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:

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:

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.


/s/ SUSAN F. SCHAEFFER
Susan F. Schaeffer, Chief Judge