Market opportunity · FL
Strong marketFlorida.
Roughly 119,859 new disability claims are filed in Florida each year. At a 20% retention rate and a conservative $6,900 fee per retained case, the addressable fee pool is approximately $165M annually.
119,859
Initial claims / year
36.6%
Nat'l: 39.8%
245 days
Nat'l hearing: 365 days
$165M
Annualized · retention × cap
01 · Bench
Top 5 ALJs by approval rate.
Judges currently on the bench in Florida hearing offices, sorted by favorable decision rate. Use these to prioritize which office a case is assigned to, where permissible.
| ALJ | Office | Approval | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cartledge, James Cole | MIAMI OHO | 96.0% | 225 |
| Paddack, Stacy | TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 88.0% | 334 |
| Pennock, Carol J. | MIAMI OHO | 86.4% | 59 |
| Thawley, John A | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 83.1% | 195 |
| Dixon III, Andrew | TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 80.2% | 101 |
02 · Offices
Hearing-office timing.
Fastest
- ST PETERSBURG FL OHO221 days
- FORT MYERS FL229 days
- TALLAHASSEE FL OHO236 days
Slowest
- TAMPA OHO259 days
- FT LAUDERDALE258 days
- ORLANDO253 days
Methodology · Figures reflect SSA public data through the latest release. Fee pool estimates annualize DDS intake at a conservative 20% retention rate with a 75% cap hit on retained backpay — not a performance guarantee. Approval rates describe historical decisions, not likelihoods on individual cases.