Judge Martz's Biography
Judicial Assignment
- Division FZ / IZ - Family and Probate in the South County Courthouse
Prior Judicial Experience
- Appointed to County Court 2006, assigned to Civil Division, Main Branch and Criminal and Civil Divisions, South County
Education
- Empire State College, Saratoga, NY
- Nova Southeastern School of Law, 1995
Prior Work Experience
- Assistant State Attorney, Palm Beach County, Florida, 1995 - 1997 and 1998 - 2005
- Private Practice, Civil Litigation & Criminal Defense, 1997 - 1998
Professional Activities
Judge Martz began his career in public service in 1977 as a police officer in California. He moved to New York where he continued in law enforcement enjoying recognition of his efforts through several promotions as well awards for his meritorious work in critical, life threatening/life saving situations. Judge Martz worked in the New York until retiring in 1992 as an administrative sergeant. During his time in police service, Judge Martz served as a patrol officer, District Attorney’s investigator, firearms instructor, patrol sergeant, administrative sergeant and worked in special assignments in undercover narcotics, and as part of an anti terrorism task force in the tri state area. Just prior to leaving the department, Judge Martz spearheaded the most comprehensive modernization effort in the department’s history. This modernization included the implementation of the most sophisticated department wide automated information system available to public safety and served as an example nationwide for use of electronic information in the public safety sector.
In 1992 Judge Martz attended Nova Southeastern University School of Law where he earned honors for his participation in national level moot court competition on the way to his Juris Doctorate degree.
In 1994 Judge Martz began working in the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office where he worked until being appointed to the bench by Governor Jeb Bush in January of 2006. While in the State Attorney’s Office Judge Martz was recognized as the single point of contact for multi jurisdictional investigations and prosecutions. Judge Martz worked to have Palm Beach County recognized by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (O.N.D.C.P.) as part of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and received grants from O.N.D.C.P. to start the Palm Beach County, Anti-Money Laundering Task Force. While under Judge Martz’s supervision the task force seized millions of dollars in tainted funds that were subsequently forfeited and allocated to law enforcement efforts on a county and federal level.
In 1996 Judge Martz began a two year project working with the War Crimes Tribunals of the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. His efforts entailed the reinvigoration of the rule of law in these two regions, where mass genocide was being investigated and prosecuted. The efforts focused on increasing public awareness and implementing systems to increase efficiency to handle the large number of crimes being investigated. This work included establishing public/private collaboration for the automation of the information systems within the tribunals and the communications between the United Nations in New York, Europe and Africa. Donations from corporate sponsors were estimated to exceed two million dollars in equipment and services.
Recently Judge Martz assembled and led a Diplomatic Delegation, at the request of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and the United States Ambassador to the Bahamas to assist them in addressing an explosion of criminal activity resulting in a critically high crime rate highlighted by a homicide rate that is ten times that of Palm Beach County. The Delegation met with the Chief Justice, Attorney General, Appeals Court, Police Department, Defense Attorneys, and community and business groups to evaluate and formulate recommendations for reformation of the Bahamian Justice System. Judge Martz was also part of a team of four judges and elected legislators who traveled to the CEELI Institute in Prague, Czech Republic to teach emerging democracies in Eastern Europe how to fight corruption in their Ministry of Justice and Courts systems. These efforts will continue in Montenegro as the process of refining the democratic rule of law evolves in the region.
Miscellaneous
In addition to his regular duties, Judge Martz is Chair of the Courts Security and Facilities Committee and serves on the technology committee as well.
