Bill > H0919

This bill authorizes the establishment of community court programs within each judicial circuit in Florida for defendants charged with certain misdemeanor offenses. The community court programs must adopt a non-adversarial approach, establish an advisory committee to recommend solutions and sanctions, provide for judicial leadership and interaction, and consider the needs of the victim and individualized treatment services for the defendant. The chief judge of the judicial circuit will designate eligible misdemeanor offenses and appoint a community court resource coordinator and an advisory committee. The advisory committee will review each defendant's case and make recommendations to the judge, who will make the final decision on sanctions and treatment. The judicial circuits must report client-level and programmatic data to the Office of State Courts Administrator annually for program evaluation. Various government entities are required to support the community court programs, and the funding must be secured from sources other than the state, except for costs assumed by the state.

Budget and Finance, Justice

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2019/919