IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE TENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

IN AND FOR HARDEE, HIGHLANDS AND POLK COUNTIES, FLORIDA

ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 1- 25.0

POSSESSION OF COURT RECORDS

WHEREAS it is necessary for the Court to adopt a policy for the handling of court files which ensures the integrity of the files and which shall be uniformly applied by the Clerks of the Court; and

WHEREAS Rule 2.072, Rules of Judicial Administration, has been adopted stating that:

No person other than judges and authorized court employees shall remove court records as defined in rule 2.075 from the clerk’s office except by order of the chief judge or chief justice upon a showing of good cause.

and

WHEREAS the commentary to the above set out rule states that the rule is "not intended to prohibit chief judges from issuing for good cause a general order providing that attorneys or authorized individuals may be allowed to check out files on a routine basis to assist in the administrative efficiency of the court."

It is accordingly ORDERED AND ADJUDGED as follows:

No person other than judges and authorized court employees shall be allowed to remove court files from the clerk’s office. However, an individual judge may, in his or her discretion, allow an attorney to return a court file to the clerk’s office after a hearing has been held on the matter in order to obtain certified copies. Nothing herein shall restrain an individual judge, acting on a case by case basis, from authorizing an attorney or other person to remove the court file from the clerk’s office for a specific purpose upon a showing of good cause.

DONE AND ORDERED on this 14th day of February, 1997.

CHARLES A. DAVIS, JR.

Chief Judge