COURT OVERVIEW
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Supreme Court | District Court of Appeals | Circuit Court | County Court
Citizen's Web Guide to the Courts
This section of our web site is an overview of the Florida Court System prepared by the Administrative Office of the Courts, Twentieth Judicial Circuit. This booklet is designed to introduce the citizen to the Florida Court System in general and the Twentieth Judicial Circuit in particular. The Twentieth Circuit includes a five county area consisting of Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties. At the time of printing, the Twentieth Judicial Circuit is served by twenty-four circuit judges and fourteen county court judges. The Administrative Office of the Courts is responsible for non-judicial affairs of the courts such as budget planning, assignment and distribution of cases and the supervision and administration of programs in support of the Court. Trial courts are generally open to the public Monday through Friday except on holidays. Visitors are welcome, large groups should contact the Administrative Office of the Courts at least two week in advance to arrange for a tour.
Visitors are also welcome in the District Court of Appeals and the Florida Supreme Court. Appellate court schedules differ from those of trial courts. Information about these courts should be obtained from the clerk of the particular court before any visit.
Florida State Courts System
Our circuit and county courts are part of the Florida State Courts system, created in 1972 with the adoption of Article V of the Florida Constitution. Article V established a four tiered judicial system. The top two tiers are appellate courts (the Florida Supreme Court and five District Courts of Appeal), which review the decisions of the courts below them. The third and fourth tiers (circuit and county courts) are primary trial courts.
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Supreme Court | District Court of Appeals | Circuit Court | County Court
Florida Supreme Court
The Florida Supreme Court is the state's highest court of judicial review and is located in the state capitol, Tallahassee. The Supreme Court consists of seven justices, one of whom serves as Chief Justice, and sits in review of questions of law from the District Courts of Appeal and directly reviews capital cases where the death penalty has been imposed by the Circuit Court. Appointed by the Governor, the justices stand for statewide merit retention vote every six years. The Chief Justice oversees the administration of the entire state court system with the assistance of the Office of the State Courts Administrator.
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Supreme Court | District Court of Appeals | Circuit Court | County Court
District Court of Appeal
The second tier is the District Court of Appeal. The five District Courts of Appeal are the primary appellate court in Florida. Justices sitting in Tallahassee, Lakeland, Miami, West Palm Beach and Daytona Beach hear appeals from the Circuit Courts. Like the Supreme Court Justices, District Court of Appeals Justices are appointed by the Governor and stand for merit retention vote every six years within their district.
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First Appellate District: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Nassau, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla, Walton, Washington.
Second Appellate District: Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota.
Third Appellate District: Dade, Monroe.
Fourth Appellate District: Broward, Indian River. Okeechobee, Palm Beach, St. Lucie, Martin.
Fifth Appellate District: Brevard, Citrus, Flagler, Hernando, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Putnam, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Volusia.
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Supreme Court | District Court of Appeals | Circuit Court | County Court
Circuit Courts
The third tier is the circuit court. A court of general jurisdiction, the circuit court handles: probate matters (wills), civil actions in which the disputed amount exceeds $15,000, and felony criminal cases which includes cases punishable by more than one year in state prison. Circuit court also hears cases in equity such as domestic relations (divorce, child custody, and injunctions for protection), juvenile proceedings and petitions for writs. The circuit court hears appeals from county court. Circuit judges are elected by popular vote within the circuit for six year terms. The circuit judges and county court judges within a circuit elect one of the circuit judges as chief judge of the circuit for a two year term. The chief judge aided by the court administrator is responsible for administration of the courts within the circuit.
Select a Circuit to Learn More
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SECOND CIRCUIT
Counties:
Franklin; Gadsden; Jefferson; Leon; Liberty; Wakulla.
2nd Circuit Website
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THIRD CIRCUIT
Counties:
Columbia; Dixie; Hamilton; Lafayette; Madison; Suwannee; Taylor.
3rd Circuit Website
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Supreme Court | District Court of Appeals | Circuit Court | County Court
County Court
The fourth tier in the Florida Judicial System is the county court. County court is a limited jurisdiction court which hears misdemeanors (criminal offenses punishable by up to one year in county jail), violations of county and municipal ordinances, traffic matters, civil actions in which the amount in dispute does not exceed $15,000 and small claims disputes (small claims court hears civil disputes in which the amount in dispute is $5,000 or less). County court also hears all landlord and tenant proceedings relating to the right of possession. Because of the types of matters they handle, county court is where most citizens come into contact with the court system. County judges are elected within each county for a six year term.
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