Sheryl L. Loesch
Clerk of Court

Geographically the Middle District of Florida (FLMD) stretches nearly 400 miles from the Georgia border on the northeast to south of Naples on Florida’s southwest coast. Three of the six largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the state, namely, Tampa, Jacksonville and Orlando are within the district. The Clerk’s office headquarters is centrally located in Orlando with additional divisional offices in Tampa, Jacksonville, Fort Myers and Ocala.

Demographically over 10 million people, more than 55% of the state’s population, reside within the district. Eleven of the fourteen most densely populated counties in the state are in the Middle District. In all, thirty-five of Florida’s sixty-seven counties make up the Middle District. Florida’s population has increased by about three million each decade since 1970 and now stands at approximately 18.2 million permanent residents, a 268% increase over the 1970 estimate of 6.8 million. Additionally this state, and the Middle District in particular, is a primary tourist and convention destination adding millions of visitors to those numbers. In 2006 the number of tourists visiting Florida reached 84.6 million, one half traveling by air. That is equivalent to about 232,000 visitors per day. Additionally more than 900,000 temporary residents, the “snowbirds,” reside in Florida for several months each year. Florida’s population has increased nearly twice as fast as the nation during the 1990's. The U.S. Census bureau projects that Florida will become the third largest state by 2011, behind only California and Texas.

The Middle District of Florida (FLMD) is one of the busiest federal district courts in the nation. In fiscal year 2006 a total of 8,561 civil and criminal cases were filed in FLMD. Approximately 79% of those were civil cases. There were 559 weighted case filings per active judge in FY 2006 placing FLMD first among the nine districts of the 11th Circuit and 11th nationally out of 94 districts. The caseload per active district judge in FLMD is over 20% above the national average and 30% above the Judicial Conference standard of 430 weighted cases. FLMD has been officially designated a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Enforcement Area (HIDTA) by the Department of Justice. In FY 2006 the district had the 4th highest number of criminal defendants charged with drug related offenses (excluding marijuana offenses), and the 8th highest number of defendants charged with fraud related offenses. These two categories of offenses accounted for 59% of the total criminal defendants charged in FLMD.

Currently there are 15 full time and seven senior district judges in FLMD. There are also 13 magistrate judges serving in the district with vacancies in Jacksonville and Orlando. Tampa has the most judges with six district judges, one senior district judge and five magistrate judges. Orlando has four district judges, two senior district judges and two magistrate judges. Jacksonville currently has four district judges, three senior district judges and three magistrate judges. Ft. Myers has one district judge and two magistrate judges and Ocala has one senior district judge and one magistrate judge. A district judge assigned to Jacksonville is serving temporarily in the Ft. Myers division.

Rapid population growth in FLMD has placed great demands on the federal judiciary and court staff. In order to keep pace with that demand new courthouses in Tampa, Fort Myers and Jacksonville have been built and opened within the past seven years. Another new courthouse in Orlando is scheduled to open in mid 2007.

Rev. June, 2007