2021 County Revenues & Expenditures: Judgements, Fines, & Fortunes
Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenues are received from court related fines and penalties imposed for statutory offenses, violation of administrative rules, and neglect of official duty. Forfeits may include the confiscation of bonds held as performance guarantees and proceeds from the sale of contraband property seized by law enforcement.
In FY 2018, Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits accounted for $206,828,838 ,or 0.42% of all statewide revenues for Florida’s counties, the smallest revenue category. The statewide average percentage share is equal to 0.50%, when comparing Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenue to all revenues on a county-by- county basis. The total per capita receipts for Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenue was equal to $9.92 per person statewide. This represents a decrease of $1,391,766 , or 0.67% from the previous fiscal year. The total per capita receipts for Judgments, Fines, & Fees revenues decreased by $0.24, or 2.37% from the previous fiscal year.
Nearly all Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits receipts were concentrated within three revenue categories statewide: Court-Ordered Judgments & Fines, Fines, and Other Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits. These three categories accounted for about 96.89% of total Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits receipts, $9.62 in per capita revenues for FY 2018.
Over half of all Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenues collected (46.70%) were Court-Ordered Judgments & Fines. The total per capita receipts for Court-Ordered Judgments & Fines revenues was $4.63. Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenues include those decided by circuit, juvenile, and traffic courts.
Other Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenue accounted for the second highest revenue category at 32.38%, while Fines revenue followed at 17.81% of statewide Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenues. The total per capita receipts for Other Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenue was $3.21 and $1.77 for Fines revenue. Fines revenue consists of library fines, pollution control fines, and local ordinance fines. Other Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits include performance bond proceeds.
The revenue categories of Sale of Contraband Property Seized by Law Enforcement, Federal Fines & Forfeits, State Fines & Forfeits, and Confiscation of Deposits or Bonds Held as Performance Guarantee receipts collectively accounted for 3.11% of the total Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenues. The total per capita revenues for each of these categories was $0.22, $0.07, $0.02, and $0.01 respectively.
Over half of all Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenues collected (46.70%) were Court-Ordered Judgments & Fines. The total per capita receipts for Court-Ordered Judgments & Fines revenues was $4.63. Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenues include those decided by circuit, juvenile, and traffic courts.
Other Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenue accounted for the second highest revenue category at 32.38%, while Fines revenue followed at 17.81% of statewide Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenues. The total per capita receipts for Other Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenue was $3.21 and $1.77 for Fines revenue. Fines revenue consists of library fines, pollution control fines, and local ordinance fines. Other Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits include performance bond proceeds.
The revenue categories of Sale of Contraband Property Seized by Law Enforcement, Federal Fines & Forfeits, State Fines & Forfeits, and Confiscation of Deposits or Bonds Held as Performance Guarantee receipts collectively accounted for 3.11% of the total Judgments, Fines, & Forfeits revenues. The total per capita revenues for each of these categories was $0.22, $0.07, $0.02, and $0.01 respectively.