Florida Statute 28.246 | Lawyer Caselaw & Research

The 2024 Florida Statutes

Title V
JUDICIAL BRANCH

Chapter 28
CLERKS OF THE CIRCUIT COURTS

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F.S. 28.246

28.246 Payment of court-related fines or other monetary penalties, fees, charges, and costs; partial payments; distribution of funds.—

(1) The clerk of the circuit court shall report the following information to the Legislature and the Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation on a form, and using guidelines developed by the clerks of court, through their association and in consultation with the Office of the State Courts Administrator:

(a) The total amount of mandatory fees, service charges, and costs assessed; the total amount underassessed, if any, which is the amount less than the minimum amount required by law to be assessed; and the total amount collected.

(b) The total amount of discretionary fees, service charges, and costs assessed and the total amount collected.

(c) The total amount of mandatory fines and other monetary penalties assessed; the total amount underassessed, if any, which is the amount less than the minimum amount required by law to be assessed; and the total amount collected.

(d) The total amount of discretionary fines and other monetary penalties assessed and the total amount collected.

The clerk, in reporting to the Legislature and corporation, shall separately identify the monetary amount assessed and subsequently discharged or converted to community service, to a judgment or lien, or to time served. The form developed by the clerks shall include separate entries for recording the amount discharged and the amount converted. If a court waives, suspends, or reduces an assessment as authorized by law, the portion waived, suspended, or reduced may not be deemed assessed or underassessed for purposes of the reporting requirements of this section. The clerk also shall report a collection rate for mandatory and discretionary assessments. In calculating the rate, the clerk shall deduct amounts discharged or converted from the amount assessed. The clerk shall submit the report on an annual basis 90 days after the end of the county fiscal year. The clerks and the courts shall develop by October 1, 2012, the form and guidelines to govern the accurate and consistent reporting statewide of assessments as provided in this section. The clerk shall use the new reporting form and guidelines in submitting the report for the county fiscal year ending September 30, 2013, and for each year thereafter.

(2) The clerk of the circuit court shall establish and maintain a system of accounts receivable for court-related fees, charges, and costs.

(3) Court costs, fines, and other dispositional assessments shall be enforced by order of the courts, collected by the clerks of the circuit and county courts, and disbursed in accordance with authorizations and procedures as established by general law.

(4)(a) Each clerk of the circuit court shall accept partial payments for each case type for court-related fees, service charges, court costs, and fines in accordance with the terms of an established payment plan developed by the clerk.

(b) An individual seeking to defer payment of fees, service charges, court costs, or fines imposed by operation of law or order of the court under any provision of general law shall apply to the clerk for enrollment in a payment plan. The clerk shall enter into a payment plan with an individual who the court determines is indigent for costs. It is the responsibility of an individual who is released from incarceration and has outstanding court obligations to contact the clerk within 30 days after release to pay fees, service charges, court costs, and fines in full, or to apply for enrollment in a payment plan.

1. A monthly payment amount, calculated based upon all fees and all anticipated fees, service charges, court costs, and fines, is presumed to correspond to the person’s ability to pay if the amount does not exceed the greater of:

a. Two percent of the person’s annual net income, as defined in s. 27.52(1), divided by 12; or

b. Twenty-five dollars.

2. Any amount required by the clerk as down payment to initially establish a payment plan shall be the lesser of 10 percent of the total amount owed or $100. The amount does not include the imposition of a service charge pursuant to s. 28.24(27)(b) or (c). The clerk shall establish all terms of a payment plan, and the court may review the reasonableness of the payment plan.

(5) When receiving partial payment of fees, service charges, court costs, and fines, clerks shall distribute funds according to the following order of priority:

(a) That portion of fees, service charges, court costs, and fines to be remitted to the state for deposit into the General Revenue Fund.

(b) That portion of fees, service charges, court costs, and fines required to be retained by the clerk of the court or deposited into the Clerks of the Court Trust Fund within the Department of Revenue.

(c) That portion of fees, service charges, court costs, and fines payable to state trust funds, allocated on a pro rata basis among the various authorized funds if the total collection amount is insufficient to fully fund all such funds as provided by law.

(d) That portion of fees, service charges, court costs, and fines payable to counties, municipalities, or other local entities, allocated on a pro rata basis among the various authorized recipients if the total collection amount is insufficient to fully fund all such recipients as provided by law.

To offset processing costs, clerks may impose either a per-month service charge pursuant to s. 28.24(27)(b) or a one-time administrative processing service charge at the inception of the payment plan pursuant to s. 28.24(27)(c).

(6) A clerk of court shall pursue the collection of any fees, service charges, fines, court costs, and liens for the payment of attorney fees and costs pursuant to s. 938.29 which remain unpaid after 90 days by referring the account to a private attorney who is a member in good standing of The Florida Bar or collection agent who is registered and in good standing pursuant to chapter 559. In pursuing the collection of such unpaid financial obligations through a private attorney or collection agent, the clerk of the court must have attempted to collect the unpaid amount through a collection court, collections docket, or other collections process, if any, established by the court, find this to be cost-effective and follow any applicable procurement practices. The collection fee, including any reasonable attorney’s fee, paid to any attorney or collection agent retained by the clerk may be added to the balance owed in an amount not to exceed 40 percent of the amount owed at the time the account is referred to the attorney or agent for collection. The clerk shall give the private attorney or collection agent the application for the appointment of court-appointed counsel regardless of whether the court file is otherwise confidential from disclosure.

History.—s. 34, ch. 2003-402; s. 21, ch. 2004-265; s. 1, ch. 2005-2; s. 9, ch. 2005-236; s. 2, ch. 2009-204; s. 13, ch. 2010-162; s. 2, ch. 2012-124; s. 5, ch. 2013-44; ss. 4, 16, ch. 2021-116; s. 1, ch. 2022-201.

F.S. 28.246 on Google Scholar

F.S. 28.246 on Casetext

Amendments to 28.246

Arrestable Offenses / Crimes under Fla. Stat. 28.246

Level: Degree
Misdemeanor/Felony: First/Second/Third

Current data shows no reason an arrest or criminal charge should have occurred directly under Florida Statute 28.246.

Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 28.246

Total Results: 15

Phoebe Flanagan v. State of Florida

Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida | Date Filed: 2019-03-18

Citation: 267 So. 3d 1076

Snippet: court that a payment plan established under section 28.246, Florida Statutes (2017), is reasonable. We affirm

Robert Zoba v. The City of Coral Springs

Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida | Date Filed: 2016-03-09

Citation: 189 So. 3d 888, 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 3607, 2016 WL 889312

Snippet: discretion. , See §§ 28.246(3); 318.21, Fla. Stat. (2010). In fact, pursuant to section 28.246(3), as quoted

Jachimski v. State

Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida | Date Filed: 2015-03-20

Citation: 162 So. 3d 302, 2015 Fla. App. LEXIS 4020, 2015 WL 1259615

Snippet: motion were sections 34.041(5), 28.241(2), and 28.246(4), Florida Statutes (2013). Sections 34.041(5)

Roy S. Whited v. Florida Commission on Offender Review

Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida | Date Filed: 2014-12-01

Citation: 153 So. 3d 324

Snippet: not absolve him of his obligation to pay. Section 28.246(4), Florida Statutes, requires the Clerk

Ledger v. City of St. Petersburg

Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida | Date Filed: 2014-03-26

Citation: 135 So. 3d 496, 2014 WL 1227172

Snippet: circuit court, sections 34.041(5), 28.241(2), and 28.246(4), Florida Statutes (2012), require the deferral

State v. Wooden

Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida | Date Filed: 2012-07-11

Citation: 92 So. 3d 886, 2012 WL 2849648, 2012 Fla. App. LEXIS 11111

Snippet: of the court in accordance with ss. 318.14 and 28.246, fails to attend driver improvement school, or

Dorestin v. Hollywood Imports, Inc.

Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida | Date Filed: 2010-08-11

Citation: 45 So. 3d 819, 2010 Fla. App. LEXIS 12337, 2010 WL 3154848

Snippet: were obligated to pay for the Odyssey amounted to $28,246.72. The Dorestins actually paid the loan off early

Ellis v. Hunter

Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida | Date Filed: 2009-01-16

Citation: 3 So. 3d 373, 2009 Fla. App. LEXIS 1974, 2009 WL 102221

Snippet: the defendant in a payment plan pursuant to s. 28.246. § 903.286, Fla. Stat. (2007). The statute was

Ago

Court: Florida Attorney General Reports | Date Filed: 2007-11-21

Snippet: the following questions: 1. Pursuant to section 28.246(6), Florida Statutes, is a clerk of court authorized

Hitchcock v. Hitchcock

Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida | Date Filed: 2007-10-30

Citation: 967 So. 2d 422, 2007 WL 3144853

Snippet: Circuit Court pursuant to Sections 57.082(5) and 28.246(4), Florida Statutes. Because these are not final

Stokes v. Florida Dept. of Corrections

Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida | Date Filed: 2007-01-19

Citation: 948 So. 2d 75, 2007 Fla. App. LEXIS 489, 2007 WL 120003

Snippet: that recent amendments to sections 57.082(5) and 28.246(4) authorize imposition of the lien. As for the

Terry v. McDonough

Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida | Date Filed: 2006-08-04

Citation: 935 So. 2d 81, 2006 WL 2190527

Snippet: argues that, due to recent changes to sections 28.246(4) and 57.082(5), Florida Statutes, liens on inmate

Ago

Court: Florida Attorney General Reports | Date Filed: 2006-05-31

Snippet: the defendant in a payment plan pursuant to s. 28.246." As used in Chapter 903, the terms "bail" and

Wagner v. McDonough

Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida | Date Filed: 2006-05-02

Citation: 927 So. 2d 216, 2006 WL 1140910

Snippet: certain recent amendments to sections 57.082(5) and 28.246(4) to support its theory that a lien can now be

Ago

Court: Florida Attorney General Reports | Date Filed: 2004-09-24

Snippet: and 142.13 and subject to the provisions of s. 28.246(5) and (6). Notwithstanding the provisions of this