Navigation Courts ask for $16 million to clear pandemic backlog
The Florida court system is asking lawmakers for $16 million this year to handle increased workloads associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, most of that to begin dealing with a 990,000-case backlog.
Twentieth Circuit Judge Margaret Steinbeck, chair of the Trial Court Budget Commission, stressed that the courts worked diligently, with the help of remote technology and protective measures, to dispose of 2.5 million cases this year.
“I’m really proud to be part of this judicial system at this moment in time,” she said. “We’ve had great leadership, and my colleagues have been very creative and flexible and proactive in adapting court operations.”
