- Judge Dawn Caloca-Johnson, 61, passed away in a car crash near Cape San Blas.
- Caloca-Johnson was battling cancer privately.
- Watch the video to hear how judge's daughter will honor her.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A judge who brought grace, fairness, and compassion to the courtroom is being remembered.
“I’m gonna miss talking to her every day, and I’m going to miss getting her opinion, you know, on big life choices,” the judge’s daughter, Catherine, said.
I’m Lentheus Chaney, your Monticello neighborhood reporter, speaking with colleagues and family of the late Judge Dawn Caloca-Johnson, whose unexpected passing has left a deep void in the legal and local community.
Judge Dawn Caloca-Johnson died Sunday in a car crash near Cape San Blas. She was 61 years old.
She served the Second Judicial Circuit for nearly 25 years—first as a child support hearing officer, then a general magistrate, and later as a circuit judge appointed in 2009 by Gov. Charlie Crist. Since then, she had been re-elected three times.
Her most recent assignments brought her to Jefferson County and probate court in Leon County, where she presided over cases with clarity and kindness—often during the most personal and emotional times for local families.
Deputy Cristen Pittman worked with Judge Caloca-Johnson in Leon and Jefferson counties. She says she will miss talking with her about their shared passion for horses.
“She’s definitely well missed. I mean, everybody that has worked with her, works for her—we all just love her. She’s just such a wonderful person,” Pittman said.
Her compassion extended well beyond the courtroom.
She was a devoted wife to Ken Johnson and mother to daughters Catherine and Claire.
In a Facebook post, her husband shared that Judge Caloca-Johnson had quietly been battling cancer for months—enduring major surgeries and chemotherapy.
He wrote in part:
“She never wanted to suffer, and she didn’t. Something must have been in the works, and only God knew.”
The couple had just arrived for what would have been her first-ever camping trip—planned for rest and family time. She experienced a medical emergency shortly before reaching the campground.
Their daughter Catherine also shares her mother’s love for horses and plans to carry on that passion. She says her mother’s lifelong connection to horses led her to found the Trakehner Association of North America, a breed registry dedicated to the Trakehner horse.
“The horses just were her shining light. After, you know, everything that she would do—go to work—at the end of the day, all she wanted to do was spend time with the horses. My mom’s mom would come over in the summers and watch me and my sister, and I think she got a lot of her compassion through her,” Catherine said.
Judge Caloca-Johnson received the Parks & Crump Thurgood Marshall Award for Judicial Excellence. The award is presented to a judge who demonstrates exceptional leadership, upholds judicial excellence, and actively works to ensure justice and expand access to justice within their community.
In court, she was known for listening deeply—especially in family law cases. In life, she was known for nurturing others.
Out of court, as she battled cancer over the past year, Catherine says she handled it all with grace.
“We all think that, you know, it was God’s will—that everything she has gone through, you know, the cancer battle and the surgeries—we think it was a true act of God wanting to bring her home and tell her that her work is done,” Catherine said.
Chief Judge Frank Allman said it best in a statement. He wrote in part:
“She treated everyone who appeared before her fairly, and she had a true passion for children and families in crisis.”
Judge Caloca-Johnson’s life was one of service, strength, and grace.
Here in Jefferson County—and across the circuit—her legacy lives on in the people and families she touched.
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