Second Judicial Circuit Judge Lance Neff was appointed to the First District Court of Appeal by Gov. Ron DeSantis Monday, filling the seat vacated by Florida Supreme Court Justice Adam Tanenbaum. DeSantis also gave Neff the nod for the circuit seat in 2023. He was assigned to the criminal division in 2024 and has been presiding over the case of the man accused of gunning down two people and wounding several others at Florida State University last year. That trial is slated to begin in October. Judge Lance Neff. Courtesy photo Before joining the bench, Neff served as general counsel to the state’s largest agency, the Florida Department of Corrections, and spent years as a trial attorney in the Florida Office of the Attorney General. The Waycross, Georgia, native is a Valdosta State University and Florida Coastal School of Law graduate; a 20-year veteran of the Bar; and a member of the U.S. Military. According to his biography on the Second Judicial Circuit’s website, Neff is a lieutenant colonel in the Florida National Guard, the staff judge advocate for the Florida Army National Guard and the legal adviser to the Assistant Adjutant General-Army. Neff did not immediately return the Daily Business Review’s interview request Tuesday. Neff beat out five other finalists for the appellate seat, including two colleagues on the Second Judicial Circuit, Judges Joshua Hawkes and Stephen Everett. The Second Judicial Circuit saw significant turnover in 2025. Judge Robert Wheeler resigned in March and was replaced by Judge Jason Jones; Judge Dawn Caloca-Johnson's unexpected death led to the appointment of Judge Michael Beato; Judge Jeremiah Hawkes filled a vacancy created by lawmakers in November; and Judge John Cooper's successor has yet to be named after his December resignation.