinction in 2019, according to the university profile.

The Third District Court of Appeal, based in Miami, hears appeals from trial courts in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Voters across the district will see Gordo's retention question on the ballot.