Skip to main content
Foreclosure Defense Florida

Florida's Courts, Funded by Less Than 1% of State Budget- Justice in Peril

Judges cannot stand up and sound the alarm. Judges cannot publicly scream aloud that Due Process is destroyed and vital rights are being violated, but we must all…especially attorneys…stand up and make this known.
In the absence of a properly funded judicial branch, and respect for our elected judges, we are left with nothing but tyranny.
Courts received just 0.7 percent of Florida’s current $70 billion budget. The bulk of this $462 million ““ nearly 85 percent ““ goes to trial courts, which are vital to public safety, economic prosperity, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. Appellate courts receive about 10 percent of our total budget.
Despite our state’s growing caseloads, the number of judges has remained frozen for the last four years (921 trial judges; 68 appellate judges). To determine how many judges Florida needs, our court system conducts a data-intense analysis required by the Legislature more than a decade ago. This analysis indicates that our unmet need for more judges has grown to 90 over the last four years.
Florida’s courts have seen their non-judicial workforce drop from 2,424.5 staff positions in FY 2007-08 to 2,139 positions currently. (These figures do not include the 989 judges and their judicial assistants).
Because of due process concerns, the judicial branch must first direct resources to the criminal justice system so that it doesn’t bog down due to an inadequate number of judges, court reporters, staff attorneys, interpreters, and other essential court staff.  This means budget cuts fall more heavily on civil disputes for businesses, citizens, and families.
CourtsImportance-1
and here