The Hon. Renatha S. Francis is a justice of the Florida Supreme Court. She was appointed to bench by Governor Ron DeSantis on August 5, 2020, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. C. Alan Lawson (Ret.). Francis holds the distinction of being the court's first Jamaican-American justice.
Prior to her appointment, Francis was a judge for the 15th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Palm Beach County, having been named to the seat by Governor DeSantis in 2019 to fill the vacancy created by the passing of the Hon. Meenu Sasser. Before that, Francis sat as a judge for the 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Miami-Dade County since 2018. She was elevated to its bench by former Governor Rick Scott after briefly serving as a judge for the Miami-Dade County Court beginning in 2017.
Francis received a bachelor's degree from the University of the West Indies in 2001. She then completed a J.D. at Florida Coastal School of Law in 2010.
Prior to beginning her judicial career, Francis was an attorney at Shutts & Bowen, LLP. Before joining the firm, she clerked for the Florida First District Court of Appeal for six and half years.
Francis was born and raised in Jamaica. She is a married mother of two.