OPPAGA Government Program Summary

What is the purpose of the commission?

The Justice Administrative Commission was created in 1965 and provides administrative services on behalf of 49 judicial related entities, including Florida's state attorneys, public defenders, the capital collateral regional counsels, the criminal conflict and civil regional counsels, and the Guardian ad Litem Program. The commission also provides review of billings for services provided by private court-appointed attorneys representing indigent citizens and associated due process vendors.

What activities are performed by the department?

What is the composition of the commission?

The commission is comprised of two state attorneys and two public defenders, who are appointed by their respective professional associations, the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association, and the Florida Public Defender Association. The commissioners appoint the executive director.

What services does the commission provide?

The commission provides administrative services to the 49 judicial related entities primarily in the areas of accounting, budget, financial services, and human resources. The commission contracts with private court-appointed attorneys, indigent for cost attorneys, and due process service providers and reviews their billings for completeness and compliance with statutory and contractual requirements.

The commission is also charged with maintaining a registry of mental health and other experts who are available and willing to provide examinations and expert testimony in proceedings relating to the civil commitment of sexually violent predators. While the commission does not verify the professional qualifications of persons listed on the registry, s. 394.932, Florida Statutes, requires the commission to list the name and contact information of all persons holding themselves out to be qualified to provide examinations and expert testimony upon request.

The commission also holds regular public meetings.

What is the commission's workload and performance?

In Fiscal Year 2021-22, the commission processed 325,939 accounting transactions and 59,168 court-appointed attorney and due process vendor invoices. The commission processed 98.02% of invoices within statutory time frames (the legislative performance standard was 95.0%).

How are these activities funded?

Fiscal Year: 2024-25

Title	Fund	Dollars	Positions
JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION
CAPITAL COLLATERAL REGIONAL COUNSELS
PROGRAM: MIDDLE REGIONAL COUNSEL
	CAPITAL JUSTICE REPRESENTATION - MIDDLE REGIONAL COUNSEL	6,448,200	39.00
PROGRAM: NORTHERN REGIONAL COUNSEL
	CAPITAL JUSTICE REPRESENTATION - NORTHERN REGIONAL COUNSEL	3,382,173	21.00
PROGRAM: SOUTHERN REGIONAL COUNSEL
	CAPITAL JUSTICE REPRESENTATION - SOUTHERN REGIONAL COUNSEL	5,242,659	34.00
CRIMINAL CONFLICT AND CIVIL REGIONAL COUNSELS
	01-PROGRAM: REGIONAL CONFLICT COUNSEL - FIRST	17,644,421	137.00
	02-PROGRAM: REGIONAL CONFLICT COUNSEL - SECOND	16,353,584	127.50
	03-PROGRAM: REGIONAL CONFLICT COUNSEL - THIRD	10,378,479	76.50
	04-PROGRAM: REGIONAL CONFLICT COUNSEL - FOURTH	16,978,101	127.00
	05-PROGRAM: REGIONAL CONFLICT COUNSEL - FIFTH	13,647,445	104.00
PROGRAM: JUSTICE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMISSION
	EXECUTIVE DIRECTION AND SUPPORT SERVICES	131,258,312	103.50
	PROGRAM: STATEWIDE GUARDIAN AD LITEM OFFICE	68,379,844	826.00
PUBLIC DEFENDERS
PUBLIC DEFENDERS APPELLATE DIVISION
	02-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS APPELLATE - SECOND JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	4,294,771	35.00
	07-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS APPELLATE - SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	4,209,370	33.00
	10-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS APPELLATE - TENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	6,373,074	50.00
	11-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS APPELLATE - ELEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	2,422,623	18.00
	15-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS APPELLATE - FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	5,353,394	37.00
	01-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - FIRST JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	13,589,952	129.00
	02-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - SECOND JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	8,924,213	86.00
	03-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - THIRD JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	4,239,562	33.00
	04-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - FOURTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	17,209,267	156.00
	05-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	14,044,334	127.50
	06-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - SIXTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	25,003,127	238.50
	07-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	12,720,448	117.00
	08-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - EIGHTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	8,384,781	75.00
	09-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	23,425,621	220.00
	10-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - TENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	12,101,749	116.00
	11-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - ELEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	42,460,355	390.00
	12-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - TWELFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	11,546,051	95.50
	13-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - THIRTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	24,357,222	218.00
	14-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - FOURTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	7,997,107	67.00
	15-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	20,821,799	189.00
	16-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	4,318,695	39.00
	17-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - SEVENTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	25,255,322	223.00
	18-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - EIGHTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	13,625,514	113.00
	19-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - NINETEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	9,543,195	86.00
	20-PROGRAM: PUBLIC DEFENDERS - TWENTIETH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	16,829,171	141.00
STATE ATTORNEYS
	01-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - FIRST JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	24,648,618	242.00
	02-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - SECOND JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	13,652,743	115.00
	03-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - THIRD JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	7,782,093	71.00
	04-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - FOURTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	36,851,945	364.00
	05-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	27,565,885	244.00
	06-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - SIXTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	49,564,501	478.00
	07-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	27,435,159	239.00
	08-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - EIGHTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	13,857,735	127.00
	09-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	41,091,491	385.50
	10-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - TENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	26,451,068	221.00
	11-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - ELEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	126,389,816	1,268.00
	12-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - TWELFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	20,451,928	195.00
	13-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - THIRTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	38,847,447	297.00
	14-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - FOURTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	13,155,845	122.00
	15-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	34,381,055	328.00
	16-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - SIXTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	6,613,335	62.00
	17-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - SEVENTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	53,657,492	511.50
	18-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - EIGHTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	29,620,603	280.00
	19-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - NINETEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	16,839,937	165.00
	20-PROGRAM: STATE ATTORNEYS - TWENTIETH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT	32,969,331	298.00
TOTAL		1,270,591,962	10,641.00

Source: www.transparencyflorida.gov

Unique Question

Additional Resources

A complete list of related OPPAGA reports is available on our website.

Where can I get more information?

Other Reports
Due Process Services, OPPAGA Report 19-18, December 2019
Justice Administrative Commission, Statewide Guardian Ad Litem Office, and Selected Offices of State Attorneys, Public Defenders, Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsels, and Capital Collateral Regional Counsels - Operational Audit, Auditor General Report 2020-008, July 2019
Justice Administrative Commission - Offices of the State Attorneys - Third Judicial Circuit - Fifth Judicial Circuit - Sixth Judicial Circuit - Offices of the Public Defenders - Third Judicial Circuit - Sixteenth Judicial Circuit - and - Offices of the Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel - Operational Audit, Auditor General Report 2015-061, December 2014
The Auditor General reports on the Justice Administration Commission operations are available on its website

Websites of Interest
Capital Collateral Regional Counsels
Guardian ad Litem
Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, First District
Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Second District
Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Third District
Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Fourth District
Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Fifth District

Performance Information

Applicable Statutes

Sections 27.511, 39.8296, 40.29, 43.16, and 394.932, Florida Statutes

Department Contact Information

Alton L. "Rip" Colvin, Jr., Executive Director, 850-488-2415
Website