Research as of Oct. 24, 2026. Early voting runs through Nov. 1; Election Day is Nov. 3. Check your voter info at votehillsborough.gov
Research as of Oct. 24, 2026. Early voting runs through Nov. 1; Election Day is Nov. 3. Check your voter info at votehillsborough.gov
Judicial Retention
Read by a synthetic voice from this page’s research. A summary, not a recommendation.
Judge Morris Silberman has served on the Second District Court of Appeal since 2001, and voters are deciding whether he stays. Governor Jeb Bush appointed him. Silberman came to the bench from civil and appellate law practice, and he once worked as a law clerk at the same court he now serves on. In a retention vote, there's no opponent. You vote Yes to keep the judge or No to remove him, and a simple majority of Yes votes keeps him. Florida voters have never removed an appellate judge. The Florida Bar used to poll lawyers on judges facing retention, but it stopped in 2023. In the 2020 poll, 90 percent of responding lawyers favored retaining Silberman. Beyond that, the research found little. No organized campaign for or against him turned up, and no progressive group took a position. The Hillsborough County Republican Party recommends retaining all judges on the ballot. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's guide lists a Yes vote on Silberman. The research found no recommendation from the Tampa Bay Times. Research as of October 23, 2026. Sources and the full picture are on this page.
Second District Court of Appeal
Shall Judge Morris Silberman of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?
Yes · No
FactOfficial sample ballot wording
Second District Court of Appeal
Shall Judge Morris Silberman of the Second District Court of Appeal be retained in office?
Yes · No
FactJudicial · Judicial retention, 5 votes (Muñiz; 2nd DCA: Atkinson, Silberman, Sleet, Teves Smith)
No poll. No appellate judge ever removed
No polls found in the research. This row covers all five retention votes. Research as of Oct. 24, 2026.
Yes
Creative Loafing listed this pick in its guide without a write-up. Its reporting on the race is below.
Creative Loafing voting guide 2026: How to vote in Tampa Bay, and who we're voting for
Why this leads: The site owner's choice (Oct. 24): the recommendation that best matches the owner's values, shown first on every contest. Still an editorial: one outlet's opinion, not this site's.
Retention votes have no campaign money in the research.
EditorialMoney map
Not found in the research.
EditorialAs recorded in each guide
No other editorial page in the research has made a pick here.
Appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush (2001)
Bar poll
2020 Florida Bar poll: 90% for retention
No listings found in this guide.
No listings found in this guide.
Searched, nothing found
Florida Democratic Party, Hillsborough County Democratic Party, Floridians Protecting Freedom, Florida Decides Healthcare, ACLU of Florida, Equality Florida, Florida Rising, Florida AFL-CIO.
Appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush (2001)
Bar poll
2020 Florida Bar poll: 90% for retention
SupportEndorsement
No listings found in this guide.
Searched, nothing found
RPOF's guide covers only the Supreme Court retention.
No conflicts recorded for this contest.
Matched from the research's conflict list by contest, candidate, judge or measure name.