Bartow, Florida Legal Overview The City of Bartow is the county seat of Polk County, Florida. The Polk County Circuit Court is the main trial court with general jurisdiction. It is a part of the 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida. Polk County also has the Polk County Court, which is a limited jurisdiction court. Both these courts have their main location in Bartow, with additional locations in the cities of Lakeland and Winter Haven. Felony cases come under the jurisdiction of the circuit criminal division. Misdemeanors are handled by the county criminal division.
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1. Civil cases are divided among the circuit civil and county civil divisions. The circuit civil division has jurisdiction over cases exceeding $15,000, and handles divorce petitions and other family law cases. The county civil division receives lawsuits that do not exceed $15,000, along with evictions and other landlord-tenant disputes. Small claims below $5,000 are also handled by the county civil division. A separate traffic court receives non-criminal traffic violations, while traffic cases involving criminal charges will be handled by the county criminal or circuit criminal divisions.
Trending Bartow, Florida Legal Topics: Polk County Court verdict appeals must be filed with the Polk County Circuit Court’s appellate division. Appeals against the circuit court are heard by the Second District Court of Appeal. This is an intermediate appellate court located in Lakeland. The court of last resort is the Florida Supreme Court. Federal cases from Bartow and the rest of Polk County are handled by the Tampa Division of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. |