Order in the Court!

The Clerk of the Circuit Court is never a quiet place. I saw this first hand on Tuesday and came to understand why after our tour with Director of Juvenile Court Operations, Dana Caranante. While this tour may have been more informative than thrilling, we did have the opportunity before hand to sit down with Pat Frank, the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller for the Tampa Court.

As an elected official, Frank's daily duties included everything from keeping records for the court-such as leans and mortgages-to taking care of finances and making sure everything is properly invested. As of now, her office has hold of 1.8 billion dollars.

Talk about responsibility.

With a very transparent system that keeps all minutes and meetings available for review online and open for viewing on television, there are still a few unraveling hems to be hemmed, atleast in the eyes of Frank herself.

With the turn of events our economy has seen in the past year, foreclosures are up and the legislature seems to be holding back when it comes to, but of course, spurting out additional money for additional help. The need for staff goes up as the paperwork and duties required of employees goes up as well. This is a burden that is yet to be fixed.

On a brighter note, Caranante took us on a tour of what is necessary to really utilize the Court to fullest of it's ability. Everything from where the jury meet to where probate records can be found. Downstairs is where all records pertaining to family law can be accessed. This would include divorce settlements, child support and so on. One thing it would not include are child abuse cases. These are confidential unless requested by someone involved in the case.

Civil Suits can also be found downstairs. This is where any settlement involving less than 15,000 dollars involving landlords and tenants can be found. Circuit Civil is the office where all public records are kept, it's just important to know the case file you are requesting to make the process run smoother.

Everything has it's place in the Clerk of the Court's office, which makes it important to understand what you may be looking for and what those public records can do for you. Now with a better understanding of what is where and how the system works, I can't say I'll be running to the courthouse every chance I get, but I can say I will have a much smoother time one I do end up there digging for the dirt.