Florida Justice Reform Institute
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
    • Meet the President
  • Legislative
    • On the Front Line
    • On The Front Line 2025
    • Achievements
    • 2025 Legislation
  • Appellate Work
  • FJRI in the News
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Member
    • The Committee for Florida Justice Reform
    • Contact
  • Click to open the search input field Click to open the search input field Search
  • Menu Menu
Florida Justice Reform Institute

More civil lawsuits could be headed to county courts

April 16, 2019/in CQ Roll Call, Daily Commerical, Florida Politics

 

Fla Pol

Hammer

More civil lawsuits could be headed to county courts

This bill moves to the full Appropriations Committee Thursday.

By A.G. Gancarski on April 16, 2019

On Tuesday, the Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Subcommittee moved a bill that would shunt more civil lawsuits to county courts.

The bill (SB 328) will move to the full Appropriations Committee on Thursday.

At present, there is a $15,000 limit on damages in civil suits, also called “small claims,” filed on the county level. This bill, as amended in committee, would raise that to $30,000 on Jan. 1, 2020, and to $50,000 by Jan. 1, 2022.

The current cap hasn’t been changed since 1992.

Bill sponsor Jeff Brandes, a Republican from St. Petersburg who chairs the subcommittee, noted the bill “gradually raises” those amounts, in accordance with inflation.

“This is a very important issue,” Brandes said. “The county courts are really designed to be the people’s courts.”

“More of these cases get thrown into circuit courts,” he continued.

The Florida Justice Reform Institute noted that the Supreme Court wanted a lower threshold initially, and found the increase to $50,000 to be of most concern.

“They’ve recommended an increase from 15 to 25,” said its President, William Large.

Large expects bigger case loads for circuit judges because of the legislation, with circuit courts bearing the burden of appeals from the county courts.

He argued that appeals should be heard by district courts of appeal, which handle cases coming out of circuit courts.

“I want everything to go to the DCA,” he said.

But Sen. Darryl Rouson, a St. Petersburg Democrat, said he supports the bill because “it’s time to do something different.”

“I believe the Legislature will seek the support of the Florida Supreme Court,” Rouson added.

“We have an overburdened circuit court at this point,” added Sen. Gayle Harrell, a Stuart Republican.

Sen. Annette Taddeo, a Miami Democrat, likewise spoke in support.

In his closing statement, Brandes allowed that there may be further tweaks regarding the appellate process, and that he’s willing to refine the language with Supreme Court staff.

And, he said, “this is an ongoing conversation with our partners in the House.”

___

The News Service of Florida contributed to this post.

http://floridapolitics.com/archives/293797-civil-lawsuits-in-county-courts

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on X
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fjri-news.jpg 800 800 RAD Tech https://www.fljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Florida-Justice-Reform-Institute.jpg RAD Tech2019-04-16 15:58:222024-11-25 20:27:08More civil lawsuits could be headed to county courts
Search Search

FJRI News Categories

FJRI News Archive

Florida Justice Reform Institute

Florida Justice Reform Institute

  • Phone

    (850) 222-0170

  • Hours of Operation

    Monday – Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

  • Address

    210 S Monroe Street
    Tallahassee, FL 32301

Site Links

  • The Committee for Florida Justice Reform
  • About
  • Legislative
  • Appellate Work
  • FJRI in the News
  • Get Involved
© 2025 Florida Justice Reform Institute, All Rights Reserved. | Website Hosting & Web Development by RAD TECH
  • Link to Facebook
  • Link to X
  • Link to LinkedIn
Link to: County courts could see changes Link to: County courts could see changes County courts could see changesFlorida Justice Reform Institute Link to: Florida Senate committee approves changes for assignment of benefits suits Link to: Florida Senate committee approves changes for assignment of benefits suits Florida Justice Reform InstituteFlorida Senate committee approves changes for assignment of benefits suits
Scroll to top Scroll to top Scroll to top