The Florida Senate

34.01  Jurisdiction of county court.--

(1)  County courts shall have original jurisdiction:

(a)  In all misdemeanor cases not cognizable by the circuit courts;

(b)  Of all violations of municipal and county ordinances; and

(c)  Of all actions at law in which the matter in controversy does not exceed the sum of $15,000, exclusive of interest, costs, and attorney's fees, except those within the exclusive jurisdiction of the circuit courts. The party instituting any civil action, suit, or proceeding pursuant to this paragraph where the amount in controversy is in excess of $5,000 shall pay to the clerk of the county court the filing fees and service charges in the same amounts and in the same manner as provided in s. 28.241

(2)  The county courts shall have jurisdiction previously exercised by county judges' courts other than that vested in the circuit court by s. 26.012, except that county court judges may hear matters involving dissolution of marriage under the simplified dissolution procedure pursuant to ¹Rule 1.611(c), Florida Rules of Civil Procedure or may issue a final order for dissolution in cases where the matter is uncontested, and the jurisdiction previously exercised by county courts, the claims court, small claims courts, small claims magistrates courts, magistrates courts, justice of the peace courts, municipal courts, and courts of chartered counties, including but not limited to the counties referred to in ²ss. 9, 10, 11, and 24, Art. VIII of the State Constitution of 1885.

(3)  Judges of county courts shall be committing magistrates. Judges of county courts shall be coroners unless otherwise provided by law or by rule of the Supreme Court.

(4)  Judges of county courts may hear all matters in equity involved in any case within the jurisdictional amount of the county court, except as otherwise restricted by the State Constitution or the laws of Florida.

History.--s. 6, ch. 3730, 1887; RS 1572, 2833; GS 2034, 3890; s. 1, ch. 6463, 1913; RGS 3325, 3326, 5985; CGL 5169, 5170, 8278; s. 3, ch. 63-559; s. 9, ch. 72-404; s. 1, ch. 77-135; s. 1, ch. 80-165; s. 1, ch. 90-269; s. 3, ch. 2000-336.

¹Note.--Repealed effective January 1, 1996; see 663 So.2d 1047, at 1049.

²Note.--Sections 9, 10, 11, and 24, Art. VIII of the Constitution of 1885, as amended, were preserved by s. 6(e), Art. VIII of the Constitution of 1968.