Charlie Helms appointed to serve as judge in Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit Court

Tallahassee, Florida — On Friday, April 25, 2024, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the judicial appointment of Charles Lawrence Wayne Helm, of Floral City, Florida, to serve on Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit Court, serving Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter and Hernando counties.

Helm fills the judicial vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Anthony Tatti after nearly 40 years of public service, including 13 years as a Circuit Court Judge.

Helm grew up in Zephyrhills, Florida and worked as a Plant City Police officer and K-9 (canine) handler for six years before beginning his legal career.

Helm earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in 2011 and his juris doctor from Liberty University School of Law in 2015.

After working for about a year as a law clerk for law firms in Clearwater, Florida and Myrtle Beach, North Carolina, Helm joined the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office in late 2015 as an Assistant State Attorney, where he worked for about five years. He worked as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Florida for about seven months, until September 2021, when Governor DeSantis appointed him to serve as a Citrus County Circuit Court judge.