by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
It’s complicated but, if all goes according to plan, it will revolutionize Florida’s court systems while streamlining all 67 counties. And though Article Five Revision Seven, a bill which passed through Florida’s legislature this year, won’t make its official debut until July 2004, a small piece drops today in Jacksonville.
“For certain types of cases — Family, Circuit Civil, Guardianship and Probate – there is going to be a reopening fee applied,” said Clerk of the Courts Jim Fuller.
At $50, the new and permanent charge will indirectly cover costs generated by a commission of eight court clerks and one Supreme Court justice who oversee the Article Five examination and implementation statewide. The commission will also make recommendations deemed necessary for each county to the legislature.
“For the first year the money will go to them,” said Fuller. “After that it will go to the individual clerks and they’ll put it toward their operating budgets.”
All surplus money collected at the courthouses will be funneled into a trust fund in Tallahassee.
“If any counties come up shorthanded, the money can be distributed to them,” said Fuller. “It will have to go through the commission, though.”
In addition to the new reopening fees, Fuller said that regulars at the Duval County Courthouse can expect inflated costs across the board.
“All fees are going to be raised,” he said. “Right now, for example, it costs $92.50 to file for a civil action. After next year, it could go as high as $250. We’ll give notice far, far in advance, of course.”
And though difficult in the beginning, Fuller said Article Five should produce little confusion at the Courthouse by the time “the dust settles.”
“The entire bill is a huge thing (206 pages) that will bring a lot of change to our office and others located here,” said Fuller. “Right now the City does everything for us and it will be an adjustment that comes with some growing pains. We’re working on making it as smooth as possible and I think it should work out pretty well. To us, it’s just the same money coming from a different pocket.”
And as far as any “extra add-ons,” which include the Teen Court and Legal Aide programs, the incoming new administration will have to reevaluate them to determine whether not the City will allocate any money to help further fund them.
“Those programs have done a lot of good,” said Fuller. “I’m sure I’ll be talking to [Chief Operating Officer] Sam Mousa and [Chief Financial Officer] Walt Bussells about it in the near future. That’s the best and easiest way to do it. We’re going to have to figure out what they’ll do for us and what we’ll have to reabsorb into our budget. It’s a big process but we’re working on it.”