OMG! I was literally in and out in 10 minutes without an appointment. I tried to transact my…read morebusiness with the Pinellas County Clerk on line but was a little confused by the choices offered so I went to the source and I'm glad I did. When I arrived at the clerk's office on the 2nd floor I took a number. My number was called 2 minutes later. Isabella was completely knowledgeable and cut through my confusion with a few well worded sentences, and even managed to save me a few dollars as well, which is always welcome. I left clutching an instruction sheet with all the items pertaining to my situation highlighted. Wow! I have mentioned in the past the legendary lines and wait times of government offices in my home town of Chicago, and how Pinellas County Florida government offices are the exact opposite of what I'm used to. This seems to be true across the entirety of Pinellas County. I am impressed.

Nice jeans are ok for jury duty. Even though it says to get there by 830 nothing starts till 9…read more Very efficient and quick to get in and the check in for jury duty is quick as well. Quicker if you fill out and sign all paperwork beforehand.

Visited the downtown Tampa courthouse to find needed records on the ground floor, Clerk of Circuit…read moreCourt Customer Service Center, 'Room 101.' It was a nice touch to have a person assist you after going through security. She walked me to the computer kiosk and assisted. There are 30 or so service windows divided by category. My number was called but they then asked me to go back to the kiosk for a different category. The woman at window four seemed 'bothered' to find solutions in helping me. A very rude coworker stood behind her meddling in my business while working on something shaking her head no and mumbling "no." They are there to serve the public and find solutions since they are trained and the public is not familiar with the processes and options. The woman said I needed to hire an attorney to get the records. No, not an option. I am not paying to get records I can get myself. They were not helpful and unwilling to do their job. I went back to the kiosk a third time and went back to a different rep in the first category, records. I was called immediately. The man at window 29 was SO HELPFUL. He asked questions and even asked a manager for guidance. He filled out papers for a record search and said the archives would work on it and I would be contacted. I received a call within a couple of hours. She had questions and was researching. Received two more calls from the nice lady as she was broadening her search. She called me a fourth time and found the records. I thanked her profusely on the phone. She replied, "it is my job to serve our customers." That is a public servant. This woman and the nice man are what is right with the staff on the ground floor, Room 101. Tax dollars well spent. Heading in today to pick up my papers, WITHOUT SPENDING MONEY ON AN ATTORNEY.

Final judgment. Judge ruled in my favor. He's ordered that Brickpavers showroom pay me $500 and…read morecourt costs of $130. Now comes the fun. I have to collect the money from the owner Andre. I was a fool for not checking the BBB first. This guy has some really bad history. Wish me luck.

This massive structure is Tampa's county courthouse. It's named for the first African-American…read morecounty judge in Hillsborough County. He was appointed to the bench in 1973 but sadly passed away three years later. It serves as the main courthouse for Florida's 13th Judicial Circuit and features a bronze bust of Edgecomb in its lobby, as well as a Lady Justice statue outside its front doors. Florida's Thirteenth District Court goes back to the earliest courthouse for Hillsborough County that was a log cabin that was destroyed during the Second Seminole War. There was a replacement built in 1847. That was replaced by a red brick courthouse in 1892 and then a 1952 courthouse. In 1999, the Commissioners gave final approval for the latest Courthouse Facilities Project, which provided for new construction and renovation of existing buildings in downtown Tampa. The new construction, in 2004, included a six-story Family/Civil Court Building, which provides over 268,000 gross square feet of space for the courts and related agencies. There is street parking and a parking deck nearby. Nothing is free. [Review 336 of 2025 - 1991 in Florida - 23898 overall]

Went to the Courthouse the other day. Everyone was great -…read moretwo clerks were walking across the street (me on cane) made sure I was safe. Everyone was helpful and polite. Really was able to conduct my business. Never had a problem and thanked everyone for their help. Just be patient and remember that their work is hard and stressful. Deal with everyone who is also struggling.

DeSoto County was created in 1887 from Manatee County to the west. It is named after the great…read moreSpanish conquistador and Florida explorer Hernando De Soto. The area's original inhabitants were the Caloosa (alternate spelling: Calusa) Indians. In early Florida history, the region was the scene of numerous Indian battles. The county's 416,640 acres offer a diversified economy of citrus, cattle, agriculture and industry. Arcadia is the county seat. I don't have anything to add to Ariel's review of the courthouse. The building was closed on this early Saturday morning and not open for a tour. DeSoto County originally included several other present-day counties until 1921, when the Florida legislature created the following new counties: Charlotte, Glades, Hardee, and Highlands. During World War II, DeSoto County operated the Carlstrom Field Air Base, which provided training for both American and British pilots. In 1945, the base turned out its last cadets and was decommissioned. [Review 16804 overall - 1528 in Florida - 317 of 2022.]

The DeSoto County Courthouse is a historic red brick courthouse designed in the Classic Revial…read morestyle by architects Bonfoey & Elliott of Tampa. It was built between 1912 and 1913 by the Read Parker Construction Company. It is DeSoto County's third courthouse and the second one built in Arcadia. The first DeSoto Courthouse was a wood frame structure built in 1888. The 1912 courthouse that is still in use today was constructed on the same property. The courthouse was restored in 1976 and it is part of Arcadia's historic district which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

New judge assigned to case. Lauri Pasco County court. Tried to call and get email so I could be…read moreserved papers via email. The court has shown a bias and now trying to force a hearing on short notice right after a judge had to recuse him self. The court/judge has made it a hostile environment. I don't have money for legal and I was pro se. But now I know the out come because of previous judge's comments.

I really can't say courthouses are my favorite place to hang out, but at times necessary…read more It was easy to locate & screening to enter was well organized. The building was clean, stately, & easy to find your way around. The offices & staff were friendly & helpful. For traffic night court in a small city it had many more people than I have ever seen in Tampa. Per usual, many officers did not show up & those cases were dismissed. I was lucky...my officer showed up & was not going to let the matter drop. The judge was GREAT! He explained everything in detail & really listened to each case individually & in my humble opinion made fair & accurate assessments. What's a girl to do? Sometimes you need to fight for justice & win!

The Highlands County Courthouse in Sebring, Florida was built in the 1920's in the Classical…read moreRevival architectural style. It was designed by Fred A. Bishop (1918-1940) who is responsible by other courthouse buildings including Wilson County (North Carolina) and Hopewell County (Virginia) plus the Byrd Theatre in Richmond (Virginia). The building faces southwest and is a three story gray colored stone and concrete structure. A large portico on the front supported by four large Ionic columns which rise to a wide header at the top of the second story. A wide cornice runs below the third story which story has a flat roof line. In the interior is a central rotunda rising to a domed roof. In the 1960's, an annex building was constructed and then a second annex in the 1970s with a modern county government center built in the 1990s. Highlands County continues to grow. The building was secured on a Sunday afternoon but it was still possible to walk the grounds not far from the Sebring circle. It was nice to return to Sebring after ten years to see how much has changed and how much has not changed. [Review 458 of 2025 - 2101 in Florida - 24020 overall]

In the early 1900's Central Florida was one large county called DeSoto. In 1921 the state…read morelegislature acquiesced to the residents desire to have smaller municipalities and they passed a measure to split DeSoto into five counties: DeSoto, Charlotte, Glades, Hardee, and Highlands. Four towns vied to be the county seat. Sebring was named the temporary capital so they had more sway at first. Four the next year and a half four towns, Avon Park, Sebring, DeSoto City, and Lake Placid fought for the economic benefits and influence that the county seat would provide. A special election was scheduled to take place on November 21, 1922 to settle the issue. The real contest was between Avon Park and Sebring because they had the biggest populations. 96.8% of the county's eligible voters showed up at the polls and Sebring edged out Avon Park. For the next four years, the courthouse offices were located on the second floor of the Hainz Building at 134 Ridgewood Avenue. Trials were held in outdoor courtroom at a pavilion in the Japanese themed Tuscawilla Park on Commerce Avenue. In August 1925 voters approved a $175,000 bond to begin construction of the permanent court house. Virginia architect Fred Bishop was chosen to design a Classical Revival style building. Court house construction began on June 15, 1926 and was completed in March of 1927 at a cost of $250,000. The court house was designed to be much larger than what was needed at the time and signaled the change of Sebring from an agricultural community to one of governmental power in Central Florida. On August 14, 1989 the court house was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. As the population of the area grew it became impossible to do all of the court functions in one building. In 1997 the Highlands County Government Center opened on the property. It contains the offices of the Tax Collector, Supervisor of Elections, Property Appraiser, Clerk of Courts and the Board of County Commission Administrative Staff. A second building is the Courthouse Annex. It house the State Attorney's office and the Public Defender's Office. The original court house building is still used for the court system and clerk's office. A 70,000 square foot addition at a cost of approximately 10 million dollars was completed in 2004. The expansion retained the original architectural details of the building while expanding the functionality of the court house. If you are in the area it is well worth the time to stop and admire this historic building that has stood the test of time.

I was here in LaBelle for a meetup with the awesome Ariel W…read more https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=lvthTfCQGD0qaEk6jCdRdQ and happened to stop by this amazing building. This is the original Hendry County Courthouse. It was built in 1926 and is at the intersection of Bridge Street and Hickpochee Avenue, which are the two main north-south and east-west roads through LaBelle. You can't miss it as one of the few working traffic lights is at these corners. The architecture is the Mediterranean Mission Revival style and it looks like some of the courthouses I saw during my trip through Texas last October. The inspiration is the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions. The structure got a complete restoration last year which included the brick façade, iron work, and even a full roof replacement. The building looks brand new and not nearly 100 years old. Unfortunately, closed and locked in a Saturday morning but during the week is open to walk around. Or just tour the grounds like I did. There is parking at the adjacent sheriff's building. [Review 16787 overall - 1512 in Florida - round number 300 of 2022!]

I am a fan of history and architecture, especially old Florida courthouses. Usually they are…read moreNeoclassical but the Hendry County Courthouse is a bit different. The Old Hendry County Courthouse was built in in 1927 on the corner of Bridge Street and Hickpochee Avenue. The courthouse was designed in the Mediterranean Revival-Mission Revival styles by architect Edward Columbus Hosford. The building is 3 stories with three subsidiary towers with pyramid roofs at the corner of the building. The most striking feature of the building is a large Renaissance 70 foot clock tower that contained a one thousand pound bell. A Seth Thomas electrically-regulated clock that cost $3,000 at the time was added to the tower. The clock would frequently lose time forcing the late Ray C. Hull, Sr. who was chosen for this thinness to climb the inside of the tower to wind the clock. On May 11, 1926 a shameful incident happened in LaBelle that was not uncommon during this period of history in Florida. A mob tortured and lynched an African-American man named Henry Patterson who asked for a glass of water while working on building Hwy 80. He was attacked and hung from a tree south of the newly built courthouse. No one was brought to justice for the murder. After the crime a series of lightning storms struck the tower and eventually the clock and bell were dismantled. The courthouse began operating on May 3, 1927. Ever since then it has served as the center of Hendry County's civic and political functions. On February 22, 1975 a new clock was installed in the tower but it is no longer working. On November 8, 1990, the Hendry County Courthouse was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The courthouse is currently undergoing restoration. It has been granted two Special Category Grants to rehabilitate, restore and preserve the Old Hendry County Courthouse. The first grant was for $350,000 to rehabilitate the foundation. Another $500,000 has been granted for facade preservation. Once that work is completed it is hoped that another $500,000 dollars will be granted for brick work and installing a new clock at a price of $42,000. An additional $10,000 would be required for bells and chimes in the form of digital carillon Sonata that can programmed to also play hymns and songs. If you go by the courthouse now it is covered in scaffolding. It will be interesting to see how the restoration turns out.