IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE TENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
IN AND FOR HARDEE, HIGHLANDS AND POLK COUNTIES, FLORIDA

WHEREAS, beginning October 1, 1982, the Board of County Commissioners in Polk County has granted a "lump sum" budget for county funded judicial employees in Polk County; and further by mutual agreement of this Court and the Board of County Commissioners in Polk County (BOCC), the Court on October 1, 1982, assumed full personnel accountability for county funded employees; and whereas the supervisory status of judicial employees in Polk County was further clarified by the BOCC in . Thus, it becomes desirable and possible to place all Court employees in Polk County under one uniform personnel system.

THEREFORE, it is ORDERED and ADJUDGED that:

1. All Court employees of the Florida State Courts System, whether funded by the State or the County, serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority.

2. All Court employees in Polk County, whether funded by the State of Florida or by the Board of County Commissioners, will be governed by the regulations and policies contained in the Personnel Regulations Manual of the Florida State Courts System.

A. This Manual shall be supplemented locally to include job descriptions and appropriate state pay grades for all county funded positions. Each job description and appropriate pay grade will contain approval of the Chief Judge prior to being incorporated in the Personnel Manual.

B. Polk County funded judicial employees will be credited with accruing annual and sick leave in accordance with the Polk County Personnel Regulations through September 1982. Effective October 1, 1982, Polk County funded judicial employees will accrue leave in accordance with the State Courts System Personnel Regulations.

3. Court employees in Hardee and Highlands Counties, if funded by the State of Florida, will be governed by the State Courts System Personnel Regulations; if the county funds them, they will be governed by the Personnel Regulations of the funding county.

4. State Courts System Personnel Regulation 3.02B requires each employer (Chief Judge) to designate an employee as the Court's personnel representative. Such will be the Court Administrator who will maintain personnel records as required by the State Courts System Personnel Regulations. These personnel records are subject to audit by state auditors and by county appointed auditors in the case of county funded judicial employees.

5. The State Courts System Personnel Regulations specify that the Chief Judge is designated as the employer for the purposes of the personnel regulations; however, each judicial officer has individual control over the hiring and termination of his or her personal staff, i.e. Judicial Assistants.

6. In order for the Court Administrator to properly carry out his personnel duties and to satisfy auditing requirements, it will be necessary that each judge and each supervisor certify on a monthly basis all annual or sick leave that was taken by members of their staff. This must be completed by the employee; certified correct by the judge or supervisor and forwarded to the Court Administrator by the tenth of each month, following the month reported on. The Court Administrator will not credit any employee with any earned annual or sick leave for the month until the monthly leave certification is received.

7. The following judicial employees will have their monthly time report certified as follows:

EMPLOYEE TIME CERTIFIED BY

Judicial Assistants Their Judge

Court Administrator Chief Judge

Court Administration Staff Court Administrator

Trial Coordinator Deputy Court Administrator

Director, Pre-Trial Release Court Administrator

Pre-Trial Release Staff Director, Pre-Trial Services

Electronic Court Reporter Deputy Court Administrator

Juvenile Court Director Administrative Juvenile Judge

Other Juvenile Division Employees Juvenile Court Director

Witness Management Director Court Administrator

Assistant Witness Coordinators Witness Management Director

Guardian Ad Litem Director Court Administrator

Other Guardian Ad Litem Staff Program Director

Staff Attorneys Deputy Court Administrator

JIS Coordinator Court Administrator

Drug Court Director Court Administrator

Drug Court Staff Drug Court Director

Court Interpreter Deputy Court Administrator

Assistant Court Interpreter Court Interpreter

Self-Help Coordinator Alternative Sanctions Coordinator

Court Program Specialists Alternative Sanctions Coordinator

Alternative Sanctions Coordinator Court Administrator

Indigence Examiner Deputy Court Administrator

Domestic Violence Coordinator Deputy Court Administrator

Judicial Assistant Floaters Deputy Court Administrator

Hearing Officers Court Administrator

Hearing Officer Secretary Hearing Officer

General Master Court Administrator

Dependency Program Staff General Master

8. In accordance with the Personnel Regulations Manual of the Florida State Courts System, the performance of each employee shall be formally reviewed at the completion of the first six months of continuous service and thereafter, on an annual basis. The person responsible for certifying an employee’s monthly time report shall also be responsible for reviewing that employee’s performance. Personal staff of judges is exempt from this requirement.

9. This Order cancels and supersedes Administrative Order No. 1-5.2 dated December 5, 1997.

DONE AND ORDERED in Chambers at Bartow, Polk County, Florida, this day of August 2001.

Charles B. Curry, Chief Judge