Judge Joseph P. Farina is the Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court, located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and has served in that capacity since July 1, 1995. Prior to becoming the Chief Judge, he served as the Administrative Judge of the Felony Criminal Division of the Circuit Court since January 1992.

Judge Farina earned his B.A. from George Washington University and his J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law. From 1979 to 1981, Judge Farina served on the County Court, and in 1981 he became a Circuit Court Judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County, Florida.

From 1977 to 1979, Judge Farina served as Mayor of Miami Shores.

Judge Farina presently serves the Florida judicial and legal communities in many capacities:

• Chair of the Judicial Management Council Strategic Planning Committee on Long Range Planning for the State Court System

• Member of the Florida Supreme Court’s Trial Court Budget Commission

• Chair-Elect of the Florida Conference of Circuit Court Judges.

Judge Farina is a past Chair of the Judicial Administration Section of the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges which is comprised of all Chief Judges of the State of Florida; and is past President of the National Conference of Metropolitan Courts, which is composed of the Chief Judges of the Nation’s Metropolitan Courts.