§ 34-7. Assessment of court costs to fund juvenile assessment center.

(a)

Title. This section shall be known as and may be cited as the "Juvenile Assessment Center Funding Ordinance of Pasco County."

(b)

Amount of costs. The court shall assess court costs of $3.00 per case, in addition to any other authorized cost or fine, on every person who, with respect to charge, indictment, prosecution commenced, or petition of delinquency filed in the county or circuit [court], pleads guilty, nolo contendere to, or is convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent for, or has an adjudication withheld for, a felony or misdemeanor or a criminal traffic offense or handicapped parking violation under state law or a violation of any municipal or county ordinance, if the violation constitutes a misdemeanor under state law.

(c)

Collection and disbursement. The clerk of the circuit court and county court shall collect the $3.00 court costs assessed by the court and deposit those funds in an appropriate, designated account established by the clerk. The clerk shall withhold five percent of the assessments collected for the costs of administering the collection of assessments. The clerk shall release assessments collected, less the clerk's fee, to the sheriff on a monthly basis. Any other funds obtained by the sheriff for the implementation or operations of the juvenile assessment center shall be retained by the sheriff for use in such implementation or operation.

(d)

Responsibilities of sheriff. On an monthly basis, the sheriff shall receive from the clerk assessments collected and shall use such assessments solely to support the implementation and operations of the juvenile assessment center. The sheriff shall account for all funds that have been deposited into the designated account by August 1, annually, in a written report to the county juvenile justice council and the board of county commissioners. The sheriff shall retain any other funds obtained by the sheriff for the implementation or operation of the juvenile assessment center for use in such implementation or operation. All collections and expenditures for the implementation or operation of the juvenile assessment center shall be subject to audit annually by the board's external auditor, as well as the auditor general of the state shall the state so choose.

(Ord. No. 97-03, §§ 1, 3, 4, 6, 3-4-97)

State law reference

Funding for juvenile assessment center, F.S. § 775.0833.

Editor's note

Ordinance No. 97-03, adopted March 4, 1997, did not specifically amend the Code; hence, codification of §§ 1, 3, 4, and 6 of said ordinance as § 34-7 was at the discretion of the editor.