Circuit Civil cases are non-criminal cases in which individuals or businesses sue for damages exceeding $50,000. Cases involving claims of $50,000 or less are under the jurisdiction of the County Civil Courts.
If you wish to recover more than $10,000, you must consider another court, and in most cases, the assistance of an attorney. If the amount you are asking for is over $10,000, you cannot file in justice court. You cannot just say you will take less to get into this court.
A claim up to $8,000 – not including costs, interest and attorneys' fees – can be filed with the Clerk's Office as a Small Claims action, ing to Rule 7.010 of the Florida Rules of Court and Chapter 34 of the Florida Statutes.
In most cases, you do not need a lawyer for a small claims case. If your case is more complex, you might be better off hiring an attorney. If you need assistance locating an attorney, you may visit .floridabar or call the Florida Bar's referral service at (800)342-8011.
Proposed orders for all Civil Court case types must be submitted directly to the court through the 15th Judicial Circuit's Online Scheduling System (OLS). Proposed orders cannot be submitted in person, by mail, by fax or by email to the court or to the Clerk's office.
You may also file a complaint by calling our office at 561-233-5500 Monday – Friday AM to PM, excluding County recognized holidays. An on-call Code Enforcement Officer is also available at 561-233-5523 for general questions Monday – Friday AM to PM, excluding County recognized holidays.