Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles announced the introduction of a program that allows individuals who register to receive alerts of upcoming criminal court events through text and/or email.
The system, called e-Notify, is intended to keep defendants and other interested parties informed about upcoming court events. A pilot project launched last October provided alerts in cases filed in Orange, Okaloosa and Nassau counties. The program expanded statewide as of Jan. 31, according to a news release.
The program was developed collaboratively by the state’s clerks of court and the state courts system.
The system was designed specifically to fulfill the Legislature’s direction to provide alerts to defendants in criminal cases, but it also offers a valuable resource to others wishing to be notified of case events.
The system should curb costly court ‘no-shows.’
Studies in jurisdictions where electronic alerts have been implemented have shown significant reductions in ‘failures to appear,’ or instances in which defendants miss their court events.
Users who sign up for the service choose how they will get alerts – email and/or text – as well as the timing of their reminders, choosing any combination of 14-day, seven-day or day-ahead notifications.
There is no limit to the number of cases users can sign up for to get alerts.
E-Notify users also are able to manage their subscriptions, and make changes to cases and frequency.
Those who wish to sign up can visit https://enotify.flcourts.org.
Published February 12, 2020
