Florida State Courts Annual Report 2005-2006 The Supreme Court of Florida 2005-2006 Annual Report Barbara J. Pariente Chief Justice Charles T. Wells Harry Lee Anstead R. Fred Lewis Peggy A. Quince Raoul G. Cantero, III Kenneth B. Bell Justices Elisabeth H. Goodner State Courts Administrator Adorning the rotunda of the Florida Supreme Court, this statue of Lady Justice greets all who enter the building. ©2006 All rights reserved Table of Contents Message from Chief Justice Barbara J. Pariente................................................................................................................... 1 Florida’s Supreme Court Justices ......................................................................................................................................... 3 2005-2006: The Year in Review ........................................................................................................................................... 6 Emergency Preparedness ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Hurricane Season 2005 ........................................................................................................................... 6 Pandemic Influenza.................................................................................................................................. 6 Education and Outreach ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Educational Resources for the Public............................................................................................................. 8 Supreme Court Tour Program: Creating Informed, Active Citizens ................................................. 8 Supreme Court Library: An Educational Hub ..................................................................................... 9 Justice Teaching Institute: Playing Host to Visiting Teachers........................................................... 11 Connecting with Florida’s Youngest Learners ..................................................................................... 12 Outreach to Court Users Through Improved Services.............................................................................. 15 The Dispute Resolution Center: Celebrating 20 Years of Progress.................................................. 15 Strategies for Ensuring Meaningful Access to Justice: ....................................................................... 17 a) Certifying Foreign Language Court Interpreters ............................................................ 17 b) Providing Services for Self-Represented Litigants ........................................................ 19 c) Improving the Jury Management System......................................................................... 19 d) Measuring and Updating Trial Court Workload............................................................ 20 e) Evaluating DCA Workload and Jurisdiction .................................................................. 21 f ) Utilizing Senior Judges....................................................................................................... 22 Judicial Branch Planning: The Future Trends Workshop................................................................. 23 Instructional Opportunities for Judges and Court Personnel ................................................................... 24 Court Education: Enhancing the Competence of Those Serving in the Judiciary.......................... 24 Children and Families ........................................................................................................................................... 25 Unified Family Court: Innovative Strategies for Addressing Complex Cases................................. 25 Drug Courts: A Successful Approach to Changing Offender Behavior.......................................... 30 Fairness and Diversity ........................................................................................................................................... 32 Standing Committee on Fairness and Diversity: Eradicating Bias from Florida’s Courts ............. 32 OSCA’s Human Resources Officer: Another Commitment to Fairness and Diversity.................. 34 Technology ............................................................................................................................................................. 34 Technology in the Courts: Embracing Innovation and Change........................................................ 34 Online Access to Court Records: Integrating New Technologies into Modern Society................ 36 Personnel Services: Employing Technology to Provide More Accommodating Assistance .......... 38 Online Publications and Forms ............................................................................................................ 38 The Passing of the Gavel....................................................................................................................................... 39 Chief Justice R. Fred Lewis: “Come Share with Us Your Vision of Justice” ..................................... 39 Florida’s Court Structure ..................................................................................................................................................... 42 Map of State Circuits and Appellate Districts .................................................................................................................. 44 Judicial Certification Table................................................................................................................................................... 45 Court Administration .......................................................................................................................................................... 46 Florida’s Budget .................................................................................................................................................................. 47 State Courts System Appropriations ................................................................................................................................. 48 Filings: Florida’s Trial and Appellate Courts ..................................................................................................................... 49 DCA Filings by Case Category........................................................................................................................................... 50 Court Filings by Circuit and Division ................................................................................................................................ 50 Court Filings by Circuit, County, and Division ................................................................................................................ 52 Court Contacts for 2006-2007 ........................................................................................................................................... 55 Florida Judicial Branch Mission Themission of the judicial branch is to protect rights and liberties, uphold and interpret the law, and provide for the peaceful resolution of disputes. Vision Justice in Florida will be accessible, fair, effective, responsive, and accountable. To be accessible, the Florida justice system will be convenient, understandable, timely, and affordable to everyone. To be fair, it will respect the dignity of every person, regardless of race, class, gender or other characteristic; apply the law appropriately to the circumstances of individual cases, and include judges and court staff that reflect the community’s diversity. To be effective, it will uphold the law and apply rules and procedures consistently and in a timely manner, resolve cases with finality, and provide enforceable decisions. To be responsive, it will anticipate and respond to the needs of all members of society, and provide a variety of dispute resolution methods. To be accountable, the Florida justice system will use public resources efficiently, and in a way that the public can understand. Message from the Chief Justice Justice in the 21st century!!! Just imagine—we are now more than halfway through the first decade of the 21st century. I believe that when we look back on this period of history, we will judge the time to be a defining moment for Florida’s judiciary and our judicial system. A time when, with the passage of Revision 7 and the tremendous leadership of judges throughout the State, we moved from 20 separate circuits looking out for local interests into a true unified and integrated court system. A time in which we shared best practices in the administration of justice; we learned from each other; where we were willing to say we can do it better and we can and should be more accountable to each other and to the public; a time in which we were willing to acknowledge that just because we always did things a certain way does not mean that way was the right way or the best way or even the most efficient way. The end of this fiscal year marked the end of my two-year tenure as chief. As this annual report is released, I have passed the gavel to Chief Justice R. Fred Lewis, and I know the judiciary is in good hands. As Florida’s chief justice over the past two years, I traveled around the state and saw firsthand the dedication and expertise of our