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Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Duval County, Florida | |
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Clerk of the Circuit Court |
| Duval County, Florida | |
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This page offers a wealth of information about the Juvenile Department of the Clerk’s Office. We hope you find it helpful. If we can be of service, please give us a call at (904) 255-2000.
The Juvenile Department handles all cases heard on behalf of or against a minor who falls under the statutory age limit of 18 years. This can include juveniles who are involved in matters that call for intervention by state agencies that work with children and families.
As you’d expect, these proceedings are of a confidential nature. And because of this, only selective information can be given out over the phone. In addition, only the juvenile, the legal parent/guardian/custodian, or the attorney of record can receive case information when appearing in person. They must, of course, present proper identification.
While all juvenile-delinquency and dependency cases are confidential, they may be accessed by the child, the parent or guardian, or the representing attorney, with proper identification. Please understand that no information can be given over the phone. If you have questions about a juvenile case, we’d be happy to help you in person at the Juvenile Clerk’s Office. We are located at 501 West Adams Street in room 2017, on the second floor. Please be sure to bring proper identification.
We ask you to bear in mind that, due to legal restrictions, the Clerkâs Office cannot provide legal advice.
If you’d like to find out whether your child has been arrested, please contact the juvenile assessment center at (904) 798-4706. Again, because this information is confidential, we can’t give out charges, court dates or a child’s detention status over the phone.
Juvenile cases are categorized in one of three ways:
Delinquency cases involve minors who have been charged with a crime, and they are initiated by the State Attorney’s Office.
Dependency cases involve children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned, resulting in a custody issue for the court to resolve. These cases are typically initiated by the Florida Department of Children and Families, though individual citizens may also initiate them.
Children in Need of Services cases involve children who need intervention to keep them from becoming involved in crime or other harmful circumstances. These cases are typically initiated by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, though the child’s parent or legal guardian may also initiate them .
The minor must appear at the Duval County Clerk’s Office within 10 days of receiving the citation, the clerk will provide the minor and legal guardian a case number and a written notice directing the legal guardian to contact Teen Court.
Emancipation is the removal of disability of nonage. In other words, emancipation is the act by which a person gains all the rights and responsibilities of an adult.
In keeping with Florida law and judicial rules, information concerning juvenile cases is available only to the juvenile, the juvenile’s parents or legal guardian, or the juvenile's attorney of record. For access to information in a juvenile court file, those parties must appear in person with a valid picture ID at the Juvenile Department service counter in the Duval County Courthouse.
When juveniles are detained, they appear before the court within 24 hours to determine whether they can be released or whether they should remain in detention. After this initial detention hearing, an arraignment is held, and it is then that the juvenile pleads to the charges.
If a not-guilty plea is chosen, it may be changed during a docket call held at a later date. If a defendant pleads guilty or no contest, the case moves forward to the disposition or sentencing. But if a defendant continues with a plea of not guilty, the case goes to a non-jury trial. In this type of trial, the judge determines whether a child is guilty or innocent based on the evidence presented. Please keep in mind that a final judgment, or lien, is placed against the parents (or guardian) of all juveniles that owe court fees.
If restitution is levied, payments are collected by the Juvenile Department and forwarded to the victims. A $3.50 fee is charged every time a payment is taken for this service. The court fees are also collected by the Juvenile Department. The Clerk's Office accepts cash, money orders, cashier’s checks, and credit cards (MasterCard, VISA, Discover and American Express). Please understand that the Clerk's Office cannot accept personal checks.
A juvenile-dependency case involves allegations of abuse, abandonment or neglect of a minor child. These cases are started when someone calls the abuse hotline. When this happens, an investigation is conducted, and if there is probable cause, the case is brought before a judge. A shelter hearing is then held followed by an arraignment. Depending on the plea, either a docket call or disposition takes place. If the parents deny the allegations, then a trial is held in a non-jury court of law.
In these proceedings, the judge makes a decision regarding guilt or innocence. If the court declares the child dependent, the parent(s) enter into a case plan with the Department of Children and Families (DCF). This plan is created to assure that the parent(s) comply with regulations or sanctions imposed by the court. DCF ensures that children are safe and free from risk. If the case plan is not followed, the children may be placed in the permanent custody of the State of Florida.
If you have a court date that you need to reschedule, please contact your attorney. Unfortunately, the Clerk's Office is not authorized to reschedule juvenile court dates.
Restitution is the court-ordered payment(s) to an individual, group or entity to compensate for an injury or loss. It is paid by the party found to have been responsible for the loss or injury. In a juvenile-delinquency case, when the court thinks is it necessary, it will order a minor found guilty of a delinquent act to pay restitution to the victims(s) for their injury or loss.
Restitution payments may be made in the form of a cashier’s check, certified check or money order. They may be paid in person or by mail at the address below.
Please make the cashier’s check, certified check or money order payable to the Clerk of Courts. Also, please be sure to:
Again, the Clerk’s Office can accept only a cashier’s check, certified check or money order. We cannot accept personal checks, and please do not send cash.
The Clerk’s Office may issue restitution payments to a victim only after receiving payments for that specific victim and as ordered by the court. Of course, if a defendant or juvenile does not make payments as ordered by the court, the victim may seek relief. Please contact the Juvenile Department at (904) 255-2000 for more information.
| Juvenile Fee Schedule | |
| Fee Description | Amount |
| Restitution payments - Clerk's processing fee for each restitution payment | $3.50 |
| Adoptions (includes sealing of court file) | $343.00 |
| Filing fee for private dependency action | $400.00 |
| Public Defender application fee | $50.00 |
| Application Fee for Court Appointed Counsel | $50.00. |
| Application Fee for determination of indigent status | $25.00 |
| Issuing a summons (each summons) | $10.00 |
| For verifying any instrument presented for certification prepared by someone other than clerk, per page | $3.50 |
| Postal charges incurred by the clerk of the circuit court in any mailing by certified or registered mail shall be paid by the party at whose instance the mailing is made | (varies) |
| Removal of Disability of Minors (Emancipation) | $400.00 |
A felony is a criminal offense of a more serious nature that is punishable by a prison sentence of at least one year.
A misdemeanor is a crime lower than a felony and generally punishable by fine or imprisonment for less than one year and not in a penitentiary.
According to Chapter 985 of the Florida Statutes, a minor is found to have committed a delinquent act if he or she is found to be in contempt of court or is found guilty of committing a violation of the law that would be considered a crime if committed by an adult.
Adjudicated delinquent is the term used when a minor is legally considered to have committed a crime as a child. This can happen only after a child has been found guilty by the court or has admitted guilt. However, being found delinquent does not meet the same legal grounds as being convicted of a crime as an adult.
A withhold of adjudication occurs when an individual is found guilty of or admits guilt to a violation of the law, but the court does not legally convict the individual of a crime or adjudicate a juvenile as a delinquent.
Juveniles or their parents are required to keep the Clerk's Office informed of their correct address. If the mailing address changes, it must be submitted in writing, in person or by mail to the Juvenile Department.
Please visit the Collection/Juvenile Department and provide a Florida ID. The contract signer must be at least 18 years of age.
To reinstate a driver’s license, court fees on all outstanding cases must be paid in full. At that time, the Collection Department will issue a release, and the guarantor is responsible for taking it to the Department of Motor Vehicles to have the license reinstated.
Yes. Please understand that the Clerk’s Office cannot excuse anyone from a subpoena or a summons.
Yes, until your child is 18 years old.
Yes. Please make your payments at the Clerk’s Office at 501 West Adams Street, 2nd Floor, Juvenile Department.
We accept cash, cashier’s check, money order and credit cards (MasterCard, VISA, Discover, and American Express).
No. We’re sorry, but our office cannot accept personal checks.
Yes, if paying by cashier’s check or money order. Please make checks payable to Clerk of Courts and mail to the Juvenile Department.
No. We treat them in a confidential manner. But please note that a parent, a legal guardian, the child’s attorney, law-enforcement officials or the armed forces may obtain information with proper identification and/or a release signed by the child.
The following considerations are important in the decision of whether to seek the judicial sealing or expunction of a juvenile criminal-history record. Before October 1, 1994, juvenile arrest records were not maintained by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) in the criminal-history record system. Juvenile arrests for felonies occurring before October 1, 1994 and for misdemeanors before July 1, 1996 are not available to the general public unless the juvenile was treated as an adult. Juvenile records are subject to an abbreviated retention schedule, if certain qualifications are met, which results in the Juvenile defendants who successfully complete a qualified diversion program, as set out in s.943.0582, Florida Statutes, may be eligible for expunction for their record as the term is defined therein. For anyone who would like to pursue the judicial sealing or expunction of his or her juvenile record, the eligibility criteria and procedure can be found in s.943.059 and s.943.0585, Florida Statutes. These are similar to the criteria and procedure for adults.
The current processing time is 90 or fewer working days from the date the application is received, processed and mailed back to the customer.
Special Note: If the application is not complete at the time of submission, we have no choice but to return it. Of course, this will cause the application process to be delayed beyond the 90-working-day period.
Sealed record: When a criminal-history record is sealed, the public does not have access to it. Certain governmental or related entities—primarily those listed in s.943.059(4)(a), Florida Statutes—have access to sealed record information in its entirety.
Expunged record: By contrast, if your record has been expunged, those who would normally have had access to your sealed record will be told that you have had the record expunged. They would not be able to access to the record without a court order. All they would receive is a statement saying that “Criminal Information has been Expunged from this Record”.
By law, s.943.0582(8), Florida Statutes, a juvenile diversion expunge does not prevent the record subject from seeking a judicial expunction or sealing under s.943.0585 or s.943.059, Florida Statutes.
Monday through Friday (excluding holidays): 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Duval County Clerk of Courts
Attn: Juvenile Department
501 West Adams Street, Room 2017
Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 255-2000
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Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public-records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.
