Justice for All Floridians

1
Justice for All Floridians
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2
Important Change

• In 1998 the voters of Florida decided that the
  State should take over funding most aspects of
  the trial court system

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3
Article V Revision 7

• Currently, more than half of our
• courts budget comes from
• county funds
• Larger portions of the courts funding will be
  the responsibility
• of the State on July 1, 2004
• This poses a significant fiscal
• challenge for the State and Legislature

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4
Under 1 of the Total State Budget

• Our courts are allocated less than 1 of the
  total state budget
• State Courts Systems budgetwas only 0.58 of
  last years budget
• Even after Revision 7, the
• State Courts System will
• likely receive less than 2
• of the budget

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5
Impacting You

• If adequate funding is not approved, many
  services you have come to rely on will no longer
  be available.

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How Does This Affect Me and My Community?

• How would it affect your criminal court?
• How would it affect your civil court?
• How would it affect your family and probate
  courts?
• How would it affect your local economy?
• How would it affect public trust and confidence
  in our democracy?

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7
What Have Other States Experienced?

• OREGON
• Close appellate, tax and circuits courts on
  Fridays
• Defer small claims and non-person misdemeanor
  cases
• COLORADO
• Close courthouses one week per month
• WASHINGTON
• Closed two district courthouses
• NEW HAMPSHIRE
• Suspended jury trials for 2 months in 2002 and 3
  months in 2003
• ALABAMA
• Suspended jury trials (civil indefinitely and
  criminal every other month for one week terms)
• NEW MEXICO
• Developing contingency plan for court closures

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8
The Court System

• The Court System touches all our lives
• Victims of crime
• Participants in lawsuits
• Property disputes
• Drug treatment programs
• Child custody disputes

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9
What You Can Do

• Call, write, or visit your local legislators and
  tell them you want Justice for All Floridians.
• Tell them that you believe adequate funding for
  the courtsshould be a top legislative priority!

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