Senate Bill 2510

    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 2510

    By Senator Diaz-Balart





    37-1407A-99

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to fees for self-help services;

  3         creating s. 25.389, F.S.; authorizing the chief

  4         judge of each circuit to establish the amount

  5         of the fees; amending s. 25.388, F.S.;

  6         providing for funds to be deposited in the

  7         Family Courts Trust Fund; providing an

  8         effective date.

  9

10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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12         Section 1.  Section 25.389, Florida Statutes, is

13  created to read:

14         25.389  Fees for services to self-represented

15  litigants.--

16         (1)  A self-help fee not to exceed $50 may be assessed

17  to self-represented litigants for the forms necessary for one

18  action and related services. The chief judge of each judicial

19  circuit shall establish the amount of the fee and may include

20  a waiver of the fee for indigency. The chief judge shall

21  determine the specific services available in a circuit;

22  however, the services provided shall be limited by rules of

23  the Supreme Court. The amount of the maximum fee shall be

24  adjusted annually by the Chief Justice on January 1, based

25  upon the most recent adjustment to the consumer price index.

26         (2)  Fees shall be paid to the clerk of the court. The

27  clerk may retain a handling fee of 1 percent and shall deposit

28  the remainder of the funds in the Family Courts Trust Fund.

29         Section 2.  Subsection (3) of section 25.388, Florida

30  Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to read:

31         25.388  Family Courts Trust Fund.--

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 2510
    37-1407A-99




  1         (3)  The trust fund shall be funded with moneys

  2  generated from fees assessed pursuant to ss. 28.101, 25.389,

  3  and 741.01(4).

  4         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

  5  law.

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  8                          SENATE SUMMARY

  9    Authorizes the chief judge of each judicial circuit to
      establish the amount of fees for services provided to
10    self-represented litigants. Provides for deposit of funds
      in the Family Courts Trust Fund.
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