DeSantis appoints 2 judges to fill openings in Palm Beach County

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday filled two judicial openings in Palm Beach County: one in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court and one in County Court.

John Parnofiello, of Jupiter, was named to the Circuit Court to fill an opening by the elevation of Justice Renatha Francis to the State Supreme Court. He was appointed to the County Court by DeSantis in 2021. Previously, he served as an assistant state attorney for five years in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit.

He received his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Florida.

Stephanie Tew, of Palm Beach Gardens, will serve as a judge in County Court after the elevation of Melanie Surber to the Circuit Court. Tew served as chief assistant statewide prosecutor for the Attorney General’s Office since 2011. Previously, she served as an associate at the law firm of Cindy Goldstein and as assistant state attorney in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit.

She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina and her law degree from Florida Coastal School of Law.