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Why Is Oxalis Garcia Running for Pinellas County Circuit Judge Group 44?
Oxalis Garcia is running for Pinellas County Circuit Judge Group 44 because she has reached a turning point after 20 years of legal practice — and the timing finally aligned with a goal she had set for herself since law school. Becoming a judge was never a distant aspiration; it was always part of the plan, and the right circumstances arrived to make this the moment to act.
Twenty Years of Practice, One Long-Held Goal
Garcia didn't stumble into this candidacy. She describes it as a natural next chapter — one she had been building toward since the beginning of her legal career. Her first bar license dates back to 2006, and she has been practicing in Florida since 2012, accumulating two decades of experience across civil and family law, including highly specialized international Hague child abduction cases.
That depth of experience, spread across three jurisdictions — Puerto Rico, Florida, and Maryland — is central to how Garcia frames her candidacy. This breadth is discussed openly in From Courtroom to Carline: A Legal Parenting Podcast, where she explains that a multi-jurisdictional career gave her a perspective on the law that she believes is uniquely suited to the bench.
Circumstances Aligned — A Phrase That Means Something Specific Here
Garcia uses the phrase "circumstances aligned" deliberately. She is not vague about what that means in practice: after two decades of building a career, running a firm she ultimately merged with law partner Michael Berry, and navigating a life that took her from Puerto Rico to Ohio to the island and then across multiple U.S. states, she reached a stage where the professional and personal conditions were right to make the leap.
It is also worth noting the personal dimension Garcia brings to this candidacy. As the primary caregiver for her 91-year-old grandmother, she carries real-life stakes in how the legal system handles families — something she explores candidly in this episode of the podcast.
"I bring a multicultural and multi-jurisdictional perspective to the bench, which is something that I don't believe any other judge has at this moment in time in the Sixth Judicial Circuit."
Oxalis Garcia — Attorney & Candidate for Circuit Judge Group 44, Pinellas County.
Garcia was born and raised in Puerto Rico and is licensed to practice law in three jurisdictions: Puerto Rico, Florida, and Maryland. She obtained her first bar license in 2006 and has been practicing in Florida since 2012. She specializes in family law, with a particular focus on complex jurisdictional matters and international Hague child abduction cases. She merged her firm with law partner Michael Berry and has also appeared on the reality TV show 90 Day Fiance as a legal consultant. She is running for a seat on the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County.
That perspective — multicultural, multi-jurisdictional, rooted in 20 years of front-line legal work — is the core of Garcia's case for why this is the right moment and why she is the right candidate. As she explains in From Courtroom to Carline, no other sitting judge in the Sixth Judicial Circuit currently brings that combination to the bench.
For anyone working in family law or following judicial elections in Pinellas County, the full conversation — available through From Courtroom to Carline: A Legal Parenting Podcast — gives the most complete picture of how Garcia thinks about the role and what she intends to bring to it.
See also
How did Oxalis Garcia become involved in international Hague child abduction cases?
Garcia became involved by chance when a client's daughter was taken to Trinidad and Tobago by the father. While trying to get a child pickup order in that jurisdiction, she discovered the International Hague Treaty framework and built her expertise from there.
What is the International Hague Treaty and how does Oxalis Garcia handle those cases?
The International Hague Treaty, as Garcia explains, deals specifically with international child abductions — situations where a parent takes a child out of their home country and retains them in another. Garcia helps the left-behind parent navigate the legal process to have the child returned.
Who is Oxalis Garcia and what is her legal background?
Oxalis Garcia is an attorney born and raised in Puerto Rico who is licensed in three jurisdictions: Puerto Rico, Florida, and Maryland. She has been practicing law since 2006 and in Florida since 2012, specializing in family law and complex international matters.
Key takeaways
- Garcia's decision to run is the result of a career milestone — 20 years of practice — meeting a lifelong goal first set in law school.
- Her candidacy for Circuit Judge Group 44 is grounded in a multi-jurisdictional background spanning Puerto Rico, Florida, and Maryland — a combination she argues no current Sixth Judicial Circuit judge holds.
- She describes the timing as a convergence of professional readiness and personal circumstances, not an impulsive decision.
- Her lived experience — including caregiving for a 91-year-old grandmother and years handling high-stakes family law matters — directly informs how she sees the role of a judge.
Hear Oxalis Garcia explain her candidacy and her legal career in her own words.
Listen to the episode on Listenly