The Florida Supreme Court in the courtroom.

While the nation was fixated on the drama surrounding Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, Floridians were reminded that they have their own Supreme Court controversy in triplicate.

Gov. Rick Scott reasserted his claim in court that he has the power, before he leaves office in January, to appoint replacements for three Florida Supreme Court justices who have reached a mandatory retirement age. Opponents contend the next governor, who takes office on Jan. 8, has that right.

Meanwhile, former U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee for governor, told the Florida Chamber of Commerce last week that he intends to appoint the new justices.

“It's important that we have a governor who understands that we have to appoint solid constitutionalists to our state courts, including our state Supreme Court,” he told the chamber members, who were meeting in Orlando.

“The next governor probably, and I know there's a little bit of controversy about when these appointments happen, but I'm presuming that [if] I get elected governor and get sworn in, that I will have three appointments to the state Supreme Court,” DeSantis said.

It's not the first time DeSantis has asserted his right to make the court appointments. It became an issue in his final debate with Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

“They're not your appointments. They're Gov. Scott's appointments,” Putnam told him, saying DeSantis was aligning himself with groups such as the League of Women Voters of Florida, who is challenging Scott on the court appointments.

For his part, Scott, who expects to get a list of potential court appointees by Nov. 8, has said he will work on the appointments with the winner of the Nov. 6 election.

Reaching an accommodation with DeSantis, who shares a similar conservative philosophy with Scott, seems possible. But if Democrat Andrew Gillum prevails, Floridians can expect the appointment controversy to intensify.

Lloyd Dunkelberger reports for the News Service of Florida.