Further Consolidations in 2023
The consolidation process in the Florida Office of Judges of Compensation Claims is moving forward. We are on a fiscal year. 2023 began July 1, 2022, and will soon be over. This post will overview where we have come and what the remainder of fiscal 2023 is going to bring.
In March 2022, the OJCC announced the beginning of the consolidation process. That involved the closure of Districts Lakeland, Melbourne, and Pt. St. Lucie. There was some related shifting of counties from Districts Gainesville and Panama City at that time. This is all detailed in Consolidation Plans (March 30, 2022).
The 60 days thereafter were busy, as the various logistics were addressed. Counties were moved to new district assignments, offices were closed, staff was re-aligned and adjusted. By the end of fiscal 2022, Districts Lakeland, Melbourne, and Pt. St. Lucie were consolidated, and their changes were complete. This is detailed in Office Consolidation Update (May 26, 2022). An update, June 2022 Consolidation Update (June 15, 2022) foreshadowed what was coming next.
In 2023, the process was both ongoing and somewhat new. The efforts in the first part of the fiscal year focused upon District Gainesville. This involved the finalizing of transferring Alachua, Columbia, Flagler, and Marion Counties to District Jacksonville. This is memorialized in November 2022 Consolidation Update (November 7, 2022).
As we proceed toward the conclusion of fiscal 2023, three more Districts will be consolidated. Daytona, Panama City, and Sarasota. The plans are reasonably straightforward. It is hoped that the following will raise consciousness and alleviate questions about the process to come. The following changes are predicted to occur before the end of fiscal 2023 (June 30, 2023).
Panama City - this office will cease public access and in-person proceedings. The counties that currently comprise District Panama City will be divided between District Pensacola and District Tallahassee. Those seeking in-person proceedings in a particular county should seek relief by motion. The currently pending matters will be reassigned to Judges Newman and Walker. At the time of the changeover, trials pending for a period of about 30 days thereafter will remain with Judge Moneyham to avoid unnecessary uncertainty or angst.
The counties will be reassigned as follows:
Bay To Pensacola
Calhoun To Tallahassee
Gulf To Tallahassee
Holmes To Tallahassee
Jackson To Tallahassee
Walton To Pensacola
Washington To Tallahassee
Sarasota - this office will cease public access and in-person proceedings. Those seeking in-person proceedings in a particular county should seek relief by motion. The
counties that currently comprise District Sarasota will be transferred to District St. Petersburg. All cases assigned to Judge Grindal will be likewise transferred. Most of the cases assigned to Judge Grindal will remain so assigned. However, some portion of the existing Sarasota assignment will be redistributed to Judge Moneyham in the same process in which some of Judge Young's cases will be redistributed to Judge Moneyham (above). Any new cases filed in any of the new St. Petersburg district (those below from Sarasota and the existing Pasco and Pinellas counties), following the realignment, will be randomly assigned to one of the three St. Petersburg judges: Grindal, Moneyham, and Young.
This affects the following counties:
DeSoto
Hardee
Highlands
Manatee
Sarasota
Daytona - this office will cease public access and in-person proceedings. Those seeking in-person proceedings in a particular county should seek relief by motion. The counties that currently comprise District Orlando will be transferred to District Orlando.
Brevard
Volusia
It is anticipated that this will be the last of changes in Fiscal 2023. The future, as they say, is never certain. As developments occur, they will be posted her for everyone's benefit.
