News, Notices, and Court Orders

IMPORTANT NOTICE:Chief Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, Raul Zambrano, entered a third amended Emergency Court Procedures Administrative Order on May 29, 2020. Read the complete Order here.

Order Highlights: Effective June 1, 2020, until further Order, unless otherwise specified:

In-person critical and essential proceedings and locations:

• Limited in-person critical and essential proceedings may now be conducted at both the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand and the City Island Courthouse Annex in Daytona. See the Order for the new complete list of critical and essential proceedings that may be conducted in person. The times and locations of these hearings will be set by the assigned judge.
• City Island Courthouse Annex in Daytona: In-person court proceedings and public visits to the Clerk's office are limited to ONLY weekday: Juvenile Shelter/Shelter Review Hearings, Juvenile Detention hearings, Family Law Injunctions, and Family/Dependency emergencies where imminent harm to a child is at issue. NO other in-person hearings or business with the Clerk's office may be conducted at this Courthouse facility until Phase 2 designation is reached.
• Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand: Many critical and essential proceedings may be conducted in-person if necessary at the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand. The public may NOT enter the Courthouse in DeLand for any non-essential hearings or to visit the Clerk's offices until Phase 2 designation is reached. Visitors may continue to conduct most business with the Clerk at the exterior walk-up windows.
• Justice Center in Daytona Beach: NO in-person hearings or business with the Clerk's office shall be conducted at the Justice Center in Daytona until Phase 2 designation is reached.
• You can learn more about the Phase 2 criteria set by the Florida Supreme Court that must be met before court facilities may reopen to in-person hearings here.

In-person nonessential proceedings and Clerk's office visits:

• Nonessential in-person proceedings at all Volusia County Courthouse facilities continue to be prohibited at this time. Further Administrative Orders will be issued as individual Courthouse facilities reach Phase 2 designation and may reopen to nonessential in-person hearings and in-person visits to the Clerk's office divisions.
• At this time, many nonessential proceedings may be conducted remotely and you may be permitted to attend your hearing through video or telephone conferencing. Each judge has established procedures for electronic appearances. Please refer to your court notice for the judge assigned to your case. To check your judge's policies and procedures for electronic appearance, you may visit the court's website at www.Circuit7.org and look under the "Judges" link to find your judge and a listing of policies and procedures for electronic appearance.
• As soon as any Courthouse facility reaches Phase 2 designation, the Clerk of Court will immediately announce when the Clerk's offices will be re-opened to in-person visitors at that location on this website and on the Clerk's official Facebook page.

Other key provisions:

• All jury trials and grand jury proceedings remain suspended through July 2, 2020.
• All non-criminal, civil infractions proceedings remain suspended until further notice.
• Foreclosure sales, issuance of writs of possession and D6 drivers license suspensions remain suspended.
• Landlords, Attorneys and Mortgage-holders, Governor DeSantis signed Executive Order 20-137 on June 1st, extending the prior order suspending and tolling foreclosures and evictions for non-payment of rent until July 1, 2020.
• In addition to the already existing critical and essential proceedings that may be conducted in-person, the following proceedings were added to the list:
• Criminal arraignments
• Requests for waivers of parental notice of abortion
• Public entry for limited critical and essential court proceedings to any Volusia County court facility is subject to conditions set below. An individual who refuses to abide by any of these conditions will be denied entry:
  • A facial covering or mask MUST be worn for entry to any Courthouse facility.
  • A non-invasive temperature check will be taken. Any individual with a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or greater will be denied entry.
  • A general health screening will be conducted to check for symptoms.
  • A general screening involving possible exposure to COVID-19 will be conducted.
  • Posted social distancing and other spatial requirements must be followed.

Effect of Order on Clerk's Office Services:

Clerk of Court services that require an in-person visit continue to be available at the DeLand Courthouse at the exterior walk-up windows. We will post notice as soon as any Courthouse facility reaches Phase 2 designation and we are re-opened to in-person public visits.

Attorneys and parties may continue to file pleadings electronically with the Clerk's office in all case types. The Clerk will also continue to accept documents for recording in the Official Records, issue marriage licenses and passports, accept traffic citation or criminal case payments, accept child support payments, and assist with emergency injunction filings.

Before you come to any Courthouse location, remember that we offer many remote services on our website (including payment of traffic citation payments and free records research). You can also reach us with questions or requests by emailing clerk@clerk.org or calling 386-736-5915.

Notice: If you are sick, experiencing symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 virus, and/or you have a fever of 100˚ Fahrenheit or more; or, if you have tested positive for COVID-19 or have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, then DO NOT COME TO THE COURTHOUSE. Please send an email to clerk@clerk.org or write a letter and fax to (386) 822-5711 requesting your court date to be rescheduled. Please include your case number, mailing address, telephone number, and an email address. If you have any questions regarding this procedure, please call (386) 257-6080 or (386) 736-5915.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: FL Supreme Court issues amended AOSC20-23, suspending all grand jury proceedings, jury-selection proceedings, and criminal and civil jury trials through July 2, 2020.

The Order also extends the suspension of speedy trial time periods through July 6, 2020. Other provisions of the previous Emergency Measures Order remain in effect through May 29, 2020.

For non-jury proceedings, the Order states: "No proceedings or other court events other than essential proceedings and proceedings critical to the state of emergency or the public health emergency shall be conducted through in-person hearings." However, the following non-essential, non-critical court proceedings shall be conducted remotely by electronic means where possible:

(1) Alternative dispute resolution proceedings; (2) Status, case management, and pretrial conferences in all case types; (3) Non-evidentiary and evidentiary motion hearings in all case types; (4) Arraignments and pleas in absentia in county court misdemeanor cases; (5) Hearings in juvenile delinquency cases; (6) Hearings in noncriminal traffic infraction cases; (7) Problem-solving court staffings, hearings, and wellness checks; and (8) Non-jury trials in all case types, except for criminal, juvenile delinquency, and termination of parental rights petitions in dependency cases unless the parties in an excepted case agree to the remote conduct of a non-jury trial.

Contact the Court's Judicial Assistants to inquire about scheduling remote non-critical court proceedings.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Effective Monday, April 27th, Chief Judge Raul Zambrano entered an Administrative Order changing weekday first appearance proceedings at the Volusia County Branch Jail to 1:30 pm. Other in-custody proceedings that were previously conducted at 1:30 pm are to be conducted at 8:30 am. Weekend and holiday first appearance proceedings will continue to be conducted at 8:30 am.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Seventh Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Zambrano entered a Second Amended Emergency Court Procedure Administrative Order effective Friday, April 10th at 8:00am through June 1, 2020 at 8:00am.

The Order retains many of the current procedures and provides that changes to court proceedings may occur during the Order period as electronic means to conduct remote hearings are developed. Check our Official Facebook page and this website frequently for further updates.

The Order also addresses arraignment pleas. See paragraph 22.

The Clerk of Court for Volusia County's services remain as current:

Attorneys and parties may continue to file pleadings electronically with the Clerk's office in all case types. Clerk services that require an in-person visit continue to be available at the DeLand Courthouse at the exterior walk-up windows.

The Clerk will also continue to accept documents for recording in the Official Records, issue marriage licenses and passports, accept traffic citation or criminal case payments, accept child support payments, and assist with emergency injunction filings. We offer many remote services on our website (including payment of traffic citation payments and free records research). You can also reach us with questions or requests by emailing clerk@clerk.org or calling 386-736-5915.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Florida's Chief Justice Charles Canady issued AOSC 20-23 suspending jury trials in Florida and extending other state legal deadlines through May 29th. This action lengthens a prior order that had set the ending date for emergency pandemic court procedures at mid-April.

AOSC 20-23 combines provisions of several previous administrative orders into a single document. It emphasizes the need for courts to continue applying social distancing and to use remote technology to help keep people safe while also honoring legal requirements. Among other things, the Order:

• Suspends all jury selection proceedings and grand juries.
• Lists other essential and critical proceedings that state courts must continue to perform with appropriate health safeguards, while limiting hearings in other cases.
• Suspends speedy trial rules for criminal matters and noncriminal traffic infractions.
• Suspends a rule requiring clerks of court to immediately issue paperwork to sheriffs when a final judgment is made in eviction cases.
• Extends emergency changes to notarization and oath requirements.
• Extends health-related limits on court-ordered family visitation involving children in the custody of the Florida Department of Children & Families, including allowing visitation by remote electronic means in some instances.

This and other emergency orders and advisories are being linked on the Florida Supreme Court's website: https://www.floridasupremecourt.org/Emergency

Attorneys and parties may continue to file pleadings electronically with the Clerk's office in all case types. Clerk services that require an in-person visit continue to be available at the DeLand Courthouse at the exterior walk-up windows.

The Clerk will also continue to accept documents for recording in the Official Records, issue marriage licenses and passports, accept traffic citation or criminal case payments, accept child support payments, and assist with emergency injunction filings. We offer many remote services on our website (including payment of traffic citation payments and free records research). You can also reach us with questions or requests by emailing clerk@clerk.org or calling 386-736-5915.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Landlords, Attorneys and Mortgage-holders, Governor DeSantis signed Executive Order 20-94 on April 2nd, suspending and tolling foreclosures and evictions for non-payment of rent for 45 days. See the Executive Order 20-94.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Chief Judge for the 7th Judicial Circuit released the First Amended Emergency Court Procedures (COVID-19) Administrative Order effective March 30th at 8:00 a.m. until April 20th at 8:00 a.m. Chief Judge Raul Zambrano also released an accompanying Memo. The Order continues most current provisions postponing non-critical proceedings and setting forth emergency procedures with some notable changes.

Highlights:

• Beginning April 6th through April 19th, criminal arraignments (including VOP's), competency hearings, and negotiated pleas/sentences involving persons incarcerated at the Volusia County jail, will take place at 1:30 p.m. at the Jail. See Order for more details.
• The Clerk of Court is directed to cancel foreclosure sales, cease issuance of writs of possession, and cease driver's license suspensions for failure to pay fines.
• Juvenile Shelter and Shelter Reviews will be held electronically or in person at the DeLand Courthouse.
• For Volusia, the Courthouse locations in Daytona remain closed to the public. Clerk services that require an in-person visit continue to be available at the DeLand Courthouse at the exterior walk-up windows.

Attorneys and parties may continue to file pleadings electronically with the Clerk in all case types. The Clerk will also continue to accept documents for recording in the Official Records, issue marriage licenses and passports, accept traffic citation or criminal case payments, accept child support payments, and assist with emergency injunction filings. We offer many remote services on our website (including payment of traffic citation payments and free records research). You can also reach us with questions or requests by emailing clerk@clerk.org or calling 386-736-5915.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Supreme Court has extended all current orders suspending jury service and limiting court proceedings through close of business on Friday, April 17th. However the Chief Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit will soon issue an administrative order with more specific information for Volusia County Courts. Updates and current information will continue to be posted to our website and on our official Facebook. All clerk services will continue as currently offered at the exterior service area of the DeLand Courthouse at this time.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Courthouses are closed to the public throughout Volusia County except for limited Clerk services and mission-critical judicial proceedings beginning March 18th at 5 p.m. until April 6, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. The Courthouse and Clerk's office are open for business tomorrow March 18th. Please read the Administrative Order entered March 17, 2020.

Highlights:

The Order details mission-critical court proceeding types and locations, and some set times. Most proceedings will take place either at the Volusia County Branch Jail or the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand. Public entry is very limited.

Any proceedings not deemed critical are postponed:

"17. All court proceedings/events not mentioned herein that are scheduled to take place in any court facility in the Seventh Judicial Circuit are hereby postponed and are to be rescheduled by the parties or the court."

There will be no court proceedings held and no public entry at either Daytona courthouse per the Order:

"22. The S. James Foxman Justice Center and Volusia County Courthouse Annex in Daytona Beach are both closed to the general public. Persons wishing to conduct business with the Clerk of the Court related to the mission-critical functions enumerated in this Order may continue to do so using the exterior public access area on the south side of the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand. The public may also record documents, obtain marriage licenses, pay child support, file injunctions, or pay tickets at the public access area."

Limited Clerk services will continue to be available:

• 1) All in-person public business with the Clerk of Court MUST be conducted at the exterior public access area on the south side of the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• 2) The Clerk will provide services relating to those case types deemed mission critical as described below. The Clerk will also accept documents for recording in the Official Records, issue marriage licenses, accept child support payments, assist with all injunction filings, and accept traffic citation payments. We are unable to perform marriage ceremonies beginning Thursday, March 19th until operations resume. We will continue to process completed passport applications at the exterior service area - you must bring your own passport-compliant photo.
• 3) Many electronic services are still available through the Clerk's website at www.clerk.org and through normal electronic filing processes.

Court proceedings that will continue to be held are limited to those deemed "mission critical" as defined by the Order:

• a) First appearances;
• b) Bond hearings;
• c) Juvenile detention hearings;
• d) Juvenile shelter hearings;
• e) Domestic violence, repeat violence, sexual violence, dating violence and stalking injunctions, as well as all chapter 39 injunctions;
• f) Risk protection orders;
• g) Marchman Acts;
• h) Baker Acts;
• i) Family law (including juvenile) cases where the imminent safety of children is an issue;
• j) Vulnerable Adult injunctions;
• k) Emergency incapacity petitions and appointment of guardians;
• l) Proceedings involving requests for "do not resuscitate" orders;
• m) Adult Protective Service Act proceedings;
• n) Requests for search warrants and arrest warrants;
• o) Violations of quarantine or isolation orders;
• p) Violations of orders to limit travel;
• q) Violations of orders to close public or private buildings;
• r) Seizure of bodily fluids;
• s) Mandatory vaccinations proceedings;
• t) Enforcement of curfew orders;
• u) Extraordinary writs;
• v) Any other "emergency" proceedings or hearings as authorized by the Chief Judge.

If you have been scheduled to appear at a court proceeding in a case type not deemed to be mission critical, your appearance will be automatically postponed. See the Administrative Order for further direction.

Traffic citation and court obligation payments, records research, and requests for Clerk services related to mission-critical cases may be made by visiting www.clerk.org or emailing clerk@clerk.org or calling (386) 736-5915.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: ALL JURY TRIALS are suspended for the next two weeks but NON-JURY PROCEEDINGS OR APPEARANCES ARE STILL SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE. The Florida Supreme Court issued No. AOSC20-13 COVID-19 Emergency Procedures in the Florida State Courts on March 13, 2020, suspending all "grand jury proceedings, jury selection proceedings, and criminal and civil jury trials" from Monday, March 16, 2020, through Friday, March 27, 2020, due to the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

IMPORTANT NOTICE: At this time when safeguarding your health is top priority, remember that the Clerk's office offers many services and access to free court and land records online for your convenience. You can pay traffic tickets and obtain information remotely by visiting our website at www.clerk.org. Or email us with your questions or needs at clerk@clerk.org. Before you visit in person, give us a call to see how we can help remotely at (386) 736-5915.

• Effective January 2020 Small Claims will increase to $8,000.00.
• Effective January 2020 County Civil will increase from $15,001.00 to $30,000.00. The filing fee will remain the same at $400.00.

By Order of the Chief Judge, the New Smyrna Beach Courthouse Annex will be permanently closed on December 23rd, 2017. Services previously provided at this location will be relocated to the Daytona Beach Courthouse Annex and the Volusia County Courthouse, DeLand. Click here to view a copy of the order.

Supreme Court of Florida:The Supreme Court of Florida has issued Administrative Order AOSC17-69 regarding extension of time periods due to Hurricane Irma.

The Clerk of the Circuit Court is pleased to offer a mobile device friendly version of the Volusia County Official Records Document Inquiry. The New Document Inquiry has an updated design and we hope that you find searching the official records more efficient. Please feel free to provide feedback by using the Customer Service Survey found on the home page.

The Clerk's office now has an automated kiosk accepting payments for traffic citations and child support located in the hallway outside of the Traffic department, Room 109, at the City Island Courthouse Annex. It accepts cash, debit and most credit cards for your convenience. To make child support payments you'll need your case number and social security number. For traffic, please have your driver's license number and traffic citation number. Please be aware there is a convenience fee charged by the vendor for use of the kiosk.

Consumers targeted for payment of fraudulent citations

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) is warning consumers that they may be targeted by a company representing itself as the DHSMV demanding payment for fraudulent citations. The company, which is not associated with the DHSMV in any way, will send emails to consumers requesting payment of a citation within a certain timeframe and if the payment is not received on time, the company will falsely require a daily late fee payment.

The email sent to consumers includes a linked payment page and email address. While the linked payment page appears to be inactive at this time, the DHSMV is warning consumers that this is a scam and no payment should be made. If a consumer has made a payment, they should refute the charge and take the appropriate security measures with their financial institution.

Consumers should note the following:

• The DHSMV and Clerks of Court do not email citations to customers;
• The DHSMV and Clerks of Court do not require citation payment via email;
• Citation numbers are always seven alpha-numeric digits;
• If a consumer receives a notice regarding a suspicious citation, they should contact the local Clerk of Court or call the DHSMV immediately.

We are finding that some people that access forms from the website are still getting forms with Diane M. Matousek, while other people that access the same form are getting Laura E. Roth. This is occurring even after clearing all browser cache.

This issue can occur due to Adobe PDF Reader caching previously viewed documents in order to speed up display. Adobe Reader suggests the following steps to clear cache:

• Start Adobe Reader.
• From the menu, select Edit ~ Preferences ~ General.
• Select Startup. The Opening Documents option is displayed.
• Clear the Use Page Cache option to prevent Adobe Reader from storing the next page of a PDF image in a local cache.
• Shut down Adobe Reader.

Be aware that different versions of Adobe Reader exist with varying menu options. The version number usually can be found selecting Help and then About. Specific instructions may be available via a Google Search.

Credit and debit card payments can now be made online for all types of court cases such as Felony, Misdemeanor, Circuit Civil, County Civil, Family Law, and Probate. See Court Case Payments under Online Payment Options.

Effective Friday, December 2, 2016, the Clerk of Court is expanding the eService pilot to include Circuit Civil in addition to Family Law documents. Pursuant to Volusia County Administrative Order P-2016-152, attorneys will receive most court and clerk originated documents via their email address(es) registered on the Florida Statewide ePortal. If you receive service on a case in which you no longer represent a party, you must remove yourself from the service list for that case on the Statewide ePortal. Instructions on how to remove yourself from a case on the ePortal can be found here. Non-attorney parties who have registered on the Florida Statewide ePortal or who have filed a Permission to Use E-Mail form with the Clerk of Court, will also receive most court and clerk originated documents via the email address they have provided.

Notice - Effective August 1st, 2016, upon receipt of the summons issuance fee, the Volusia County Clerk's Office will prepare and electronically sign and seal the summons. The summons will then be mailed back to the filer and the filer is responsible for effectuating service on the party. The Clerk's office will no longer accept the Sheriff's fee and summons packets to be forwarded to the Sheriff, with the exception of evictions and pro se cases. Be advised the Clerk's office will begin eServing electronically signed summonses as well in the near future. Notices will be posted to our website advising of the date.

If you receive a mailing offering to provide a copy of your property deed in exchange for a fee, please be aware many of these documents are available for free, or certified copies for a nominal fee, on the Clerk of Court's website in Volusia County. You may use "Search Public Records Online" on our homepage and chose document inquiry under "Official Records" and find many recorded deeds, mortgages and other recorded public records. You may print these documents at no charge.

Effective immediately, subscriber access will be required in order to make image viewing requests on all sex-related criminal cases.

To obtain subscriber access, please refer to our Request Online Viewing page.

If you receive a call from someone claiming to represent the Clerk's office threatening you with a warrant or arrest as part of an attempt to get payment from you, this is an imposter and is NOT the Clerk's office. The most recent scam is sophisticated and may even appear to be the Clerk's office on your caller ID. However the official Clerk's office will never call you discussing a warrant or threatening you for payment over the phone. If you receive such a call, please call your local law-enforcement agency. Do not give money to the imposter.

We are pleased to announce that pursuant to Supreme Court Administrative Order AOSC 15-18, the Clerk is now authorized to make many public court document images available for online viewing. This Order specifies the security level permissions of various users depending on the case and document type. Cases and documents made confidential by statute or court order are excluded.

Using Case Inquiry on the Public Records page you will now see many public document images displayed automatically on the docket tab within the case. Some documents must be requested and reviewed by a Clerk before they can be released for online viewing. Of course, some case types and documents are nonpublic and may not be viewed.

Also, you may apply to receive login information for increased viewing permissions. These applications require a notarized signature and other information pursuant to the Supreme Court Order. To register for additional online viewing, see the options on the Request Online Viewing page.

NOTICE: Fraud Alert - Please review Notice Concerning Scams Targeting Jurors.

Volusia County Florida Clerk of the Circuit Court was awarded the 2015 Best of NIEM for their effort to standardize and centralize crucial court data and case files across Florida.

The Clerk's Office efforts in piloting of the Comprehensive Case Information System (CCIS 3.0) was so successful that the Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers (FCC) received a $1.8M grant to distribute among those needing funding assistance with implementing the model for information sharing state-wide. Data elements from CCIS 3.0 will be re-used, adapted, and extended not just in the state of Florida, but in communities across the country.