Unless you work in the building, or you’re an attorney on the clock, you’d probably rather avoid having to visit the Duval County Courthouse.
That could be particularly true for people coming to make a payment, so the Duval County Clerk of Courts has implemented a new service that makes it easier and less expensive to pay fines and fees online.
The My Florida County system accepted online payment for civil traffic citations which are not past due, requesting copies of official records and certain child support payments.
The new E-Pay system, epay.duvalclerk.com, allows those transactions, plus traffic citation installment plan payments, court costs, and payment in full on late payments to avoid the account being turned over to a collection agency.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve our service and help our customers meet their needs,” said Ronnie Fussell, Duval County clerk of courts.
The credit card convenience fee for the E-Pay system is less than that charged by My Florida County, resulting in 1,235 customers saving $1,410 in the first 10 days of the system’s operation.
By adding more types of payments that may be made with E-Pay, nearly 500 customers avoided having to make their payments in person at the courthouse, he added.
The next phase, scheduled for December, will expand online payment options to include criminal traffic infractions and penalty payments required under misdemeanor and felony judgments and municipal ordinance infractions.
June also marked the one-year anniversary of the clerk’s office’s new website. Duval County’s site is considered one of the best in the state, based on comments from members of the Florida Courts Technology Commission, Fussell said.
“The intent was to re-write the content and take it out of ‘clerk-speak’ and put it in plain English,” said Gerald Cates, director of information technology for the clerk’s office.
One of the new features at duvalclerk.com that was most well-received is the department-by-department wait time information for the clerk’s main office in the courthouse and at the Beaches branch.
An improved system for public access to official records is planned to go into effect later this year, with easier to use search options. Marriage license customers will be able to file applications online to save time at the counter when they have to go to the courthouse to complete the process.
“Technology changes constantly and we have to stay ahead of it. We are preparing for the future,” Fussell said.