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July 2022

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The Butterfield Brief

Greetings, 


I can't believe we're already halfway through 2022. I hope you all had a wonderful summer. We've accomplished a lot this year already. While the COVID-19 pandemic is still present, we've seen our caseloads return to pre-pandemic levels. We have jury selection and trials occurring five days a week at the Bartow courthouse, and several times a week at the Lakeland and Northeast courthouses. The active real estate market is keeping our Official Records department busy and recording numbers are up in this area as well. 


I know many of you are gearing up for a new school year. I wish your children success in the new year and hope you all enjoy these last days of summer.


Sincerely,

Stacy M. Butterfield, CPA

Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller

DIY Center with six computers and chairs

DIY Center and Online Tool Enhance Service for Those Seeking Injunctions for Protection

We now offer an online DIY tool and in-person DIY Center to simplify injunctions for protection.


The DIY service is an interactive tool that guides customers through each step of preparing the paperwork needed for their case, like TurboTax and other similar software. It is available 24/7 on our website and our new DIY Center at the Bartow Courthouse. The center features full-time staff and a computer lab for customers to access the tool. This helps our customers with the sometimes difficult task of determining the right type of injunction. It also adds value to the courts by reducing the number of hand-written forms, which improves clarity and our processing workload.

 

We will eventually provide the same resources for evictions, small claims, and divorce cases, specifically dissolution of marriage without children and dissolution of marriage with children.

 

Once the paperwork is prepared through the DIY tool, the customer can file it in person or on the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal.

Learn More

Supreme Court Access to Justice Workgroup Launches Virtual Court Resources

To assist court participants with attending virtual court hearings, the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Management Council’s Workgroup on Access to Justice has developed the following resources:

  • An animated video titled the “Rules for Virtual Court Hearings” to provide guidance for self-represented litigants who will appear in virtual court hearings.
  • A series of tutorial videos that demonstrate how to use a smartphone and computer to participate in virtual hearings through Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

I am not only focusing on improving DIY services for customers in Polk County, but as an appointed member of this group, I am also helping with statewide efforts. I actively involve myself at all levels of government to help create cohesive and seamless service for all. I look forward to the future expansion of these services.

 

While the resources were developed with self-represented litigants in mind, they can also be a valuable resource to share with your clients in the preparation for attending virtual court.

Learn More

E-Filing Service Reminders

Things to remember when E-Filing confidential cases:

 

  • If you are no longer a party on a confidential case, make sure to remove yourself from receiving e-service on it. Confidential cases include dependency, delinquency, mental health, etc.


  • When filing on confidential cases, only e-service current parties. Using “select all” for e-service sends confidential documents to all parties who were ever on the case and not all of them may be current parties.


For further information regarding E-Filing standards, you may contact the Florida Courts E-Filing Authority or my office at 863-534-4000

Triple Crown Award


I am proud to share that my office and the Polk County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) have together earned the Triple Crown recognition from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for excellence in our financial practices. This award is the highest form of recognition in government accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting. 

Read More 

New Certified Clerk & Comptroller Designation

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I am honored to have recently earned the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers Certified Florida Clerk and Comptroller designation. The newly established program recognizes the Florida Clerks & Comptrollers who complete New Clerk Academy, which is an extensive program that requires more than 240 hours of training. 

Updating Your Contact Information


Need to update your address or other contact information? Attorneys and law firms should update their information with the Clerk’s office by using the form located on the Legal Community page of our website.

Update Contact Information
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Register for E-Notify

Need to stay informed about upcoming court dates? Setting up email and text notifications through E-Notify can help you and your clients stay up-to-date about court dates.



Register for E-Notify

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Find My Courtroom

Heading to court? Skip the line at the information desk and find your courtroom location online using Find My Courtroom. Simply scan the QR code displayed above the information desk using the camera on your smartphone, find your courtroom, and go! You can also bookmark the webpage address for quick access.


Find My Courtroom

Upcoming Office Closures

Holiday

Office Closure Date(s)

Labor Day

Monday, Sept. 5

Yom Kippur

Tuesday, Oct 5

View Full Calendar
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