Sarasota Municipal Court Information

Until 1973, there were several trial courts in Florida. The count exceeded the number of courts in all other U.S. states except New York. In the early 1960s, a movement started to simplify this complicated court structure. Gradually, the government reduced the structure to a system of double-tiered trial courts by 1973. One exception to this reduction process was municipal courts, which existed till December 31, 1976 when circuit courts took them over.

Sarasota municipal court comes under 12th Circuit Court of Florida. Apart from Sarasota, this circuit court hears cases originating from Manatee and De Soto counties.

Like all other circuit courts, Sarasota municipal court of 12th Circuit is a general jurisdiction court because it hears civil, criminal, juvenile and family cases. There are twenty-two judges in the panel of 12th Circuit Court including one Chief Judge. Of them, eleven circuit judges are for Sarasota court.

Sarasota is the main courthouse of 12th Circuit. Contact information for the court is:

Sarasota County Main Courthouse
PO Box 48927
Sarasota, Florida 34230
(941) 861-7800
Fax (941) 861-7904

Types of Cases Heard in Sarasota Court

The Sarasota court hears civil cases that involve amounts over $15,000. Cases involving family inheritance, tax, boundaries and titles of real estate property etc. arising within Sarasota County are handled by Sarasota municipal court.

Other cases heard and tried by Sarasota court are juvenile cases, criminal felony cases, dissolution of marriage, domestic relations, minors, civil and criminal appeals, etc. All cases heard here have jury trials except for the appeal cases.

Of 8,635 criminal cases presented in 12th Circuit court in the year 2006-2007, 4,473 had been heard and tried in Sarasota court. The total number of cases filed including criminal, civil, probate, and family cases in 12th Circuit Court in the same year was 33,659, of which about 17,679 cases were filed in Sarasota. The statistics prove the importance of Sarasota municipal court compared to De Soto and Manatee.

Contact Information

To reach the clerk of Sarasota court, click http://www.sarasotaclerk.com. From here you can get information on how to get the records of your case and about fees. For online request forms, go to http://12circuit.state.fl.us/Home/Attorney/Forms/tabid/261/Default.aspx.

Court hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. If the trial continues, session can stretch till the judge decides to adjourn. The court remains opened all through the weekdays except for public holidays. If you want to know who would be the presiding judge of your case, call (941) 861-7400.

For any information related to the proceedings of Sarasota court, visit the official website http://12circuit.state.fl.us/ and go to Sarasota division. From schedules and foreclosure measures to online forms and mailing addresses, all your needs are met at one web portal.