(1) Pursuant to s. 14(b), Art. V of the State Constitution, selected salaries, costs, and expenses of the state courts system and court-related functions shall be funded from a portion of the revenues derived from statutory fines, fees, service charges, and costs collected by the clerks of the court.

(2) Beginning November 1, 2013, that portion of all fines, fees, service charges, and costs collected by the clerks of the court for the previous month which is in excess of one-twelfth of the clerks’ total budget for the performance of court-related functions shall be remitted to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the Clerks of the Court Trust Fund. Such collections do not include funding received for the operation of the Title IV-D child support collections and disbursement program. The clerk of the court shall remit the revenues collected during the previous month due to the state on or before the 10th day of each month.

1(3)(a) Each year, no later than January 25, for the previous county fiscal year, the clerks of court, in consultation with the Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation, shall remit to the Department of Revenue for deposit in the Clerks of the Court Trust Fund the cumulative excess of all fines, fees, service charges, and costs retained by the clerks of the court, plus any funds received by the clerks of the court from the Clerks of the Court Trust Fund under s. 28.36(3), which exceed the amount needed to meet their authorized budget amounts established under s. 28.35.

(b)1. No later than February 1, 2020, the Department of Revenue shall transfer from the Clerks of the Court Trust Fund to the General Revenue Fund the sum of the cumulative excess of all fines, fees, service charges, and costs submitted by the clerks of court pursuant to subsection (2) and the cumulative excess of all fines, fees, service charges, and costs remitted by the clerks of court pursuant to paragraph (a) in excess of $10 million.

2. No later than February 1, 2021, the Department of Revenue shall transfer from the Clerks of the Court Trust Fund to the General Revenue Fund not less than 50 percent of the sum of the cumulative excess of all fines, fees, service charges, and costs submitted by the clerks of court pursuant to subsection (2) and the cumulative excess of all fines, fees, service charges, and costs remitted by the clerks of court pursuant to paragraph (a); provided however, the balance remaining in the Clerks of Courts Trust Fund after such transfer may not be more than $20 million.

3. No later than February 1, 2022, the Department of Revenue shall transfer from the Clerks of the Court Trust Fund to the General Revenue Fund not less than 50 percent of the sum of the cumulative excess of all fines, fees, service charges, and costs submitted by the clerks of court pursuant to subsection (2) and the cumulative excess of all fines, fees, service charges, and costs remitted by the clerks of court pursuant to paragraph (a); provided however, the balance remaining in the Clerks of Courts Trust Fund after such transfer may not be more than $20 million.

4. No later than February 1, 2023, and each February 1 thereafter, the Department of Revenue shall transfer from the Clerks of the Court Trust Fund to the General Revenue Fund the cumulative excess of all fines, fees, service charges, and costs submitted by the clerks of court pursuant to subsection (2) and the cumulative excess of all fines, fees, service charges, and costs remitted by the clerks of court pursuant to paragraph (a).

(4) The Department of Revenue shall collect any funds that the Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation determines upon investigation were due but not remitted to the Department of Revenue. The corporation shall notify the clerk of the court and the Department of Revenue of the amount due to the Department of Revenue. The clerk of the court shall remit the amount due no later than the 10th day of the month following the month in which notice is provided by the corporation to the clerk of the court.

(5) Ten percent of all court-related fines collected by the clerk, except for penalties or fines distributed to counties or municipalities under s. 316.0083(1)(b)3. or s. 318.18(15)(a), shall be deposited into the fine and forfeiture fund to be used exclusively for clerk court-related functions, as provided in s. 28.35(3)(a).

History.—s. 38, ch. 2003-402; s. 25, ch. 2004-265; s. 12, ch. 2005-236; s. 5, ch. 2009-204; s. 5, ch. 2012-100; s. 8, ch. 2013-44; s. 5, ch. 2017-126; s. 4, ch. 2019-58.

1Note.—Section 31, ch. 2019-58, provides that “[t]he amendments to the jurisdiction of a court made by this act shall apply with respect to the date of filing the cause of action, regardless of when the cause of action accrued.”