Programs

The Twelfth Judicial Circuit has numerous court programs to help facilitate the judicial process. On this page you'll find summaries and links to the programs provided by Court Administration that support the Court and court users.

Community Programs

DeSoto, Manatee & Sarasota counties

Family Self-Help (Pro Se) Program

Persons who choose to represent themselves in court are referred to as pro se litigants. The Family Self-Help Pro Se Program assists unrepresented litigants in family law cases such as divorce, paternity, child support, parental responsibility and time-sharing. The program can also assist with processing requests for change of names and adoptions.

Manatee & Sarasota counties

Guardianship Monitoring

The Guardianship Monitor serves as the eyes and ears of the Court and investigates allegations of abuse, neglect and/or exploitation of elderly wards or the misappropriation of wards assets.

Learn More

Manatee & Sarasota counties

Student Internship

The mission of the Internship Program is to enable students to become actively involved in the judicial branch of government and to improve their skills and experience. The Circuit offers two types of internship: one for 2L/3L law students and one for college students. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited college or university.

Learn How to Apply

Court Process & Support Programs

DeSoto, Manatee & Sarasota counties

Court Interpreters

The Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court provides qualified interpreters to limited-English-proficient persons in order to eliminate communication barriers that may prevent full participation in court proceedings necessary to ensure due process and equal access to the courts.

Request Interpreter

DeSoto, Manatee & Sarasota counties

Court Reporting & Digital Court Recording

The Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court uses a hybrid model for its court reporting services, comprised of the Official Court Reporters (OCR), which are stenographers, and Digital Court Recording (DCR). Each method provides a verbatim record of court proceedings that require the record to be made at public expense.

Order Transcript

DeSoto, Manatee & Sarasota counties

Court Technology

The Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court Technology Program administers all court information, data integrity and systems standards throughout the Circuit, in accordance with the policies, standards and guideliness set by the Florida Courts Technology Commission (FCTC) and coordinated by the Information Systems Services (ISS) of the Office of the State Courts Administrator (OSCA).

Manatee & Sarasota counties

Pet Therapy

The Twelfth Judicial Circuit provides volunteer pet therapy teams for Early Childhood Court hearings and other select proceedings to provide comfort and emotional support for court participants, and particularly children going through the court process.

Meet the Dogs

DeSoto & Sarasota counties

Pretrial Services

The Circuit’s pretrial services departments serve the criminal justice system and assists in preserving community safety by providing the Court with information that facilitates sound judicial decisions, enforces court orders and provides supervision and treatment options.

Visit the Sarasota Pretrial Services Program page.
Visit the DeSoto County Case Management Services page.

Mediation Programs

DeSoto, Manatee & Sarasota counties

Citizen Dispute Settlement Program

The Citizen Dispute Settlement Program (CDSP) provides free mediation and referral services for citizens in all three counties. This mediation service is available to parties prior to filing a case with the court. Florida Supreme Court certified mediators volunteer their time to the program and are selected especially for the program.

Online Services

DeSoto, Manatee & Sarasota counties

County Civil Mediation

The County Civil Mediation Program provides mediators to meet with disputing parties. The mediators, trained and certified by the Florida Supreme Court, are appointed to a case by the trial court. Mediators are third-party facilitators who help disputing parties reach mutual and voluntary agreements.

DeSoto, Manatee & Sarasota counties

Dependency Mediation

The Family Mediation Program provides mediators to meet with the parties in juvenile dependency cases and termination of parental rights cases. The mediators, trained and certified by the Florida Supreme Court, are third-party facilitators who help the parties reach mutual and voluntary agreements.

DeSoto, Manatee & Sarasota counties

Family Mediation

The Family Mediation Program provides Florida Supreme Court Family Certified mediators to help disputing parties with open court cases. Many disputes involve family matters, either before or after divorce, including issues of parental responsibility, parenting plans, child support, property division and alimony. Other family matters, including paternity, may be mediated.

Read FAQs

Problem-Solving Courts

Division P

The Twelfth Judicial Circuit is a leader in the state in providing “therapeutic justice,” creating and implementing problem-solving courts that use multidisciplinary teams and case management to address the root causes of people becoming involved in the criminal justice system: diseases of addiction, mental illness, and co-occurring disorders.

Division P Forms

DeSoto County

Drug Court

Changing lives, one day at a time
Drug Court serves participants struggling with addition, serious mental illness, and co-occurring disorders. The goal of the court is to reduce recidivism, and promote sobriety, recovery, stability and accountability through cooperation and collaboration between partners in the criminal justice system.

Learn More

Manatee & Sarasota counties

Community Care Court

Community Care Court seeks to engage chronic homeless persons of Manatee and Sarasota counties and provide them with services and opportunities to change and improve their lifestyle. Participants are connected with agencies that provide opportunities to reach self-sufficiency and end recidivism through engagement in social services and therapeutic treatment.

Visit CCC ‐ Sarasota page

Sarasota County

Comprehensive Treatment Court ‐ Sarasota

Comprehensive Treatment Court has three different programs under one umbrella: Health Care Court, Misdemeanor Comprehensive Treatment Court, and Felony Comprehensive Treatment Court. All three programs process criminal defendants by providing judicial accountability and individualized mental health treatment services.

Manatee County

Comprehensive Treatment Court ‐ Manatee

Comprehensive Treatment Court has two different programs under one umbrella: Misdemeanor Comprehensive Treatment Court and Felony Comprehensive Treatment Court.

Sarasota County

Drug Court

Drug Court | Opiate Track | Veterans Track

Breaking the cycle between drugs and crime
Drug Court's three tracks seek to reduce drug abuse and related criminal behavior, improve work and social functioning, and reduce the spread of substance abuse related disease. Drug Court may also relieve court backlogs and the crowding of jails with addicts, making room for offenders of more serious and violent crimes.

Learn More

Sarasota County

DUI Court

Never a wrong time to do the right thing
This problem-solving court is unique: only four other such courts exist in Florida. The mission of DUI Court is to reduce the number of repeat DUI offenders by providing alternative, community-based treatment, judicial accountability, and case management, thereby increasing offender productivity and public safety.

Visit DUI Court Page

Manatee & Sarasota counties

Early Childhood Court

Early Childhood Court provides intensive social services and judicial accountability to parents of children age 0-24 months, with the goal of identifying families that need help earlier to keep them from entering the child welfare system.

Sarasota County

Options Court

Options Court’s mission is to prevent human trafficking in the vulnerable population of teenagers that have a juvenile, dependency or truancy cases. A collaborative team works to address the youth’s vulnerabilities, focusing on a safe home, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and educational or occupational goals. Options Court begins each session with a pertinent guest speaker or group activity and then moves to focusing on each individual participant, giving the youth a voice in their cases and outcomes, and engaging all professionals and caregivers in their lives to improve transparency, communication and trust.

Sarasota County

Truancy Court

Truancy Court identifies the reasons that a student has missed an exorbitant amount of school, and requires the student and families to cooperate with appropriate services to address the root cause of their truancy. The Court assists the school board in re-engaging students, improving school attendance and finding appropriate educational placements for students with unique needs.

Manatee County

Treatment Courts ‐ Manatee

Drug Court | Mental Health Track | Veterans Track

Breaking the cycle between drugs and crime
Three tracks fall under the Manatee Treatment Courts Drug Court umbrella: Drug Court, a Mental Health Track, and a Veterans Track. Each track processes criminal defendants by providing judicial accountability and individualized treatment plans, urinalysis and case management services.

Manatee & Sarasota counties

Turn Your Life Around (TYLA) Court

The TYLA Court’s mission is to help persons arrested for prostitution-related charges escape the sex trade industry by providing them with resources that address their root issues through trauma therapy, drug and alcohol treatment, and other rehabilitative services in lieu of jail or prison.