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In the Circuit Court of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit,
in and for Sarasota County, State of Florida

Administrative Order # 88-54

This administrative order was
renumbered by administrative
order number 2001-14-2.
The new number is
88–54–2

Administrative Order Regarding the Establishment of
the "South County Judicial District"

Whereas, the County of Sarasota is one of three counties comprising the Twelfth Judicial Circuit. The County seat, city of Sarasota, is in the northwestern part of the County. However, the population of Sarasota County runs from the northern county line along the coast to Osprey, Venice, Englewood and North Port and said population is large and ever growing, and

Whereas as early as 1973, This Circuit has tried to accomodate the needs of the citizens located in the area called "South County" (or the area south of Blackburn Point Road), by regularly conducting county Court hearings on all traffic and misdemeanor cases, with the exception of conducting jury trials; on cases originated south of. Blackburn Point Road, and

Whereas, the County of Sarasota, in consideration of the increasing needs and population of the area known as "South County", has recently constructed the South County Administrative Center, located at 4000 Tamiami Trail, Venice, Florida, which includes a courtroom and court related facilities to serve the residents of this area, and

Whereas, this circuit, in response to the expanding needs of the South County area and wishing to utilize the newly constructed South County Court Facility to the greatest extent feasible in order to best benefit the citizens of this ever increasing populace, and in consideration thereof, it is

Ordered and Adjudgedthat:

  1. Effective January 1, 1989, there is hereby created a special Judicial District in Sarasota County to be known as the "South County Judicial District"" and defined as all that land lying south of a line running east and west from Blackburn Point Road.
  2. The Clerk of Court, Sarasota County, is directed to:
    1. Docket all traffic and misdemeanor cases arising within this area in the South County Center and accept filings for County Court Civil actions.
    2. Create a circuit civil division physically located in the South County Center and accept for filing any circuit civil action, except Probate, that anyone desires to file. This circuit civil division shall be labled, known and referred to as "Division H".
  3. The Chief Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit shall periodically assign a judge to Division "H". Said judge shall physically conduct all court proceedings, including jury trials, relating to Division "H" in the South County Center and, in addition, said assigned judge shall hear all traffic and misdemeanor, small claim, and county civil actions filed in the South County Center.
  4. No action filed in Division "H" may be transferred out of South County to Sarasota without the consent of the judge assigned to Division "H" and the consent of the judge in the division in which the case shall be reassigned into.
  5. All felony and juvenile cases within Sarasota County shall continue to be filed and heard in the Sarasota County Courthouse.
  6. There is hereby created a jury district in South Sarasota County comprised of the following voting precincts of Sarasota County, Florida, to wit:
    50, 33, 85, 07, 21, 62, 71,
    45, 88, 64, 36, 89, 65, 55,
    61, 63, 43, 08, 58, 92, 93,
    34, 67, 66, 52, 68, 91, 44,
    09, 74, 42, 90, & 26.
  7. Upon request of the judge assigned to Division "H", the Clerk of this Court shall draw a jury panel of Sarasota County citizens living and voting in this jury district and instruct these panel members to report to the South County Administrative Center for jury duty.

Done and Ordered this 27th day of October, 1988, at Sarasota County, Florida.

Gilbert A. Smith, Chief Judge
Twelfth Judicial Circuit

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