Tag Archives: judiciary funding
Florida’s courts need reliable funding
The Florida Legislature needs to provide the third branch of government in this state with consistent, reliable funding. Revenue is currently provided from foreclosure filing fees. Even then, the courts receive only two-thirds of the revenue. And the fees, by their nature, tend to go through hills and valleys. Consider these facts: – Florida ranks among the lowest in the percentage of state budgets allocated to the judicial branch. For instance, Arkansas and Kentucky devote … Continue reading
Stable revenue sought for court system
Governor seeks to replace unreliable funding stream from foreclosure fees with money from state’s general fund. The recurring need for emergency loans to keep state courts afloat may cease if Gov. Rick Scott’s budget proposal to fund the courts with $280 million from the general fund instead of foreclosure fees becomes reality. The courts have been operating with money from the State Courts Revenue Trust Fund, fueled largely by foreclosure fees, which became erratic when … Continue reading
Florida Supreme Court Says State Needs 72 Judges
Florida’s highest court says the state needs 71 additional trial court judges and one for the Second District Court of Appeal in Lakeland because of an increase in mortgage and civil cases and demands on reduced staff time by a growth in those who self-represent themselves in legal matters. With the state Legislature looking to plug a nearly $2 billion shortfall in projected revenue for the next fiscal year, the justices stated in a release … Continue reading
Suit challenges Fla. law requiring workers to pay into their pensions
TALLAHASSEE — A lawsuit challenging the new state law making public employees pay 3 percent of their salaries for their retirement plan could punch an $860 million hole in Florida’s budget and take some $600 million away from county governments if it is upheld by the courts. The lawsuit, filed by firefighters, police officers, teachers and other public employees and their unions, is pending in circuit court in Leon County, with a ruling expected soon … Continue reading
Florida courts go begging
Without an independent judiciary, Florida’s constitutional government loses its balance. And without an adequately and reliably funded court system, justice for the ordinary citizen is delayed, perhaps denied. Since July 1, the governor has had to loan almost $100 million to the system to keep the courts running, after a collapse in the court filing fees and fines that the system now relies on. Financial vulnerability not only threatens the courts’ ability to handle the … Continue reading
Guest opinion: Florida courts deserve a better funding formula
In January, lawmakers will convene to redraw Florida’s legislative districts. This exercise will present important challenges. But just as important, legislators must redo the boundaries of Florida’s $69 billion budget to ensure court funding is stable and secure. The current situation is unworkable. Florida’s judicial branch receives only .7 of 1 percent of state revenues. Responsible for serving 18 million people, Florida’s courts bring resolution to myriad disputes affecting all citizens. By comparison with other … Continue reading
Scott approves loan to keep Fla. courts afloat
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Rick Scott has approved a $45.6 million loan so Florida’s court system can avoid an impending deficit due mainly to a decline in mortgage foreclosure filing fees. In a letter Tuesday to Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady, Scott’s budget director, Jerry McDaniel, wrote that the money must be repaid by next June 30 when the current budget year ends. The court system’s shortfall is expected to total $159 million by … Continue reading
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Tagged florida courts, foreclosure, Governor Rick Scott, judiciary funding
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Courts administrator to Legislature: Fund us, and we’ll move along stalled foreclosures
A panel of lawmakers examined the scope of Florida’s mortgage foreclosure crisis on Tuesday as the Legislature prepares to introduce legislation that would speed up the process. State leaders have already discussed making Florida a non-judicial foreclosure state, an option some believe would resolve cases twice as fast as the judicial route. While that may be nice to consider for the future, the soonest that move could go into effect would likely be July 1, … Continue reading
Fla. chief justice seeks additional court funding
9/30/2011 by Jessica M. Karmasek TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) — Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady has asked Gov. Rick Scott for more funding so the state’s courts can continue to operate. According to The Associated Press, Canady wrote Scott and other state officials this week informing them of a projected $108 million budget shortfall for the current fiscal year. The court system’s budget is about $361.2 million. Revenues from fees were expected to … Continue reading
Got Cash?
By Ron Cunningham http://www.gainesville.com/article/20111002/COLUMNISTS/110939958?p=2&tc=pg I’ve seen lots of interesting things while riding the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail. Rattlesnakes and deer and gators, of course. And very large adults on tricked out tricycles. But you know what I’ve yet to see on Paynes Prairie? A billboard that says: “NO CREDIT? NO PROBLEM!” Listen, cyclists have credit problems, too, you know. Not to worry. Our state Legislature is on the case. Next session, lawmakers will consider a bill to … Continue reading
