§ 46-28. Legal aid, citizen's dispute settlement and mediation-arbitration services.

(a)

Pursuant to F.S. §§ 28.241, 28.2401 and 34.041, the service charges for filing of each civil action or proceeding in the circuit civil, probate, and county civil courts shall be in the amounts set forth below:

Claims under small claims rules ..... $12.00

County civil court ..... 12.00

Circuit civil court ..... 20.00

Probate court ..... 18.00

These amounts shall be collected by the clerk of the above-named courts in addition to any statutory service charge collected.

(b)

The additional service charges provided for in this section shall be used for the court system in establishing and maintaining legal aid/citizen dispute services in the county. The board of county commissioners shall budget from the general revenue fund such amounts in addition to those provided for in this section as may be deemed necessary to provide legal aid/citizen dispute services. The clerk shall, on a monthly basis, turn over funds collected under this section to the finance division of the board of county commissioners, which shall distribute such funds monthly in proportionate amounts as set by the board of county commissioners to designated legal aid/citizen dispute agencies.

(c)

In addition to the service charges being collected pursuant to F.S. § 44.108, a service charge of no more than:

(1)

Five dollars shall be levied on any circuit court civil proceeding commenced in the county, which shall be deposited in the county's mediation-arbitration account fund under the supervision of the chief judge of the sixth judicial circuit;

(2)

Five dollars shall be levied on any county court civil proceeding commenced in the county, which shall be deposited in the mediation-arbitration account fund of the county, under the supervision of the chief judge of the sixth judicial circuit; and

(3)

Forty-five dollars shall be levied on any petition for modification of a final judgment of dissolution of marriage filed in the county, which shall be deposited in the court's family mediation account fund under the supervision of the chief judge of the sixth judicial circuit.

One dollar of each service charge collected pursuant to subsections (c)(1), (2) and (3) of this section shall be forwarded to the office of the state courts administration. The remainder of each service charge collected pursuant to each such subsection shall be used to fund, respectively, mediation and arbitration services, county civil mediation services, and family mediation services.

(Ord. No. 75-1, §§ 1, 2, 1-7-75; Ord. No. 76-25, § 1, 11-16-76; Ord. No. 77-21, §§ 1, 2, 8-18-77; Ord. No. 78-16, § 2, 7-18-78; Ord. No. 79-25, § 1, 10-2-79; Ord. No. 87-59, §§ 1, 2, 10-27-87; Ord. No. 90-81, § 1, 10-16-90; Ord. No. 92-92, § 1, 12-8-92; Ord. No. 95-6, § 1, 1-24-95)