Proposed Changes to Florida Court Fees and Clerk Charges

The Frame

What this does

If enacted, this bill would have reduced the out-of-pocket costs for individuals and businesses filing civil lawsuits, probate cases, and foreclosure actions in Florida courts, while changing how clerks distribute collected fees to state trust funds.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Civil litigants

Individuals and entities filing civil actions would have paid lower initial filing fees.

Probate petitioners

Those opening estates or filing probate-related documents would have faced reduced filing fees.

Clerks of the Court

Clerks would have been required to adjust their fee schedules and change the distribution of collected funds to state trust funds.

Timeshare owners

Parties involved in consolidated timeshare foreclosure actions would have paid lower fees per interest joined.

What changed

Last recorded activity March 13, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

This bill proposed lowering various court filing fees and for circuit and county court proceedings. It also mandated that the Office of Economic and Demographic Research periodically review these fees against inflation and report recommendations to the Legislature.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did this bill become law?

No, the bill died in the Rules committee during the 2026 legislative session.

How would this have affected my court costs?

The bill proposed lower filing fees and for most court-related services, such as starting a lawsuit, probate filings, and record s.

What was the role of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research?

The bill would have required this office to analyze court fees every three years and recommend updates based on inflation.

Why It Matters

If enacted, this bill would have reduced the out-of-pocket costs for individuals and businesses filing civil lawsuits, probate cases, and foreclosure actions in Florida courts, while changing how clerks distribute collected fees to state trust funds.

News Coverage

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Voting Record

Motion succeededlower2/25/2026openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Passage, Third Reading

Total

117

Yes

114

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

3

Abstain

0

How they voted (117)

+ 93 more

Full roll-call analysis →

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Automated Fee Review

The bill introduced a recurring 3-year mandate for the Office of Economic and Demographic Research to adjust fees based on the Consumer Price Index, signaling a move toward automated fee indexing.

Office of Economic and Demographic Research