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The Florida Senate

2014 Florida Statutes

Title V JUDICIAL BRANCH
Chapter 34 COUNTY COURTS Entire Chapter
SECTION 041
Filing fees.
F.S. 34.041
34.041 Filing fees.—
(1)(a) Filing fees are due at the time a party files a pleading to initiate a proceeding or files a pleading for relief. Reopen fees are due at the time a party files a pleading to reopen a proceeding if at least 90 days have elapsed since the filing of a final order or final judgment with the clerk. If a fee is not paid upon the filing of the pleading as required under this section, the clerk shall pursue collection of the fee pursuant to s. 28.246. Upon the institution of any civil action, suit, or proceeding in county court, the party shall pay the following filing fee, not to exceed:
1. For all claims less than $100..........$50.
2. For all claims of $100 or more but not more than $500..........$75.
3. For all claims of more than $500 but not more than $2,500..........$170.
4. For all claims of more than $2,500..........$295.
5. In addition, for all proceedings of garnishment, attachment, replevin, and distress..........$85.
6. Notwithstanding subparagraphs 3. and 5., for all claims of not more than $1,000 filed simultaneously with an action for replevin of property that is the subject of the claim..........$125.
7. For removal of tenant action..........$180.

The filing fee in subparagraph 6. is the total fee due under this paragraph for that type of filing, and no other filing fee under this paragraph may be assessed against such a filing.

(b) The first $15 of the filing fee collected under subparagraph (a)4. and the first $10 of the filing fee collected under subparagraph (a)7. shall be deposited in the State Courts Revenue Trust Fund. By the 10th day of each month, the clerk shall submit that portion of the fees collected in the previous month which is in excess of one-twelfth of the clerk’s total budget for the performance of court-related functions to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the Clerks of the Court Trust Fund. An additional filing fee of $4 shall be paid to the clerk. The clerk shall transfer $3.50 to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the Court Education Trust Fund and shall transfer 50 cents to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the Administrative Trust Fund within the Department of Financial Services to fund clerk education provided by the Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation. Postal charges incurred by the clerk of the county court in making service by mail on defendants or other parties shall be paid by the party at whose instance service is made. Except as provided in this section, filing fees and service charges for performing duties of the clerk relating to the county court shall be as provided in ss. 28.24 and 28.241. Except as otherwise provided in this section, all filing fees shall be retained as fee income of the office of the clerk of the circuit court. Filing fees imposed by this section may not be added to any penalty imposed by chapter 316 or chapter 318.
(c) A party in addition to a party described in paragraph (a) who files a pleading in an original civil action in the county court for affirmative relief by cross-claim, counterclaim, counterpetition, or third-party complaint, or who files a notice of cross-appeal or notice of joinder or motion to intervene as an appellant, cross-appellant, or petitioner, shall pay the clerk of court a fee of $295 if the relief sought by the party under this paragraph exceeds $2,500. The clerk shall remit the fee to the Department of Revenue for deposit into the General Revenue Fund. This fee does not apply if the cross-claim, counterclaim, counterpetition, or third-party complaint requires transfer of the case from county to circuit court. However, the party shall pay to the clerk the standard filing fee for the court to which the case is to be transferred.
(d) The clerk of court shall collect a service charge of $10 for issuing a summons or an electronic certified copy of a summons. The clerk shall assess the fee against the party seeking to have the summons issued.
(2) A party reopening any civil action, suit, or proceeding in the county court shall pay to the clerk of court a filing fee set by the clerk in an amount not to exceed $25 for all claims of not more than $500 and an amount not to exceed $50 for all claims of more than $500. For purposes of this section, a case is reopened after all appeals have been exhausted, or time to file an appeal from a final order or final judgment has expired. A reopen fee may be assessed by the clerk for any motion filed by any party at least 90 days after a final order or final judgment has been filed with the clerk in the initial case. A reservation of jurisdiction by a court does not cause a case to remain open for purposes of this section or exempt a party from paying a reopen fee. A party is exempt from paying the fee for any of the following:
(a) A writ of garnishment;
(b) A writ of replevin;
(c) A distress writ;
(d) A writ of attachment;
(e) A motion for rehearing filed within 10 days;
(f) A motion for attorney’s fees filed within 30 days of the entry of the judgment or final order;
(g) A motion for dismissal filed after a mediation agreement has been filed;
(h) A motion to withdraw by attorneys;
(i) Stipulations and motions to enforce stipulations;
(j) Responsive pleadings; or
(k) Motions for contempt.
(3) If a nonindigent party fails to pay accrued costs, the judge shall have power to deny that party the right to file any new case while such costs remain unpaid and, likewise, to deny such litigant the right to proceed further in any pending case.
(4) In criminal proceedings in county courts, costs shall be taxed against a person in county court upon conviction or estreature pursuant to chapter 939.
(5) Upon the institution of any appellate proceeding from the county court to the circuit court, including any appeal filed by a county or municipality, the clerk shall charge and collect filing fees as provided in s. 28.241(2) from the party or parties instituting the appellate proceedings. If the party is determined to be indigent, the clerk shall defer payment of the fee.
(6) A charge or a fee may not be imposed upon a party for responding by pleading, motion, or other paper to a civil or criminal action, suit, or proceeding in a county court or to an appeal to the circuit court.
(7) For purposes of this section, the term “party” includes a county or municipality filing any civil action.
(8) From each attorney appearing pro hac vice, the clerk must collect a fee of $100 for deposit into the General Revenue Fund.
History.—ss. 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, ch. 26931, 1951; s. 4, ch. 63-559; s. 12, ch. 70-134; s. 12, ch. 72-404; s. 2, ch. 74-154; s. 4, ch. 77-284; s. 15, ch. 79-400; s. 3, ch. 82-205; s. 5, ch. 87-145; s. 8, ch. 89-290; s. 2, ch. 90-181; s. 2, ch. 90-269; s. 4, ch. 91-152; s. 196, ch. 95-147; s. 4, ch. 96-209; s. 2, ch. 96-350; s. 7, ch. 2001-122; s. 52, ch. 2003-402; s. 32, ch. 2004-265; s. 11, ch. 2008-111; ss. 7, 20, ch. 2009-61; s. 7, ch. 2009-204; s. 17, ch. 2010-162; s. 2, ch. 2011-133; s. 6, ch. 2012-100; s. 9, ch. 2013-44.