Hernando County Clerk of Circuit Court & Comptroller

Case Search

To search for criminal court cases, please click here.

General Criminal Information

There are three different types of criminal cases.

Circuit Felony (CF) – any crime punishable by a prison sentence. This category also includes more serious traffic offenses such as fleeing law enforcement and 3rd DUI.

Misdemeanor (MM) – heard in county court, these are non-traffic related offenses punishable by a maximum of one year in the county jail.  Ex:  Shoplifting and Possession of Marijuana.

Criminal Traffic (CT) – traffic cases that are heard in county court and punishable by a jail term not to exceed one year.

Most traffic tickets are not criminal cases. Click here to visit the traffic ticket section.

Remember!  Deputy Clerks cannot provide legal advice.  We cannot excuse you from attending a court hearing or even explain why you must attend. If you have questions about your case that cannot be answered by simply reading the documents, please contact your attorney.

Paying Court Costs and Fines

  • ONLINE payments can be made by clicking here
  • PHONE payments are accepted through Govpay. Click here for details.
  • IN PERSON by cash, check, credit card or money order at either our Brooksville or Spring Hill locations.
  • MAIL (check or money order) to Clerk of Court, Criminal/Traffic Division, 20 N. Main St, Brooksville, FL 34601.
    • All checks should be payable to Doug Chorvat Jr., Clerk of Court
    • Always note your case number on checks or other forms of payment!
  • Has your case already been referred to our collections agency?
    • If so, we cannot take your payment. Please contact the appropriate agency based on your case type
      • Felony (CF), Misdemeanor (MM) or Civil Traffic (TR) is Linebarger, Goggan, Blair and Sampson LLP at (866)341-4498
      • Criminal Traffic (CT) Aspen National Collections at (800)981-9420

Cost of Incarceration

Pursuant to Florida Statute 960.293, judges must order defendants to reimburse the County $50 per day for every day the defendant is sentenced to serve in jail.  This reimbursement of incarceration costs is collected by a civil restitution lien order being placed against the defendant’s personal property and recorded in official records. The defendant will receive a Civil Restitution Lien Order in the mail within 90 days of being incarcerated.

  • The lien can be viewed by going to our Official Records Search and researching by the defendant’s name.
  • As the law states, the lien is based on the number of days sentenced, NOT the number of actual days served (Ex: Sentenced to 10 days, serve only 7, still must pay for 10 per statute).
  • A civil restitution lien is NOT part of the fines and costs from the criminal case.
  • Interest accumulates on the lien until it is paid in full.
  • Once the lien is paid in full (including interest) the defendant must pay a recording fee and a ‘satisfaction of lien’ will be recorded in official records.
  • The Clerk collects the payments for the County. The Clerk’s Department of Financial Services keeps track of the payments made, along with the interest due.

Making Payments:

Payments are received and processed by the Clerk’s Department of Financial Services.  Payment plans can be set up if the defendant is unable to pay the entire lien balance plus interest.  To contact the Department of Financial Services by phone call 352-540-6788 between the hours of 8:30 am and 5:00 pm.

  • By Mail:  make check or money order payable to Board of County Commissioners.  Also, please add the criminal case number on the check/money order for proper credit. Mail the payment to:
    Clerk of the Circuit Court
    Department of Financial Services
    20 N. Main Street Rm 264
    Brooksville FL 34601
  • In-Person:  Payments can be made over the counter in the Department of Financial Services, Room 230 of the Hernando County Courthouse.  Accepted methods of payment are cash, check, money order, or credit card.  Please have a copy of the lien or criminal case number available in order to expedite the process.

Did You Post A Cash Bond To Get Out Of Jail?

  • Refunds are available to depositor upon completion of the case.
  • We must have a current address for depositor. (Change of Address Form)
  • Pursuant to Florida Statute 903.286, the Clerk shall withhold from the refund any fines or costs owed by the defendant on ANY case.
  • If you posted a surety bond, please contact your bond agent for information about your bond.

Seal & Expunge

Under Florida law, if you have been arrested for a criminal offense, you may have the right to have records of your arrest expunged or sealed.

Sealing Records

Sealing is a court procedure that seals court and police records. The records are not destroyed or returned, but are put “under seal”, meaning they are not accessible by employers, members of the general public, or most public entities. Law enforcement officials have access to the records. The procedure for obtaining a court order to seal records is virtually identical to the expungement procedure.

Expungement

Expungement is a court procedure in which a person who has been arrested petitions the court in the county where the case was filed for the destruction or return of all records pertaining to his or her case. Typically, an order granting the expungement petition is directed to the arresting police agency, the Florida State Police Bureau of Identification, and the Circuit Court Clerk of the county in which the case was brought. Records expunged are either destroyed or returned to the petitioner. Records include fingerprints, mug shots, and other records of identification. The circuit clerk does not return or destroy the court file; rather, it impounds or seals the file so that the records will thereafter be unavailable to employers or the general public.

Please visit the FDLE website for additional information or contact the FDLE at (850) 410-7870.

Orders to Seal

Pursuant to Florida Rules of Judicial Administration, Rule 2.420, the Clerk of Court must post a copy of an order to seal issued on a Civil case on the Clerk’s website and in a prominent, public location in the courthouse. This order must remain posted in both locations for no less than 30 days. The rule states that for Criminal cases, the Clerk shall not post orders for cases in this section unless directed by the Court.

Still have questions?  Contact the Criminal Department at (352) 540-6444  or send us an email via the Contact Us page.

Related Contacts

State Attorney’s Office ~ (352)754-4255

Public Defender’s Office ~ (352)754-4270

State Probation (felonies) ~ (352)754-6710

County Probation (misdemeanors) ~ (352)796-8181