Florida Legal Overview: Jacksonville The Jacksonville metropolitan area, as defined by the Census Bureau, covers five counties including Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau and Baker counties. Each county has a circuit court as the main trial court with general jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases. County court judges handle limited jurisdiction cases such as misdemeanors, traffic and ordinance violations, and small claims not exceeding $15,000. Appeals are heard by the intermediate appellate district courts of appeals. Listed below are the major cities in the Jacksonville metro area.
Top Florida cities for Legal Issues: Jacksonville
1. Duval, Clay and Nassau counties are served by the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida. The Duval County Unified Courthouse in Jacksonville includes both circuit and county courts with separate divisions for civil, criminal, juvenile, family and probate matters. St. Johns County is served by the Seventh Judicial Circuit. The courthouse in St. Augustine houses the circuit and county courts for St. Johns County. Baker County is served by the Eighth Judicial Circuit, with the circuit and county courts located in the city of Macclenny. 2. The Florida Times-Union got a $15,000 settlement from the city of Jacksonville in the lawsuit the newspaper had filed because the mayor's office did not comply with a request for information. 3. The Jacksonville Transportation Authority has made a $200,000 wrongful death settlement offer to the family of Alexander Gibbs, who was run over by a JTA bus and died as result of the accident.
Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida
Seventh Judicial Circuit of Florida Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida Florida First District Court of Appeal U.S. District Court - Middle District of Florida
Trending Jacksonville Legal Topics: Appeals against decisions handed down by these courts in the Jacksonville metro area have to be filed with the Florida First District Court of Appeal based in Tallahassee. The Florida Supreme Court may choose to hear the case on appeal as the court of last resort. Federal cases with original jurisdiction are heard by the Jacksonville Division of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Appeals against decisions taken by this federal court may be filed with the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. |