As a result of severe legislative budget cuts, the Pasco Clerk & Comptroller will reduce customer service hours for court-related services beginning July 2, 2012. This year's cut of $31.2 million for Clerks statewide means a slash of $825,000 for Pasco. This is the third budget cut in four years for the Clerk & Comptroller, reducing the court-related budget by more than 4 million dollars since 2009, despite rising caseloads and additional state mandates.
The budget reduction has resulted in 5 early retirements, 20 position changes, and the unfunding of 16 full-time and 9 part-time positions for Pasco. While every effort has been made to minimize the impact to the public, current funding levels will not allow adequate staffing to meet statutory and court requirements without adjusting customer service hours.
The Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller’s Office, in conjunction with the majority of Clerks’ Offices throughout the State, will adjust customer service window and call center hours for court-related operations to 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., effective July 2, 2012. This will provide uninterrupted time to address backlogs and minimize delays.
The Office will prioritize workload activities in the following order:
1. Time specific activities set by Statute or Court Rule will take priority,
2. All criminal case activities will take precedence over civil activities, and
3. Civil case activities with statutory deadlines will take priority over other civil case types.
Delays may be experienced in processing new cases and subsequent pleadings in civil, family, and probate (i.e. mortgage foreclosures, tenant evictions, contract and indebtedness, dissolutions of marriage, name changes, adoptions, probate, etc.). In addition, delays may be experienced in the issuance of process, dispositions, appeals, and payment of monies ordered to be disbursed by the Court.
Office locations open from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. are as follows:
West Pasco Judicial Center Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center
7530 Little Road 38053 Live Oak Avenue
New Port Richey, FL 34654 Dade City, FL 33523
West Pasco Records Retention East Pasco Records Center
8902 Government Drive 38319 McDonald Street
New Port Richey, FL 34654 Dade City, FL 33525