County Judge of Monroe County

Sixteenth Judicial Circuit

Freeman Justice Center ~ Monroe County Courthouse

302 Fleming Street

Key West, Florida 33040

Education

  • 1989                Juris Doctorate degree (with Honors)
                              Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
  • 1987                Bachelor of Arts, Political Science
                              University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida             
  • 1983                Associates of Science, Emergency Medical Science
                              Edison Community College (Now Florida State College), Ft. Myers, Florida
  • 1981                Associates of Arts, Pre-Professional studies
                              Edison Community College (Now Florida State College), Ft. Myers, Florida

Judicial Experience

  • Elected to the County Court bench in 2022
  • Served as Circuit Court Magistrate from 2015-2021

Legal Experience

  • 1995-2022:      Attorney, Albert L. Kelley, P.A., Key West, Florida

                              Areas of Practice:  corporate and business law, contracts, general civil, Landlord/Tenant, foreclosure, contracts, probate

  • 2008-2022:      Supreme Court Certified Mediator
  • 1989-95           Associate attorney, Browning, Guller and Associates, P.A., Key West, Florida
  • 1989                Intern, Lee County State Attorney’s Office, Ft. Myers, Florida
  • 1987-1989       Law Clerk, Aurell, Fons, Radey, and Hinkle, P.A., Tallahassee, FL

Professional Activities

  • Member, Monroe County Bar Association
  • Chair, 16th Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee
  • Chair, 16th Judicial Circuit Professionalism Panel

Legal and Academic Honors

  • 2015                AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated Martindale Hubbell
  • 2009                Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Award
  • 1988                President, Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity, Ladd Inn
  • 1988:               Who's Who Among American Law Students
  • 1986                Pi Gamma Mu, Honors Society

 


COMMUNICATING WITH THE COURT

 

The Code of Judicial Conduct forbids judges from permitting or considering ex parte communications outside the presence of the parties on matters concerning pending or impending judicial proceedings. See Fla. Code Jud. Conduct, Canon 3B(7). Accordingly, do not contact the Court expecting to speak to the judge about any case. Moreover, neither the Court nor the judicial assistant can give legal advice on any subject. You may, however, contact the judicial assistant concerning purely procedural or scheduling matters. If you are an unrepresented criminal defendant, any communication with the Court must be in writing with a copy provided to the State Attorney. If you want the Court to take any action in your case, you must file the appropriate motion with the clerk and follow the procedure set forth below to have the motion heard.

 

 

 

 

PROCEDURE FOR SETTING MOTIONS

 

Parties who want the Court to take any action in their case must file the appropriate motion with the clerk. Contacting the judicial assistant by telephone or e-mail is not a substitute for filing a motion, and the Court will not act on an informal request of that kind. Parties desiring to have a motion heard by the Court must first file it with the clerk of court and then set it for hearing. Please keep in mind these are separate steps involving different parties and must be done in that order: a motion must (1) be filed with the clerk and (2) be set for hearing by the Court. It is the responsibility of the moving party to take both of these steps.

 

The Court schedules its own motions. Accordingly, once a motion has been filed with the clerk, the moving party must contact the Court to arrange for the motion to be set for hearing. Parties wishing to set motions should make a request by e-mail with the Court’s judicial assistant, Ali Stern, at External link opens in new tab or windowAli.Stern@KeysCourts.net. All parties to the case must be copied on the e-mail. Please include the case name and case number in the subject line. Kindly state the type of motion you wish to set and the approximate amount of time you anticipate the motion will require. If you are seeking to appear remotely by telephone or videotelephony (i.e., Zoom), you must indicate whether the other parties to the case consent to your remote appearance. Advance permission from the Court is required for remote appearances.

 

Once Ms. Stern has provided potential dates, coordinate with the other parties to select a mutually agreeable date and time for the hearing. Please do not copy the judicial assistant on communications solely between counsel. After the parties agree on a date, Ms. Stern will acknowledge by e-mail that the motion has been set for hearing and copy all parties. The moving party should thereafter file a notice of hearing with the clerk.

 

 

NO MOTION NOT CONFIRMED IN ADVANCE BY THE JUDICIAL ASSISTANT WILL BE HEARD BY THE COURT