One option for funding state attorneys and public defenders under Article V would be to allocate funds based on the number of cases in which they participate. However, the number of cases reported by the clerks of court, state attorneys, and public defenders differs substantially. This occurs because the entities are involved in different aspects of the legal process, so their definition of "case" varies.
While the court has established general rules for defining cases, state attorneys have some discretion in how these rules are applied.
The Legislature has used case data in a limited way in allocating funds to state attorneys and public defenders. Establishing a more extensive case-based funding formula or a case-weighting system is theoretically feasible, but may not be practical at this time due to time and budget constraints.

Clerk and Court State Funded Court-Related 2009-10 Fiscal Year Budget Information
Report 10-11A January 2010
Little Duplication in Court-Related Services; Clerk/Court Cooperation Should Be Improved
Report 10-11 January 2010
Many Article V Trial Courts Funding Issues Still Need to Be Resolved
Report 01-54 November 2001

Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.