Legislature move measure to provide ‘alternative headquarters’ for DCA judges

Legislature move measure to provide ‘alternative headquarters’ for DCA judges

Some Florida District Court of Appeal judges will have an easier time establishing a remote office under a measure that has cleared the Legislature.

The Senate voted 40-0 on March 4 to approve HB 353 by Republican Rep. Patt Maney, a retired judge from Shalimar.

Republican Sen. Danny Burgess, a Zephyrhills attorney, co-sponsored the companion, SB 570.

“This bill allows for our district court judges to establish their headquarters closer to their homes,” Burgess said.

Current law permits DCA judges who live 50 miles or more from their main courthouses to establish an “alternative headquarters” in their county of residence.

The bill would permit the same judges to establish “alternative headquarters,” typically an office in a local courthouse, in a county that is adjacent to their county of residence.

Republican Sen. Erin Grall, a Vero Beach attorney who co-sponsored the companion, said some judges live closer to a courthouse in an adjacent county than they do to the one in their home county.

The bill would protect taxpayers by prohibiting a judge from collecting more in travel expenses than they would if they established a remote office in their home county, the sponsors said.

The measure was a priority of the Florida Conference of DCA Judges.