Hon. Maria Santovenia

Maria de Jesus Santovenia has served as a judge on the Florida 11th Circuit Court since 2013, following a distinguished career in litigation and municipal law. She earned her B.A. from the University of Miami in 1983 and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1988. Santovenia began her legal career as a litigation associate at Lehtinen, O'Donnell, Malman, Cortinas, Vargas & Reiner, then advanced to senior litigation associate at Shapiro and Fishman. She spent a decade as an assistant city attorney with the Miami Attorney's Office before serving as an assistant city attorney for the North Miami Beach City Attorney's Office. Her judicial tenure began with her election in 2012 and she has been re-elected in 2024.