Customers of the Duval County Clerk of Courts will have to adjust their payment preferences beginning Monday, when the clerk no longer will accept personal checks for payment of fees or fines.
Public Information Officer Charlie Broward said the change is an “operational decision,” based on the risks and costs associated with accepting personal checks.
Broward said the office spends $25,000 per year to process and verify availability of funds for personal check payments, though there is no guarantee the funds will be available when the check is presented to the bank.
He also cited costs associated with bank and mailing fees as well as the time spent by staff processing and attempting to collect bounced checks.
Broward went on to say that personal checks “have the highest propensity for fraud” and the clerk’s office has very little recourse to recover on personal checks that bounce.
The issue is made more significant, Broward said, due to the type of payments for which personal checks were accepted, such as fees for certified copies of records or payment of traffic fines.
Asked to provide the number of personal checks processed by the clerk’s office on a monthly or annual basis, and the percentage of checks that are returned for insufficient funds, Broward said, “We do not have that available on hand.”
Other forms of payment, including cash, credit cards, certified checks, cashier’s checks, money orders and checks drawn against a business checking account will continue to be accepted.
For credit card payments, a 3.5 percent service charge is assessed by the state vendor, MyFloridaCounty.com. The clerk’s office accepts payments by debit cards that can be run as a credit card, but the office does not accept PIN-based debit card payments.
Broward said the clerk’s office is not authorized to increase fees or fines, therefore the cost of processing credit and debit card transactions must be passed on to the customer.
Attorneys and law offices may pay with checks drawn on an operating account, escrow account, trust account, Interest on Lawyer’s Trust Account or similar bank accounts provided it is clearly identified as such in the name section of the check.
The change in policy affects payments made at the Duval County Courthouse and at the clerk’s branch office at 1543 Atlantic Blvd. in Neptune Beach.
In the other 4th Judicial Circuit jurisdictions, the Clay County clerk accepts personal checks, with the only exception being child-support payments. In Nassau County, personal checks are accepted with photo ID for any payment at the clerk’s office.
(904) 356-2466