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Quick summary: The Sixteenth Judicial Circuit covers Monroe County. Here’s where its courthouses are, which clerk takes your filing, and what a creditor should know before suing or collecting a judgment here.
Courts and clerks in the Sixteenth Circuit
| County | Main courthouse | Clerk |
|---|---|---|
| Monroe | Freeman Justice Center 302 Fleming Street, Key West, FL 33040 | Monroe Clerk of Court |
The local economy, county by county
Monroe County
Monroe County covers the Florida Keys. Key West is the county seat. The incorporated cities are Key West, Marathon, Key Colony Beach, Layton, and the Village of Islamorada. Key Largo is a major business center but is not incorporated.
Tourism drives the local economy. Hotels, resorts, restaurants, shops, dive operators, and fishing charters make up much of the business base, and commercial fishing adds to it. Local businesses often own or lease hotel and retail property, and they hold boats, dive gear, and kitchen equipment. Revenue rises and falls with the tourist season, so cash and receivables are usually highest during peak months.
The circuit’s official site is the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit. Appeals go to the Third District Court of Appeal.
What creditors should know here
- The Keys have three court locations: Key West, Marathon, and Plantation Key. The Clerk’s civil division takes filings at all three.
- Foreign judgments are a circuit civil case type here, which matters for creditors domesticating out-of-state judgments against Keys property owners.
- Florida sends a money claim to court by size. Small claims cover up to $8,000. County court handles claims up to $50,000. Circuit court takes claims over $50,000. Filing is electronic through the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal.
How Kass Shuler handles collection matters in the Sixteenth Circuit
We represent creditors and businesses in courts across Florida from our Tampa office, and have since 1978. In this circuit, that includes:
- Pre-suit demand and resolution
- Collection litigation
- Judgment enforcement and garnishment
- Domesticating out-of-state judgments
- Skip tracing and asset investigations
- Mortgage default and foreclosure
- Creditors’ rights in bankruptcy
Frequently asked questions
Which counties are in Florida’s Sixteenth Judicial Circuit?
Monroe County.
Where do I file a collection lawsuit in the Sixteenth Circuit?
With the Clerk of Court in the county where the case belongs, usually where the debtor lives, where the contract was made or broken, or where the property is. Small claims and cases up to $50,000 go to county court, and larger claims go to circuit court.
Where do appeals from the Sixteenth Circuit go?
To the Third District Court of Appeal.
Can I enforce a judgment from another Florida county or another state here?
Yes. A Florida judgment can be recorded as a lien in any county. An out-of-state judgment first has to be domesticated in Florida. See domestication of foreign judgments.
Bottom line: If your debtor or your dispute is in the Sixteenth Circuit, contact us or call (813) 229-0900. We’ll tell you whether the file is worth chasing before you spend on it.