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The Voice of
your Elected Official
In her own words
Reprinted with permission
from the Home Towne News – Sept 12, 2002 issue in the section
titled “Voice of Elected Officials”
By Barbara T. Scott
Clerk of the Circuit Court
When I was first elected Clerk of
the Circuit Court in 1984, there were several responsibilities
contained within the almost 1,000 different constitutional and
statutory functions of my office that I felt needed to be improved
upon in order to better serve the community.
I feel very strongly about helping
the victims of domestic violence providing assistance and
education necessary to help them break the cycle of domestic
violence.
One area in particular that needed
to be addressed was the Clerk's statutory responsibility under
Chapter 741 F.S. in the handling and filing of an Injunction for
Protection Against Domestic or Repeat Violence. The handling of
domestic violence petitions was a crucial one. Chapter 741 F.S.
provided me the opportunity to officially establish a program
within my office to assist victims and their innocent
children.
It also provided me with the
opportunity to work with two wonderful women, Jane Brenner and
Nancy Lisby who were instrumental in establishing the C.A.R.E.
Center. These women are committed individuals who have never
stopped caring for and assisting victims of domestic violence.
Domestic violence is an
uncomprehendable act for all concerned; no matter how many support
or concerned citizens groups are available, statistics show that
incidences of domestic violence are on the rise not only in
Charlotte County but nationwide.
This tragedy affects the victim,
family, friends and the community as a whole. Those involved go to
bed at night praying that they will see daylight. There are often
many sleepless nights for parents of domestic violence victims;
often wondering whether their children and grandchildren will
survive the next day. Will they ever lead a normal life, will
they be safe, and will they have the opportunity to grow old?
Charlotte County is fortunate to
have such wonderful support groups available to the community. I
have had the opportunity to become personally and professionally
involved with C.A.R.E. (Center for Rape and Abuse Emergencies),
D.A.S.H. (Domestic Abuse Safe House), the Domestic Violence Task
Force and numerous other church and civic groups whose heart goes
out to the victims. These agencies offer shelter, emotional
support, occupational training and much needed friendship.
However, the violence will not end
until our community establishes a “No Tolerance Program.” Until
then, young people involved in serious relationships need to take
a hard look at their potential partner and remember the words that
so many of us have uttered time and again “you cannot change
someone after you marry them.” Stress to your children that if
they find themselves in a volatile relationship—to think of
themselves and the future of their children.
Charlotte County’s school system
through the help of organizations such as C.A.R.E., D.A.S.H., and
the Domestic Violence Task Force do their best to educate students
of the signs of domestic violence, but I am sure many of the
students, counter by thinking “this will never happen to me” but
instances show that more often that not—it may.
Victims often find that their first
step out of an abusive relationship is their local law enforcement
agency. If you are a victim of a domestic violence act and law
enforcement has made an arrest, I encourage you to visit one of my
offices to start the civil restraining order process. Law
enforcement will provide the victim with information outlining the
steps necessary to obtain a Petition for an Injunction for
Protection.
You may obtain assistance in filing
for an injunction for protection against domestic or repeat
violence by appearing in person at the Domestic Violence office
located on the 2nd floor of the Charlotte County Justice Center at
350 East Marion Avenue in Punta Gorda.
The office is secure, accessible via
buzzer access only, and is staffed by friendly experienced
personnel who will help walk you through the process involved in
obtaining a temporary restraining order. A child safe room has
been provided adjacent to the Domestic Violence office.
Painted animals and hot air balloons
adorn the walls of the room, which is equipped with fun things for
the children to do while the victim completes the necessary
paperwork. Children may read books, color on a wall sized black
board, or sit in a locomotive and watch one of the many donated
VRC tapes. This wonderful retreat would not have been possible
without the time, effort and dollars of my dedicated staff and the
Zonta organization, spearheaded by Nancy Lisby.
While Punta Gorda offers a safe
haven for the victims and their children, past experience has
shown that victims from the Murdock and Englewood area were
reluctant to travel to Punta Gorda. This posed a problem, as the
petition must contain a detailed outline of the abuse in the
petitioner’s own words. The information is crucial and must be
made available to the judge in court as soon as possible. My goal
was to provide the same safe haven for victims and their children
at the other two office locations.
So how do we accomplish this—we
looked to technology for assistance, another of my favorite
projects. My fiduciary responsibility dictated that I address
this project in phases. First analyzing the benefits of this
program at the branch offices, second the cost to maintain the
services and third securing the judiciary’s approval, commitment
of the project and acceptance of the electronically transmitted
documents.
My office prepared and was awarded a
grant for a pilot program, in January 2002, my office established
a video link from the Englewood and Murdock Annex offices to the
county seat located in Punta Gorda at the Charlotte County Justice
Center.
The video link facilitates the
transmission of completed domestic violence petitions for
submission to the court.
The Annexes and the Punta Gorda
office communicate using real time video, ensuring proper
completion of the forms for speedy transmission to the Judge.
Once the Judge has completed his or her review of the order it is
then signed and electronically returned to the branch offices.
The signed order is immediately provided to the Charlotte County
Sheriff’s Office for service.
Manuals were created; training was
implemented and local Law Enforcement Agencies were made aware of
the changes in the program. A deputy clerk handles the Murdock
process; the Englewood process is currently handled in conjunction
with C.A.R.E.
The Englewood Annex will be
renovated this year, at the conclusion of which, Clerk’s staff
will assume full responsibility for the Englewood Domestic
Violence office. This method of filing has assisted in expediting
the petitions and has avoided unnecessary travel for the victims.
Statistics show that incidences of
domestic violence have been increasing in Charlotte County. There
were 810 cases filed in 2001. Domestic violence petitions
represented 35.4% of the circuit civil filings in 2001. These
statistics represent an increase of 10.1% over last year's
filings.
Since implementing the program in
January 2002, a total of 508 petitions have been filed, 403 in
Punta Gorda, 30 in Murdock and 75 in Englewood. Prior to the
implementation of this program petitioners seeking to obtain
temporary restraining orders were required to and could only
appear in Punta Gorda, the county seat housing the Judiciary.
Although the
offices are opened until 5:00 p.m., it is recommended that victims
request assistance as early in the day as possible, preferably
before noon, to allow time for the court to review the paperwork
and the Sheriff’s Office to receive, process and serve the court
order.
The deputy clerks of my office’s
Domestic Violence Civil Division handle this stressful situation
with the utmost confidentiality and professionalism. I am very
proud of them and their service to the community. Questions
regarding the filing of a temporary injunction for protection
through the Clerk’s Civil Division should be directed to
941-637-2162.
A brochure, containing information
on how to file an Injunction for Protection and outlining
documents that individuals will need to bring with them to the
Clerk’s Office is available and can be downloaded from, the
Clerk’s website at www.co.charlotte.fl.us.
Local law enforcement, C.A.R.E. and
members of my staff are available to assist domestic violence
victims 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Don’t wait “there is no
excuse for abuse.”
The following numbers are provided
for your information:
C.A.R.E.
(Center for Rape & Abuse Emergencies)
941-627-6000 or 941-475-6465
D.A.S.H.
(Domestic Abuse Shelter Home)
941-475-8722
Charlotte
County Sheriff’s Office
941-639-2101 or 941-474-3233
Florida
Coalition Against Domestic Violence
1-800-500-1119
Punta Gorda
Police Department
941-639-4111
S.P.A.R.C.C.
(Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center)
941-365-1976 or 941-492-3752
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