The Florida Senate

28.241  Filing fees for trial and appellate proceedings.--

(1)(a)  The party instituting any civil action, suit, or proceeding in the circuit court shall pay to the clerk of that court a filing fee of up to $250 in all cases in which there are not more than five defendants and an additional filing fee of up to $2 for each defendant in excess of five. Of the first $55 in filing fees, $50 must be remitted by the clerk to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the General Revenue Fund, and $5 must be remitted to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the Department of Financial Services' Administrative Trust Fund to fund the contract with the Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation created in s. 28.35 One-third of any filing fees collected by the clerk of the circuit court in excess of $55 shall be remitted to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the Department of Revenue Clerks of the Court Trust Fund. An additional filing fee of $4 shall be paid to the clerk. The clerk shall remit $3.50 to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the Court Education Trust Fund and shall remit 50 cents to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the Department of Financial Services Administrative Trust Fund to fund clerk education. An additional filing fee of up to $15 shall be paid by the party seeking each severance that is granted. The clerk may impose an additional filing fee of up to $75 for all proceedings of garnishment, attachment, replevin, and distress. Postal charges incurred by the clerk of the circuit court in making service by certified or registered mail on defendants or other parties shall be paid by the party at whose instance service is made. No additional fees, charges, or costs shall be added to the filing fees imposed under this section, except as authorized herein or by general law.

(b)  A party reopening any civil action, suit, or proceeding in the circuit court shall pay to the clerk of court a filing fee set by the clerk in an amount not to exceed $50. For purposes of this section, a case is reopened when a case previously reported as disposed of is resubmitted to a court and includes petitions for modification of a final judgment of dissolution. A party is exempt from paying the fee for any of the following:

1.  A writ of garnishment;

2.  A writ of replevin;

3.  A distress writ;

4.  A writ of attachment;

5.  A motion for rehearing filed within 10 days;

6.  A motion for attorney's fees filed within 30 days after entry of a judgment or final order;

7.  A motion for dismissal filed after a mediation agreement has been filed;

8.  A disposition of personal property without administration;

9.  Any probate case prior to the discharge of a personal representative;

10.  Any guardianship pleading prior to discharge;

11.  Any mental health pleading;

12.  Motions to withdraw by attorneys;

13.  Motions exclusively for the enforcement of child support orders;

14.  A petition for credit of child support;

15.  Stipulations;

16.  Responsive pleadings; or

17.  Cases in which there is no initial filing fee.

(2)  Upon the institution of any appellate proceeding from any lower court to the circuit court of any such county, including appeals filed by a county or municipality as provided in s. 34.041(5), or from the circuit court to an appellate court of the state, the clerk shall charge and collect from the party or parties instituting such appellate proceedings a filing fee not to exceed $250 for filing a notice of appeal from the county court to the circuit court and, in addition to the filing fee required under s. 25.241 or s. 35.22, $50 for filing a notice of appeal from the circuit court to the district court of appeal or to the Supreme Court. If the party is determined to be indigent, the clerk shall defer payment of the fee. The clerk shall remit the first $50 to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the General Revenue Fund. One-third of the fee collected by the clerk in excess of $50 also shall be remitted to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the Clerks of the Court Trust Fund.

(3)  A filing fee may not be imposed upon a party for responding by pleading, motion, or other paper to a civil or criminal action, suit, proceeding, or appeal in a circuit court.

(4)  The fees prescribed in this section do not include the service charges required by law for the clerk as provided in s. 28.24 or by other sections of the Florida Statutes. Filing fees authorized by this section may not be added to any civil penalty imposed by chapter 316 or chapter 318.

(5)  Filing fees for the institution or reopening of any civil action, suit, or proceeding in county court shall be charged and collected as provided in s. 34.041

(6)  From each attorney appearing pro hac vice, the clerk of the circuit court shall collect a fee of $100 for deposit into the General Revenue Fund.

History.--ss. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, ch. 26931, 1951; ss. 3, 4, 5, ch. 29749, 1955; ss. 1, 2, ch. 57-322; s. 1, ch. 63-47; s. 1, ch. 63-43; s. 6, ch. 70-134; s. 1, ch. 74-154; s. 4, ch. 75-124; s. 1, ch. 77-174; s. 3, ch. 77-284; s. 2, ch. 82-168; s. 2, ch. 82-205; s. 10, ch. 83-217; s. 122, ch. 86-220; s. 4, ch. 87-145; s. 1, ch. 87-231; s. 2, ch. 88-176; s. 6, ch. 89-290; s. 1, ch. 90-181; s. 69, ch. 90-271; s. 3, ch. 91-152; s. 162, ch. 95-147; s. 3, ch. 96-209; s. 1, ch. 96-350; s. 14, ch. 96-354; s. 1, ch. 97-155; s. 12, ch. 99-277; s. 6, ch. 2001-122; s. 2, ch. 2002-55; ss. 31, 32, ch. 2003-402; s. 19, ch. 2004-265.