Panel Restores Clerk of Courts Funding - WMBB News 13 - The Panhandle's News Leader

A legislative panel approved an additional $29.5 million dollars in funding for Florida's Clerks of Court. The change mostly reverses a seven percent cut handed down by lawmakers during the legislative session earlier this year.

Clerks around the state warned the shortfall would lead to layoffs and shorter office hours, but in light of recent events, those decisions would likely be reversed.

Bay County's Clerk of Court, Bill Kinsaul says the extra funding will give his office more flexibility. "We were really going to be tight on our budget this year if we had any other unexpected increases like medical, health insurance cost or anything like that; we were going to be right down to the penny."

In March, Kinsaul told us he didn't anticipate the need for drastic measures and says counties in central and south Florida will mainly benefit from the increase.