Charles Hart
Hart practices criminal and guardianship law from an office in Sanford and opened a mediation practice after being certified by the Florida Supreme Court as a family law and county court mediator. He previously served as an assistant state attorney and as a public defender in the 18th Judicial Circuit, and taught accounting at the University of South Florida and Santa Fe Community College. He holds a B.S. in accounting and an M.A. in accounting from the University of South Florida, a B.A. in political science from the University of Florida and a J.D. from the University of Florida's Levin College of Law (2007). He chaired the Orange County Republican Executive Committee from 2018 to 2022 and ran unsuccessfully for the Florida House in 2022. He finished second in the August 18, 2026 primary with 25.7% and declined to complete the News 6 candidate questionnaire.
Campaign finance: state and county candidates file with the Florida Division of Elections or the county Supervisor of Elections. Search contributions ↗
Sources last checked 2026-09-18. Report an error ↗
Positions on the major issues
Compare with opponents →Each entry describes what the candidate has said or done, and what they say they will do, in neutral terms with sources. The chip shows how that relates to the statement voters rate in the matching tool.
No public positions on the major issues were found.
No public position found on 7 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Taxes & spending, Property taxes, Housing affordability, Environment & water, Growth & development, Crime & policing, Veterans. This is reported as unknown rather than guessed from party affiliation; these issues are excluded from this candidate's match score.
Other issues this candidate has raised
- Judicial approach — In his 2026 Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Hart says judges should follow the law rather than personal agendas or outside pressure, and that he would approach each case with an open mind and apply the law consistently.
- Policy positions declined — Asked what areas of public policy he is passionate about, Hart said a judge's responsibility is not to advance a personal policy agenda but to follow the law and decide each case impartially.
Record: votes, actions and documented facts
- Applied five times to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission and once to the Seventh Circuit, never advancing past the commission; has no prior judicial experience.
- Chaired the Orange County Republican Executive Committee from 2018 to 2022 and was a 2022 Republican primary candidate for Florida House District 39; a member of the Federalist Society and a lifetime NRA member. He was a party to a lawsuit over Orange County's COVID-19 mask mandate.
Endorsements (as reported)
- Florida State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police
- Florida Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 93
- Florida Family Action