Sylvia A. Grunor

Age: 67

Political Party: N/A

Where they live: Sanford, FL

Where they work: County Court Judge, State of Florida

Education: Juris Doctorate, Stetson University College of Law, 1989

Prior work experience: 

• 35 years practicing law in Florida
• More than 30 jury trials
• More than 200 bench trials

Prior political/public service experience:

• Appointed County Court Judge by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2024
• Chairman of the Board of Trustees at her church
• Guardian ad Litem

Campaign website

Professional experiences that best prepared her for the bench: 35 years of law practice in various areas

Why they are running: “I was appointed as a County Judge by the Governor in 2024.  After 35 years of practicing law, I believed that service as a County Court Judge was both a privilege and a vocation.”

Endorsements:

• Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma
• State Attorney William Scheiner
• Former State Attorney Phil Archer

Campaign finance report: $69,740 in contributions

Fun Fact: “My friends call me ‘Sly’ because someone misspelled Sylvia over 40 years ago; and my family calls me ‘Dolly.’”

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Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said Grunor did not respond to the questionnaire.

Candidate Q&A: The questions below are based on voter questions and expressed priorities. Each of the candidates within a race were asked the same questions and given the same amount of time to respond. The candidates’ answers were fact checked, checked for spelling and grammar but otherwise unedited.

What role should personal values play in judicial decision-making? A judge should follow the law while making decisions.

How do you balance precedent with evolving societal standards? A judge should follow the law.

What steps do you take to avoid conflicts of interest? If a conflict arises, I recuse from the case.

What barriers to justice do you see in the current system, and how would you address them? That is not the job of a judge. A judge should follow the law.