Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Alexander S. Bokor is joining the Third District Court of Appeal. Photo: Miami-Dade Circuit. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Alexander S. Bokor is joining the Third District Court of Appeal. Photo: Miami-Dade Circuit.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Alexander S. Bokor will soon be on the move after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis selected him to sit on the Third District Court of Appeal.

Bokor will replace Judge Vance E. Salter, who's retiring Aug. 31.

Bokor has served in the Miami-Dade Circuit's civil division since 2018, after two years in Miami-County Court's criminal and civil divisions.

He is a former county attorney and has worked as a litigator at Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton in Coral Gables and at Jones Day in New York.

Bokor was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2005 and joined the New York Bar in 2003. He clerked for U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday in the Middle District of Florida, and holds a bachelor's degree from Southern Methodist University and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

'Flexing a different muscle'

Bokor said he's humbled and honored by the opportunity, and was initially so shocked that he had to double check DeSantis was really talking about him.

"It's really been a dream of mine and it's been a lot of work to get here, but also I'm leaving behind a job that I dearly love," Bokor said. "In trial court, we're alone on the bench but we're not alone behind the scenes and we really have each other's backs. I'm going to miss that."

Aside from his court family, Bokor said he'll miss the day-to-day excitement of running a case and interacting with lawyers and litigants. But the appellate bench brings an exciting opportunity to carefully dissect the issues in each case.

"A lot of times, in trial court, we want to do surgery but we only have time to do triage," Bokor said. "In an appellate court, you have that opportunity to do that deep dive, get the 30-page brief and really get into it, and I'm really looking forward to that intellectual and legal challenge. It's flexing a different muscle."

And whenever his term ends, the judge said he hopes to be remembered as an appellate judge who was respected, followed the law and served his community.

"And if I'm really lucky, they'll say, 'He was a pretty funny guy to work with sometimes,' " Bokor said.

Bokor will start his new position Sept. 1. His predecessor Salter has served on the court since 2007.

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