Feb 10, 2021 By Gary Blankenship Senior Editor Top Stories
Michael J. Korn
With more and more court proceedings, including trials, being conducted online, the Bar’s Rules of Judicial Administration Committee will be looking at how exhibits, which used to be carried to the courtroom, can be submitted electronically.
The RJAC briefly discussed the issue at its January meeting and committee member Tom Hall, liaison to the Florida Courts Technology Commission, updated the FCTC at its February 5 meeting.
In a separate interview, RJAC Chair Michael Korn said the issue is being assigned to a subcommittee and he hopes to have a report ahead of the committee’s next scheduled meeting in June.
Clerks of court throughout Florida have announced dates for their 2021 Operation Green Light events. Operation Green Light is a driver license reinstatement event held annually to reduce the number of driver license suspensions and give individuals with suspended driver licenses the chance to save on certain fees. “With many Floridians struggling financially, events like Operation Green Light are as important as ever," said Chris Hart IV, chief executive officer of Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers. "Last year, Florida’s clerks of court helped residents save thousands in collection fees through virtual driver license reinstatement events. This clerk of court initiative reduces the burden on Floridians who are simply trying to do the right thing by paying back their obligations to the courts. More importantly, it helps those people regain driving privileges, so they can begin to move on with their lives.” In Florida, driver licenses can
Screenshot from the Civitek website.
(CN) With 15 board members and more than 100 employees, the Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers act as a gatekeeper for attorneys and residents who access the state’s court system.
Through their own for-profit company CiviTek, the clerks manage a series of websites that process an estimated $500 million worth of transactions each year and collect millions in “convenience” fees.
Every time an attorney files a lawsuit, a couple submits divorce papers, or a parent makes a child support payment and pay with a credit card, they must navigate through CiviTek-created portals and pony up the company’s 3.5% convenience fee.
Jan 28, 2021 By Jim Ash Senior Editor Top Stories
Chief Justice Charles Canady
Judges, lawyers, and their judicial partners have worked diligently to respond to COVID-19, but a significant backlog of cases is looming, Chief Justice Charles Canady told lawmakers.
The chief justice and Clay County Court Clerk and Comptroller Tara Green, president the Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers, delivered a pandemic update to a January 26 meeting of the House Judiciary Committee.
Justice Canady said that since March, the courts installed 1,700 Zoom licenses and conducted more than 400,000 videoconference hearings and other proceedings.
“Largely through remote proceedings, trial courts in Florida are on track to dispose of a projected 2.8 million cases in Fiscal Year 2020-21,” Canady said.
Florida’s elected clerks have worked their way into the heart of the court system by acting as online cashier and collecting millions of dollars in “convenience” fees through a for-profit corporation that is owned by the clerks and avoids sunshine laws.
Florida clerks association and Civitek books show assets of $26 million.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CN) In a two-story brick building, sandwiched between a townhouse community and a small shopping plaza on the north side of Tallahassee, dozens of employees process hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of electronic payments coming through Florida’s vast court system.
Every time an attorney files a lawsuit, a couple submits divorce papers, or a parent makes a child support payment, and pays with a credit card, this company, CiviTek, charges a 3.5% convenience fee raking in tens of millions of dollars a year.