IN THE COUNTY COURT, SIXTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

IN AND FOR PINELLAS COUNTY, FLORIDA

 

ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. PI-CTY-97-7

 

 

RE:     COUNTY COURT DIVISION

            CIVIL AND SMALL CLAIMS SECTIONS

            COUNTERCLAIMS

 

            In order to provide for the distribution of the county court civil and small claims case load throughout Pinellas County; and

            In order to provide for the orderly assignment and disposition of cases filed in county court that require the exercise of circuit court jurisdiction in the disposition of counterclaims, it is

 

            ORDERED:

I.          County Civil and Small Claims Sections

            1.         County civil cases shall be assigned by the Clerk of the Circuit Court to the five county civil sections in the following manner:

                        a.         Upon filing, county civil cases shall be identified as either a St. Petersburg, Clearwater, or out-of-county case and shall be assigned to the appropriate section as directed below.  For the purposes of identifying all county civil cases, the following definitions shall be utilized:

                                    1.         Any county civil case in which the plaintiff, in the case of a pro se filing, or plaintiff’s Pinellas County counsel has an address south of Ulmerton Road (SR 688) shall be designated a St. Petersburg case.

                                    2.         Any county civil case in which the plaintiff, in the case of a pro se filing, or plaintiff’s Pinellas County counsel has an address north of Ulmerton Road (SR 688) shall be designated a Clearwater case.

                                    3.         Any county civil case in which the plaintiff, in the case of a pro se filing, or plaintiff’s counsel has a given address outside of Pinellas County, shall be designated an out-of-county case.

                        b.         St. Petersburg county civil cases and sixty (60) percent of all out-of-county cases shall be assigned to County Civil Sections 39, 40 and 54, on a random basis in equal proportion.

                        c.         Clearwater county civil cases and forty (40) percent of all out-of-county cases shall be assigned to County Civil Sections 41 and 42 on a random basis in equal proportion.

            2.         Small claims cases shall be assigned by the Clerk of the Circuit Court to the five small claims sections in the following manner:

                        a.         Upon filing, a small claims case shall be identified as either a St. Petersburg, Clearwater, or out-of-county case and shall be assigned to the appropriate section as directed below.  For purposes of identifying all cases, the following definitions shall be utilized:

                                    1.         Any small claims case in which the plaintiff, in the case of a pro se filing, or plaintiff’s Pinellas County counsel has an address with a zip code as listed below, shall be designated a St. Petersburg case:

 

            33504              33708              33716              33738              33773              34643             

            33701              33709              33730              33739              33776              34646

            33702              33710              33731              33740              33777              34647

            33703              33711              33732              33741              33780              34664

            33704              33712              33733              33742              33781              34665

            33705              33713              33734              33743              33782              34666

            33706              33714              33736              33744              33784

            33707              33715              33737              33772              34642

 

                                    2.         Any small claims case in which the plaintiff, in the case of a pro se  filing, or plaintiff’s Pinellas County counsel has an address with a zip code as listed below, shall be designated a Clearwater case:

 

      33755        33763           33775           34618           34629           34648              34685

      33756        33764           33778           34619           34630           34649              34688

      33757        33765           33779           34620           34634           34660              34689 

      33758        33766           33785           34621           34635           34677              34695

      33759        33767           33786           34622           34640           34681              34697 

      33760        33770           34615           34623           34641           34682              34698

      33761        33771           34616           34624           34644           34683

      33762        33774           34617           34625           34645           34684                                                                   

 

 

                  b.   Any small claims case in which pro se  plaintiff or counsel has a given address outside of Pinellas County, the Clerk of the Circuit Court shall assign small claims case to that section in which the first-named defendant would have been assigned had that defendant been the plaintiff.  Any small claims case in which the defendant is also out-of-county shall be designated an out-of-county case and assigned without regard to the defendant’s address.

                  c.   St. Petersburg small claims cases and all out-of-county cases shall be assigned to the South County Small Claims Master Calendar section.

 

                  d.   Clearwater small claims cases shall be assigned to the North County Small Claims Master Calendar section.

 

II.        Assignment and Disposition of Counterclaims

            1.   Upon the receipt of granting a Motion for Change of Venue, the County Court shall order the transfer to Circuit Civil Section 91N for those Clearwater County Civil and Small Claims sections or 91S for St. Petersburg County Civil and Small Claims sections.

            2.   Any case ordered to the above sections shall be given a circuit civil case number, but the case shall remain assigned to the transferring county court judge.

 

III.       Other

            1.   The evening small claims project of the Citizen’s Dispute Settlement Program is hereby abolished.   

            2.   Administrative Orders 86-68, PI-CTY-96-4 and 96-6 are hereby rescinded.

            3.   This Administrative Order shall take effect July 1, 1997.

           

            DONE AND ORDERED in Chambers at St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida, this

 

5th day of June, 1997.

                

 

                                                      SUSAN F. SCHAEFFER                                           

                                                      Susan F. Schaeffer, Chief Judge

 

 

 

cc:        All Pinellas County Judges

            Honorable Karleen F. DeBlaker, Clerk of Court, Pinellas County

            H. Sandra Combee, Director, Court Services Division, Pinellas County Clerk’s Office

            Kaye Thompson, Manager, Clerk’s Office, St. Petersburg Branch

            J. William Lockhart, Courts Administrator

            Bar Associations, Pinellas County

            Law Libraries, Pinellas County