Gulf County Clerk of Court Office Accepts State's First Electronic Case Filing Using Statewide System

Filing court cases in Florida just took a major step forward today when the Gulf County Clerk of Court accepted the state’s first electronic case filing via a new statewide system.  Electronic filing, or eFiling, enables attorneys and others to file lawsuits, pleadings and motions online, and saves time and costs associated with traditional paper systems.  While individual counties have offered eFiling at the local level, Gulf County is the first to utilize the new statewide ePortal system.   

“Reaching this milestone is a real win for Florida and will modernize the state’s court system through a cost and time effective solution,” said Orange County Clerk Lydia Gardner, Chair of the Association of Court Clerks (FACC) eFiling Committee. “Once implemented statewide, records can be sent at the click of button regardless of an attorney’s or citizen’s physical location. Clerks will spend less time processing paperwork and this will allow the whole process to move more quickly and more efficiently.”

Using a single statewide login, the ePortal serves as the single entry point for transmitting court records to and from the Florida Courts via the Internet.  It will be capable of accepting electronic filings from all filers of court records, including lawyers and citizens, and will provide electronic notice and service.  Capable of accepting electronic filings from multiple sources, the ePortal uses common data elements that pass to and from each local case system. The portal can also interface with other existing statewide information systems.

“We’ve been working toward this goal for some time and it is an honor to see it come to fruition in our county,” said Becky Norris, Gulf County Clerk of Court. “We’re hopeful the impacts of this statewide system will stretch beyond cost savings, and will enhance the public’s access to the courts in the instantaneous fashion we have come to expect in today’s ever-moving world.”

During the 2009 legislative session, lawmakers required Florida’s Court Clerks and court system to work collaboratively to develop the statewide electronic case filing system and implement eFiling statewide by January 1, 2011.  Prior to offering eFiling through the statewide ePortal, County Clerks of the Court must have an eFiling plan approved by the Florida Supreme Court. 

Other Clerk Offices from around the state with approved eFiling plans will soon follow Gulf County and begin using the ePortal for electronic court filing. Currently, 29 Clerks of Court have received approval of their eFiling plans and the remaining counties are in the process of submitting eFiling plans to the Florida Supreme Court.

“In addition to saving my office money, eFiling eliminates the vast piles of paperwork that piles up in an attorney’s office and allows you to file important case documents at anytime from any location,” said Tom Gibson, an attorney with the Rish, Gibson & Scholz law firm who filed the first statewide electronic case in Florida.  “This system is a win-win situation for all parties involved. It’s worked at the federal level and it is clear that this is the future of the judicial world - Florida is smart to get on board now.”

Others who were on hand to share in this event were Gulf County Judge Fred N. Witten, Franklin County Clerk of Court Marcia Johnson, Bay County Clerk of Court Bill Kinsaul, Jan Shadburn, Court Administrator for the 14th Circuit,  and Chris Blakeslee, Information System Services Manager for the Office of the State Court Administrator.