TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — On Friday, the Florida Supreme Court gave former Senate Minority Leader Gary Farmer until April 21 to respond to a recommendation that he be suspended as a Broward County circuit judge.
The Supreme Court order came a day after an investigative panel of the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission recommended that Farmer be suspended without pay and accused him of “pervasive and extensive” behavior demonstrating “a present unfitness to hold office.”
The recommendation stemmed, at least in part, from allegations that Farmer repeatedly made. Inappropriate comments. The probe began after a complaint about comments he made while presiding over felony cases in August.
The investigative panel found comments “discriminatory, offensive, sexually charged, and demeaning.” As an example, Farmer “referenced and quoted extensively from a comedy sketch that makes fun of gay people,” court documents filed by the commission said.
The commission makes recommendations to the Supreme Court, which has ultimate disciplinary authority over judges.
After six years in the Senate, farmer was elected as a judge in Broward County’s 17th Judicial Circuit in 2022. He served as Senate minority leader during the 2021 legislative session but was ousted after a vote of no confidence by fellow Democrats.
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