Website Terms & Policies

The 20th Judicial Circuit makes information and documents available for your use on this web site subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this document (the "Terms of Use" Section). By accessing this website, you agree to this Terms of Use policy. The Court reserves the right to change the Terms of Use at its sole discretion. Your use of the Site will be subject to the most current version of the Terms of Use posted on the Site at the time of such use. In addition, when using particular Services or Materials on this Site, you are subject to any posted guidelines or rules applicable to such Services or Materials that contain terms and conditions in addition to those in the Terms of Use. All such guidelines or rules are hereby incorporated by reference into the Terms of Use. You may use this Web site only if you agree to these terms:

  • You agree that you will not violate (or attempt to violate) the security of this Web site by hacking, sending viruses, or any other similar malicious or careless conduct.
  • You agree that you will not utilize the communication methods found within the Web site for the communication of any material that may reasonably be considered scurrilous or offensive. Offensive materials are defined as sexual content or images, slurs against race, religious or political beliefs, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin or physical attributes.
  • You agree not to upload (or attempt to upload) content of any type to this Web site.
  • You acknowledge that you have no right to the intellectual property associated with this Web site and that you have only a limited right to use this Web site.
  • You acknowledge that the Court does not warrant the accuracy or availability of this Web site.
  • You acknowledge that the Court is not responsible for any loss, damage, or injury that you may have as a result of your use of this Web site.
  • You agree to be bound by the laws applicable in Lee County Florida with respect to your use of the Web site and you agree that any court proceedings relating to your use of the Web site will take place in the 20th Judicial District of the State of Florida.
  • You agree to grant the Court all intellectual property rights in the content of any e-mail that you send to the Court.


WEBSITE PRIVACY POLICY

Privacy & Security of Personal Information

The 20th Judicial Circuit utilizes information systems to provide its citizens with numerous services. As reliance on the information created with these systems increases, so does the Circuit's responsibility to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of its computing infrastructure and the data associated with it. The safety and privacy of citizens within the Circuit and Court employees is impacted by the Court's ability to maintain information security and privacy. Court Administration recognizes and accepts the importance of information security and privacy as a critical element of the successful operation of the Circuit.

The Court has designated an Information Security and Privacy position within Court Administration. The duties of this position include:

  • Protect electronic data and the information technology infrastructure within the Court through administrative, technical, and physical controls
  • Provide advice and guidance to the Court Administrator and all levels of agency management on information security and privacy related matters
  • Perform security audits and privacy impact assessments of Court information technology programs and activities, working with affected stakeholders, provide alternatives and recommendations, which balance cost, business needs, delivery of services, and security and privacy issues.

IP Addresses and Cookies

The 20th Judicial Circuit uses IP addresses (random numbers assigned to individual computers) to help diagnose problems with our servers, administer our web portal, and anonymously track content preferences and traffic patterns. We may also use cookies (small text files transferred from our Web site to your hard drive) to recognize repeat users, track usage behavior, and facilitate your access to and use of our site.

Cookies do not damage files or allow anyone to access your personally identifiable information - they simply allow us to tailor information and its presentation to make your visits more enjoyable and meaningful. They also provide information to us about site usage to help us improve and update our site.

Links To and From the Court Web Portal

The security of the information you provide to the 20th Judicial Circuit is important to us. The Court site includes links to other sites, and when you choose to visit those sites, we are not responsible for their privacy policies or how user information is utilized. We are not responsible for the actions and policies of these third parties, and encourage individuals to review the privacy policies of these parties when supplying personally identifiable information to them.

External links may be made to web sites that meets the following criteria, as determined by the Court Administrator:

  • Sites that are owned and managed by a state, local or federal governmental agency.
  • Sites that are owned and managed by a local school board.
  • Sites that are maintained by an organization that receives direct financial support from the Court.
  • Sites that have a direct contractual relationship with the Court.
  • Sites that provide a unique online resource that will assist in the provision of services and/or information that compliment the purpose of the Court's Web presence, as outlined above.

External links will not be made to sites that fall within any of the following criteria, as determined by the Court Administrator:

  • Sites that are owned or managed by a political party, candidate or special interest group or are of a political nature that are associated with, sponsored by or serving a candidate for elected office, any political party or organization supporting or seeking to defeat any candidate for elective office or ballot proposal.
  • Sites that contain any material that may be considered scurrilous or offensive. Offensive materials are defined as sexual content or images, slurs against race, religious or political beliefs, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin or physical attributes.

Web Site Statistics

The Court does collect and store information for statistical purposes. For example, the Court may count the number of users to the different sections of the Site to help make those sections more useful to users.