ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A judge well-known locally as the face of the Ninth Judicial Circuit judiciary and nationally for presiding over the Casey Anthony case will keep his current seat for his fifth term.
Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr. has served as chief judge for Orange and Osceola between 1995 and 1999 and then again from 2001 through the present.
Daniel Perry, a local attorney and former Orange County judge, was looking to unseat Belvin Perry but that didn't happen in Tuesday's primary.
Belvin Perry previously said Daniel Perry chose to run against him because he filed a complaint that led to a recent Florida Bar inquiry into Daniel Perry.
Daniel Perry denies that Florida Bar complaint has anything to do with his decision to take on the long-time judge. Instead, Daniel Perry cited an affair his opponent had many years ago.
A Florida Supreme Court ruling from earlier this year raised the question of whether Perry, if re-elected to his judicial seat, would be permitted to continue as chief judge beyond June 30, 2013. The Supreme Court capped chief judge terms across the state at eight years.
Daniel Perry ran what has been called a “stealth” campaign. He was an Orange County judge from 1991 to 1995.
WFTV
