Two weeks ago, Winter Park appellate lawyer Carrie Ann Wozniak got a call from the Florida Governor’s Office that changed her life. After interviewing with Gov. Ron DeSantis the previous week, Wozniak learned she had been appointed as a judge on Florida’s Fifth District of Appeal.

“It is really bittersweet to be saying goodbye to my firm, but I’m really excited about it,” said Wozniak, a former Akerman litigation partner, in an interview.