Pursuant to s. 939.06, F.S., the Justice Administrative Commission (JAC) processes Acquitted Defendant Refunds for payment. Please know that these refunds are for specific statutory costs, such as fees and costs paid by the defendant and certified by a Clerk of Court; specifically, Public Defender application fees, Sheriff ministerial fees, Clerk of Court ministerial fees, and subsistence charges while detained in custody. Section 939.06, F.S., constitutes the sole authority by which an acquitted defendant may seek reimbursement of taxable costs in a criminal case from JAC. The Florida Supreme Court narrowly construed this statute in Wolf v. County of Volusia, 703 So. 2d 1033 (Fla. 1998), where the Court limited reimbursement to “witness fees, sheriff expenses and clerk of court expenses.” Generally, the litigation costs of the defense do not constitute reimbursable costs under s. 939.06, F.S. Attorney fees and costs associated with court reporter fees, deposition transcripts, investigator fees, expert fees, and private process server fees also do not constitute taxable costs under the terms of s. 939.06, F.S. Similarly, fees relating to bail bonds or electronic monitoring also do not fall within the terms of the statute.
Below please find the Voucher Cover that must be submitted to JAC for payment. In order to ensure payment, please attach the documents listed below to the voucher cover:
- Certificate of Payment of Costs from Clerk of Court.
- Court Order (must indicate the defendant’s right to a refund and dollar amount).
- Court documents showing defendant was acquitted or the case was dismissed.
- Account summary from detention facility.
Completed Voucher Covers should be sent to:
Justice Administrative Commission
Court-Appointed Counsel Program
Post Office Box 1654
Tallahassee, FL 32302-1654