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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVoting sign. Photo by Sean Kinane\/WMNF (2024).<\/p>\n
As Hillsborough County\u2019s court system faces major change, one judicial candidate says experience across multiple areas of law matters more than ever.<\/p>\n
With Florida\u2019s primary election set for August 18, Nina McGucken Alvarez, a longtime Tampa attorney, is stepping forward to serve Hillsborough County\u2019s court system. She says her decision comes at a critical moment, as the local judiciary faces a significant transition. She is running for Circuit Court Judge in Hillsborough County\u2019s 13th Judicial Circuit, Group 13. With five judges set to retire at the end of this election cycle, McGucken Alvarez says the court system is approaching a major transition \u2013 one she believes requires experienced leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like now I was really called to do it,\u201d McGucken Alvarez said. \u201cIt\u2019s a way for me to give back to the city and county that I love so much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Legal background<\/p>\n
McGucken Alvarez was born and raised in Tampa. She brings 17 years of legal experience. Moreover, she also works part-time for the State of Florida, representing indigent children with alleged developmental disabilities. She points out that the depth of her experience distinguishes her candidacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cCircuit court judges can be placed in any one of five divisions, and you don\u2019t actually know where you\u2019ll end up,\u201d she explained. \u201cMy experience in different areas of the law and with different types of people prepares me for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
On any given day, McGucken Alvarez says her work can shift dramatically \u2013 from family court cases involving divorce in the morning, to probate matters involving incapacitated individuals, followed by criminal court proceedings later in the day.<\/p>\n
Managing pressure on and off the job<\/p>\n
Beyond her legal work, McGucken Alvarez is also a business owner and mother. Those responsibilities have strengthened her ability to manage pressure in high-stakes environments.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do a lot of things,\u201d she said. \u201cManaging stress is just one of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked how she handles the demands of balancing multiple roles, she points to simple routines: reading, spending time outdoors, and being with her children.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey help me realize everything will be okay in the end,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Still, she acknowledges that becoming a judge would require a major professional adjustment.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor 17 years I\u2019ve had clients,\u201d McGucken Alvarez said. \u201cMaking that switch to not having clients, I think, is going to be hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
The race ahead<\/p>\n
Judicial races often receive less public attention than higher-profile contests. So, community forums are among the few opportunities for voters to hear directly from candidates about their qualifications and priorities. Nina McGucken Alvarez recently attended a candidate meet-and-greet event in Brandon to inform residents about how her experience will help her give back to the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is home,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I think now is the right time to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her opponent in the Group 13 race is attorney Jim Wimsatt, who has practiced law for 22 years. Wimsatt didn\u2019t attend the candidate forum Nina McGucken Alvarez participated in.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
WMNF will continue election coverage with more candidate interviews in the weeks ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Voting sign. Photo by Sean Kinane\/WMNF (2024). As Hillsborough County\u2019s court system faces major change, one judicial candidate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":288117,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[2715,94062,121959,121960,30415,135,137,136],"class_list":["post-288116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-elections","tag-florida-election","tag-hillsborough-county-judicial-circuit","tag-judicial-races","tag-news-and-public-affairs","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288116\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/288117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}