The Honorable Jackie Powell was invited to be the keynote speaker at the induction of Lauderdale Lakes Middle School’s Chapter of the Mentoring Tomorrow’s Leaders program, and Boyd Anderson High School
Chapter of 5,000 Role Model. Judge Powell also administered the oath to the inductees of the Mentoring Tomorrow’s Leaders program.

Both programs have been created for Broward County students to have an opportunity to learn about the importance of mentorship, and to be able to become a role model for their community and peers.

The Honorable Florence Taylor Barner was a guest speaker for over six hundred high school
students at the FBI Miami Citizens Academy Alumni Association Youth Summit on Friday,
December 1, 2023.

The summit is held to bring students together from the tri-county area who participate in this
program and gives them the opportunity to learn about law enforcement and a potential career
in the field.

A group of students from the Women of Tomorrow program at Dillard High School came to the 17th Circuit courthouse for a guided tour on Friday, December 1, 2023.

The young women spoke with Judges Michael J. Orlando, Giuseppina Miranda, Lauren M. Alperstein, and Michael A. Robinson in their courtrooms and observed trial happening in real time.

The Middle School students of Central Charter School came to visit the 17th Circuit courthouse for a guided tour on Wednesday, November 29, 2023.

Students spoke with the Honorable Elijah H. Williams, Lauren M. Alperstein, and Jackie Powell.

The students spent time with each judge during a question and answer session, and had the opportunity to participate in a mini mock trial.

The 17th Judicial Circuit honored National Adoption Day on Saturday, November 18, 2023. With several thousand children needing to be adopted in the United States, 24 were adopted that day at the 17th Judicial Circuit courthouse. Chief Judge Jack Tuter and Judges Hope Tieman Bristol, Yael Gamm, Stacy Schulman and Alberto Ribas participated in the adoption ceremonies that took place.

In addition to the judges, there were several Unified Family Court Staff Members that assisted with the adoption ceremonies including Program Coordinator for Early Childhood Court & Dependency Drug Court Trent Baker, Court Operations Manager for Juvenile Delinquency & Dependency Yolanda Brown, Family Court Manager Elizabeth Bardfeld Kamphaus, Early Childhood Court Coordinator Tiffany Jackson, and Delinquency Court Supervisor Janelle May. The 17th Circuit also provided five therapy dogs for the ceremonies to provide comfort and support to those in need.

To learn more about this year’s Adoption Day and its outcome in Broward County, click on the link below:
https://bit.ly/AdoptDay23

The Honorable Robert W Lee was a featured guest on “This Week in South Florida with
Glenna Milberg” on Sunday, October 22, 2023.

The segment focuses on an informative discussion about the state of Florida’s plan to
merge judicial circuits. For more information on the plan and the full segment, click on
the link below:

https://bit.ly/JudgeLeeSpeaks