by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
‘Til death do us part . . . or until the price goes up, whichever comes first.
That could have been the mantra for hundreds of dissatisfied, yet budget conscious, spouses who jammed the Duval County Courthouse Wednesday. June 30 was the last day they could file before the City imposes new filing fees. Clerk of Court workers had been preparing, but the rush of deadline divorces still caught them by surprise, said Charlene Ricks, assistant to the clerk.
“The line started at the front counter and ran out the door almost to the first-floor entrance,” said Ricks. “The staff was prepared, but I think the size of the lines was a little larger than anticipated.”
All told, 249 people filed for divorce Wednesday. Ricks said the usual daily tally runs around 50. From the time the doors opened at 8:30 a.m. to their close after 5 p.m., the packed first-floor hallways resembled an episode of “Dr. Phil” unhappy spouses from beginning to end.
The new fees provided ample incentive to wait out the lines. The last–minute filers saved more than $200 each by filing in June, the last month before the City took over from the state in paying for Duval County’s courts. To mitigate the extra expense, the City is tagging many of its court services with increased fees. Filing for divorce used to cost $160. Now it runs $364. Even at the old rates the clerk’s office took in almost $40,000 in divorce fees Wednesday. Another 95 people filed paperwork for civil cases, paying $92.50 per. That cost bumped to $256 the next day.
Ricks said the crowd comprised a well-mannered bunch. “Everyone was very cooperative, nobody was fussing or complaining.” She said it was one of the busiest days her eight-person staff ever worked, but she said she was proud of the way her crew pulled together to get everybody through the line by 5:15 p.m. Two of her employees remained until 7 p.m. to make sure the paperwork was filed properly.
Coming face to face with the steady stream of divorce seekers could have been a disheartening experience for Ricks, but she sees a bright side. At least people were paying attention to the newspapers when they reported the new rates.