Resources

Resources

This page contains helpful legal resources and links concerning the areas of law that Gulisano Law practices. For legal articles, please check out our blog.

Contents

Florida County and Circuit (Trial) Court Overview

Florida Circuit Court Websites

Florida District Courts of Appeal Overview

Florida Courts of Appeal Websites

Federal Court System Overview

United States District Courts Websites

United States Circuit Courts of Appeal Websites

Florida County and Circuit (Trial) Court Overview

The Florida Constitution establishes a county court in each of Florida’s 67 counties. The trial jurisdiction of county courts is established by statute. The jurisdiction of county courts extends to civil disputes involving $30,000 or less and criminal prosecutions for misdemeanors.

For all other matters, the Legislature has established twenty judicial circuits under the Constitution and each is served by a circuit court. Circuit courts have general trial jurisdiction over appeals from county court cases and all matters not assigned by statute to the county courts.

The trial jurisdiction of circuit courts includes:

• civil disputes involving more than $30,000;
• controversies involving the estates of decedents, minors, and persons adjudicated as incapacitated;
• cases relating to juveniles;
• criminal prosecutions for all felonies;
• tax disputes;
• actions to determine the title and boundaries of real property;
• suits for declaratory judgments (to determine the legal rights or responsibilities of parties under the terms of written instruments, laws, or regulations before a dispute arises and leads to litigation);
• requests for injunctions to prevent persons or entities from acting in a manner that is asserted to be unlawful; and
• the power to issue the extraordinary writs of certiorari, prohibition, mandamus, quo warranto, and habeas corpus, and all other writs necessary to the complete exercise of their jurisdiction.

Florida Circuit Court Websites

Florida District Courts of Appeal Overview

There are six District Courts of Appeal in Florida, located in Tallahassee, Lakeland, Miami, West Palm Beach, Daytona Beach, and Tampa. The district courts of appeal can hear appeals from final judgments and certain non-final orders entered by circuit courts.

The district courts have the power to review final actions taken by state agencies in carrying out the duties of the executive branch of government. Finally, the district courts have been granted constitutional authority to issue the extraordinary writs of certiorari, prohibition, mandamus, quo warranto, and habeas corpus, as well as all other writs necessary to the complete exercise of their jurisdiction.

Any litigant who is displeased with a district court’s ruling may petition (ask) for review in the Florida Supreme Court but the Court is not required to accept the case for further review and most petitions are denied.

Florida Courts of Appeal Websites

The First District Court of Appeal covers the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 8th and 14th Judicial Circuits.

The Second District Court of Appeal covers the 6th, 12th, and 13th Judicial Circuits.

The Third District Court of Appeal covers the 11th (Miami-Dade) and 16th Judicial Circuits.

The Fourth District Court of Appeal covers the 15th (Palm Beach), 17th (Broward) and 19th Judicial Circuits.

The Fifth District Court of Appeal covers the 5th, 7th, and 18th Judicial Circuits.

The Sixth District Court of Appeal covers the 9th, 10th, and 20th Judicial Circuits.

The Florida Supreme Court covers the entire state.

Federal Court System Overview

Article III of the Constitution invests the judicial power of the United States in the federal court system. Federal courts are called courts of “limited” jurisdiction because they can only hear specific disputes involving the United States government, the Constitution, or federal laws, as well as, controversies between states or between the U.S. government and foreign governments.

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. In the federal court system’s present form, 94 district level trial courts and 13 courts of appeals sit below the Supreme Court. The nation’s 94 district or trial courts are called U.S. District Courts. District courts resolve disputes by determining the facts and applying legal principles to decide who is right.

There is at least one district court in each state, and the District of Columbia. Each district includes a U.S. bankruptcy court as a unit of the district court. There are 13 appellate courts that sit below the Supreme Court, and they are called the U.S. Courts of Appeals.

A court of appeals hears challenges to district court decisions from courts located within its circuit, as well as appeals from decisions of federal administrative agencies. The losing party may ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review a decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals, but the Supreme Court usually is under no obligation to do so and most petitions are denied.

United States District Courts Websites

The Southern District of Florida comprises the counties of Broward, Miami-Dade, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, Monroe, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie.

The Middle District of Florida comprises the counties of Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, De Soto, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Nassau, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, St. Johns, Sarasota, Seminole, Sumter, Suwannee, Union, and Volusia.

The Northern District of Florida comprises the counties of Alachua, Bay, Calhoun, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington.

United States Circuit Courts of Appeal Websites

Florida is within the jurisdiction of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

The United States Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States.