Gov. Scott Approves Cash For Courts
MIAMI-DADE (CBS4) – In a last minute move to keep the state's court system up and running, Governor Rick Scott has approved a loan to fill a budget shortfall that otherwise would have required furloughs and court closures statewide through the end of May.
Because of a huge drop in foreclosure filing fees, the state's court system faced a $72 million budget short fall at the beginning of this year, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald. To stave off layoffs and furloughs through April, Governor Scott approved $14 million from a trust fund.
On Wednesday the Florida Supreme Court announced the agreement for the loan, saying the remaining shortfall for June will be covered through a supplemental appropriation that was not part of the Chief Justice Charles Canady's request to Scott's office.
Some are wondering, however, if the loan amount of $19.5 million approved by the governor will be enough. State officials had calculated that they the system needed $58 million for full funding but could get by on $28 million until the end of June. The state courts will begin operating under a new budget on July 1.
Before the loan was announced, Miami-Dade and Broward court administrators warned their employees and judges about possible furloughs, layoffs and even closing some courts on certain days.
In Miami-Dade not only were court employees and judges warned of possible court closures and furloughs, but eighteen full-time employees, including clerical staff, case managers and a magistrate who strictly deal with foreclosures, faced termination if the funding didn't come through.
"If we have to close the courts, it's going to hurt a lot of hard-working dedicated courts staff who have had no had raises in over six years, who have had decreases to their salaries, and are now facing further cuts," Miami-Dade Chief Judge Joel Brown told the paper.
Closing courts on certain days would not only have caused an even greater backlog for the Miami-Dade justice system, it would also cost the county more because accused criminals would have to stay in jail longer waiting for hearings.
In Broward, court administrators said they were looking at shuttering courts on certain days and having employees take up to 30 unpaid work days over the next two months if the funding didn't come through.
(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald and The Sun-Sentinel contributed material for this report)
