Florida Circuit Courts and the Seventeenth Circuit
Florida's court structure page states that Florida has seven Supreme Court justices, district courts of appeal that decide most cases in three-judge panels, 20 circuit courts, and 67 county courts. The circuit court is the trial court of general jurisdiction. Broward County is the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, one of twenty in the state.
The Florida Courts page is the official source for the statewide court layout and the role of each level.
Florida Courts describes circuit court jurisdiction as general trial authority over matters not assigned to county courts and limited appeals from county court. Circuit jurisdiction includes civil disputes involving more than $50,000, decedents' estates, minors and incapacitated persons, juvenile matters, felony prosecutions, tax disputes, real-property title and boundary actions, declaratory judgments, injunctions, and extraordinary writs.
Broward Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Scale
The Chief Judge welcome page states that the Seventeenth Circuit is the second largest circuit in Florida and serves nearly 2 million residents. Broward operates four courthouse locations staffed with 90 judges, 11 magistrates and hearing officers, and several hundred support staff. The Chief Judge listed on the page is Carol-Lisa Phillips.
The Chief Judge page above is the official source for the circuit's scale, the courthouse list, and the leadership of Broward County Circuit Court.
Broward Circuit Court Divisions
The local judicial directory lists Broward's divisions and the assigned judges. Each division has its own subject matter and its own courtroom assignments. The table below maps the main divisions and their primary locations.
| Division | Role | Address / Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Civil | Civil cases above $50,000; injunctions; real-property title; appeals from county/admin bodies | Central Courthouse, 201 SE 6th Street; Clerk 954-831-6565 |
| Circuit Criminal | Felony prosecutions | Central Courthouse North Building, 201 SE 6th Street |
| Unified Family | Divorce, custody, paternity, child support, and related family matters | Central Courthouse West Building, 201 SE 6th Street; Pro Se Self Help Room 02140 |
| Domestic Violence | Injunctions and restraining orders | West Building, Domestic Violence Division, Room 02140 |
| Probate & Guardianship | Estates, wills, guardianship, mental health | West Building, 3rd Floor, Room 03150; Probate 954-831-7154 |
| Juvenile Delinquency | Juvenile delinquency matters; access restricted | Central courthouse division; exact room per current directory |
The judges and judicial staff directory lists the assigned judges, magistrates, and hearing officers for the Broward Circuit Court divisions.
Circuit Court vs County Court in Broward
Florida runs a two-tier trial court system. The Circuit Court is the court of general jurisdiction. The County Court is the limited-jurisdiction trial court. The same Clerk holds the records for both. The two tiers split case types by amount and by subject. The comparison table below maps the differences.
| Feature | Broward Circuit Court | Broward County Court |
|---|---|---|
| Civil dollar limit | Above $50,000 | Up to $50,000 |
| Criminal jurisdiction | Felonies | Misdemeanors and criminal traffic |
| Family law | Yes - Unified Family division | No |
| Probate and guardianship | Yes - Probate Division | No |
| Small claims | No | Yes |
| Eviction and landlord-tenant | No | Yes |
| Traffic infractions | No | Yes |
| Appeals from | Hears limited appeals from County Court | n/a |
| Appeals to | Fourth District Court of Appeal | Broward Circuit Court |
How a Case Moves Through the Broward Court System
The Broward court process moves through a small set of levels. Each level reviews specific case types. The flow below shows the standard path from filing to final appellate review.
Case flow: Broward County Court › Broward Circuit Court (Seventeenth Judicial Circuit) › Fourth District Court of Appeal › Florida Supreme Court
- A misdemeanor, civil claim up to $50,000, eviction, small claim, or traffic infraction is filed in Broward County Court.
- A felony, civil claim above $50,000, family, probate, juvenile, or injunction matter is filed in Broward Circuit Court.
- The case runs through pretrial events, motions, hearings, and trial or settlement.
- A final judgment, disposition, or sentence is entered on the docket.
- An appeal from County Court runs to Broward Circuit Court.
- An appeal from Broward Circuit Court runs to the Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach, which covers the 15th, 17th, and 19th circuits.
- Further review may reach the Florida Supreme Court on discretionary review.
Fourth District Court of Appeal and Higher Review
The Fourth District Court of Appeal hears appeals from Broward and the rest of the Fourth District. The Florida Courts jurisdiction map identifies the 17th Circuit as Broward County and places the 17th in the Fourth DCA's territory. District courts of appeal usually decide cases in three-judge panels. The Florida Supreme Court sits above the district courts of appeal and exercises discretionary review.
Appeals from Broward use the appellate procedure rules and Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure. The trial-court Clerk records the notice of appeal on the case docket. The appellate docket lives with the appellate court clerk. For confidential filings, Florida Rule 2.420 governs which appellate documents are public and which are restricted.
Broward Specialty Courts
The Seventeenth Judicial Circuit and Broward justice partners run several problem-solving and specialized dockets. Drug and treatment court coordinates with substance abuse programs at the BSO Conte Facility and the Paul Rein facility. Mental health court coordinates with the North Broward Bureau, the BSO special-needs facility. The Sheriff's 2026 Department of Detention message describes a RISE Program that delivers individualized services within a designated jail unit and helps speed court proceedings.
Domestic violence cases run in the West Building under the Domestic Violence division. The State Attorney runs a Domestic Violence Unit and a Victim Advocate Unit. Juvenile diversion is run by BSO's Department of Community Programs and the State Attorney's Office. Veterans-related coordination is listed among BSO's jail programs.
Searching Broward Circuit Court Records
The Clerk's case search covers Broward Circuit Court records. The portal supports party, business, case number, and citation searches. Civil prefixes include CACE for Civil Action Central. Probate uses PRC. Family uses FMCE. Domestic Violence uses DVCE. Felony cases use felony prefixes per year. For the full case-search walkthrough, see Broward court records.
Note: Family, probate, guardianship, mental health, and domestic violence electronic court records require an Attorney of Record or Registered User account to view document images on the Clerk's portal.
History of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit
Broward County was created in 1915. Fort Lauderdale has been the county seat from the start. The modern Broward Circuit Court operates under Florida's post-1972 simplified trial-court structure, which trimmed the state's older patchwork of local courts into circuit courts and county courts. The Seventeenth Judicial Circuit is one of twenty in Florida. Broward's circuit serves nearly 2 million residents, which explains four courthouse locations and a bench of 90 judges plus magistrates and hearing officers. The Clerk of the Circuit and County Courts is the unified records custodian for both circuit and county case files.