Judge in middle of overtime dispute; Judith Goldman catches blame for bailiffs' extra hours.(B SECTION)

Byline: TODD RUGER todd.ruger@heraldtribune.com

SARASOTA COUNTY -- Hours after 5 p.m. County Judge Judith Goldman says she worked in December:8

Overtime hours bailiffs attributed to Goldman's courtroom in December: 133

County Judge Judith Goldman ran her courtroom past 5 p.m. for only eight hours in December. The same month, bailiffs attributed more than 133 hours of their overtime to her courtroom.

The sheriff's office has blamed Goldman for a quarter of the $215,000 paid by taxpayers for bailiffs' overtime over the past two years.

But with months like December, Goldman and Chief Judge Robert Bennett say the real problem is with how the sheriff's office staffs the courthouse.

"She's not spending that much time working overtime," Bennett said. "I have long suspected there are some staff shortages."

Goldman is up for re-election this year, and has been criticized for being late to court, but she said she isn't …