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Skip to main content Sunday, September 13, 2026 - 8:30pm Home Menu Home General Info Message from the Court Administrator and Chief Judge About the 10th Circuit Americans with Disabilities Act Administrative Orders Contact Information Court Announcements Courthouse Locations Employment Forms and Checklists HISTORY of the 10th Judicial Circuit Hours of Operation and Holidays Media Information Certified Process Servers Latest News Professionalism Panel Anti-Retaliation Policy Volunteer Resources Court Holidays FAQs Lactation/Nursing Room Jurors Juror Information Hardee County Highlands County Polk County Judges Chief Judge Circuit County Senior Magistrates and Hearing Officers Legal Resources Barnews request form Legal Resources Ordering a Court Interpreter Ordering Transcripts Pro Bono Opportunities Submitting proposed orders to E-Filing Portal Quickparts & ePortal/ICMS Proposed Orders AO 1-61.1: Electronic Submissions Standard Orders Depts/Services Departments Certified Process Servers Alternative Dispute Resolution Services Janet A. Essary Drug Court Lab Law Library Problem Solving Court Self Help (Pro Se) Teen Court Services ADA Administrative Services Case Management Court Interpreters Court Reporting Court Technology Courthouse Security Early Childhood Courts Human Resources Lactation/Nursing Room Contacts Clerk of Courts Hardee County Highlands County Polk County Courthouse Locations Phone Directory Webmaster Self Help Find an Interpreter Forms and Checklists Mediation Services Search 2470 2363 2323 Previous Pause Next Court Announcements Court Holidays Click here for Virtual Courtroom Links Supreme Court of Florida No. AOSC26-18 - In Re: Emergency Request to Extend Time Periods Under All Florida Rules Of Procedure For Hardee County In The Tenth Judicial Circuit Judges from the 10th Judicial Circuit were proud to take part in Flight to Honor Mission 11 2026-2027 Tenth Circuit Court Appointed Attorney Registry Polk Felony Master Calendar: April 27, 2026 - January 1, 2027 LCS Mock Trial Team Advancing to the National Championship Circuit Judge Michelle O. Pincket receives 2026 Judicial Excellence Award see more announcements Virtual Courtroom Links Click here for Hardee County Virtual Courtroom Links Click here for Highlands County Virtual Courtroom Links Click here for Polk County Virtual Courtroom Links Click here to view the Polk Jury Trial Docket FREE ServiceCourt date reminder FREE service available that will send you a text or email reminder about your court date. Sign up for it at enotify.FLCourts.org Know Your Court To learn more about the court jurisdictional changes that went into effect in January 2020, click here. General Info See More General Info ADA Administrative Orders Employment Courthouse locations Forms & Checklists Judges See More Judges Chief Judge Circuit Judges County Judges Senior Judges Services See More Services Case Management Court Reporting Court Interpreting Pretrial Release Process Servers Jurors See More Juror Info Hardee County Jury Duty Highlands County Jury Duty Polk County Jury Duty Resources See More Resources Other FL Courts Legal Divisions of Court Courthouse Wi-Fi Attorneys See More Attorney Info Legal Resources Lunch & Learn Professionalism Panel Barnews Request Form Local Professionalism Panel Report Form Self Help See More Self Help FAQs Find an Interpreter Forms & Checklists Mediation Contacts See More Contacts Phone Directory Courthouse Locations Hardee Clerk of Courts Highlands Clerk of Courts Polk Clerk of Courts Social Media Twitter YouTube Website problems? Click here to submit website issues or inquiries to our webmaster Popular Links Accessibility (ADA) Contact Information Courthouse Hours Courthouse Locations Employment Site Map @2024 10th Judicial Circuit of Florida. All information on this website is the property of the 10th Circuit Court of Florida, unless directly specified otherwise. Top Corporate Site - This is a contributing Drupal ThemeDesign by WeebPal.

Senior Judges

Senior Judges Timothy Coon Senior Judge Wayne M. Durden Senior Robert G. Fegers Senior Mary Catherine Green Senior Larry Helms Senior Donald G. Jacobsen Senior J. David Langford Senior Richard (Dick) G. Prince Senior Olin W. Shinholser Senior Wm. Bruce Smith Senior Robert L. Williams, Jr. Senior

Lactation/Nursing Room

Lactation/Nursing Room For information regarding this nursing room's location and accessibility, please contact Court Administration at (863) 534-4686. Room usage guidelines provided by the Polk Association of Women Lawyers (PAWL)

Chief Judge

Chief Judge Primary tabs Chief Judge(active tab) Circuit County Senior Magistrates and Hearing Officers James A. Yancey Circuit Chief Judge/Appeals/Writs/Admin/Risk Protection - Sec 30/31 Judicial Assistant: Juli Reublin [email protected] P: (863) 534 - 4576 F: (863) 534 - 4626

Anti-Retaliation Policy

Anti-Retaliation Policy Please see the Title VI Anti-Retaliation Policy in both English and Spanish versions below: Anti-Retaliation Policy - English Anti-Retaliation Policy - Spanish

Hours of Operation and Holidays

Hours of Operation Hardee County Monday - Friday, 8AM - 5PM Highlands County Monday - Friday, 8AM - 5PM Polk County Monday - Friday, 8AM - 5PM Holidays Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday 1/19/2026 Good Friday 04/3/2026 Memorial Day 5/25/2026 Independence Day 7/3/2026 Labor Day 9/7/2026 Yom Kippur 9/21/2026 Veteran's Day 11/11/2026 Thanksgiving Day 11/26/2026 Day after Thanksgiving 11/27/2026 Christmas Eve 12/24/2026 Christmas Day 12/25/2026 New Year's Eve 12/31/2026 New Year's Day 1/1/2027 2027 Holiday Schedule 2027 Court Holidays

Certified Process Servers

Normal Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. Any and all Certified Process Server related inquiries must be made by contacting the Administrative Office of the Courts: email: [email protected] telephone: (863) 534-4670 This information is provided to individuals wishing to either become certified process servers or to remain certified in the Tenth Circuit (Polk, Hardee, and Highlands Counties). Enclosed is a copy of this court's administrative order that contains the procedures and the applicable fees that would pertain to you, depending on whether you want to become a process server for the first time in this circuit or need to renew your certification. You are urged to read the entire administrative order so that you are familiar with the procedures that apply to you. Click here to view Administrative Order 1-29.6 and here to view the list of Certified Process Servers. If you wish to become a process server for the first time, you must follow the procedures outlined in section I. Upon completion of the provisions that apply to you, and upon receipt in this office of all requirements set forth in the administrative order, the Court Administrator will review the application and inform you if it is approved or not. If it is not accepted, you will be told the reason(s) and told what you must do to be accepted. Once you have received approval of your application, you must pay to the Clerk of the Court, via check or money order, a non-refundable application fee of $75.00 dollars payable to the “Polk County Clerk of the Court.” You should receive a validated receipt and attach such to the Application Form. As a separate payment, the applicant must pay to the Office of the Court Administrator, via money order, a fee of $30.00 dollars payable to the “Polk County BoCC” for the criminal records check, fingerprints, and first year I.D. badge. I am thanking you in advance of your cooperation as you complete the application process. All approved applications are provisional, subject to the results of the background investigation conducted by F.D.L.E. Process Server Certification Checklist *Approved Process Server Instructors in 10th Circuit: A. Barry Gaston Sr. P.O. Box 7036 Winter Haven, FL 33883 (863) 528-3528 B. Bob Musser P.O. Box 72 Melbourne, FL 32902-0072 (321) 952-0820 C. David Watwood P.O. Box 1536 Bartow, FL 33831 (863) 585-5244 (863) 651-3095 D. Becky S. Gaston P.O. Box 166 Lake Wales, FL 33859 (863) 678-1235 E. Willie Wilson, Jr. P.O. Box 722, Lake Hamilton, FL 33851 (863) 956-7298 F. Laurynn Vaughn P.O. Box 23, Lake Wales, FL 33853 (863) 275-4480 *The 10th Circuit will recognize and accept a certificate from a training provider in another county as long as that Judicial Circuit recognizes the provider as a qualified Process Server training course.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 (hereinafter “ADA”), no qualified individual with a disability shall be unreasonably discriminated against or excluded from participation in or benefits of the services, programs, or activities of state and local government, including the judicial branch. Some physical barriers make it difficult for persons with a disability to participate in court services or programs. In some courthouses, witness and jury boxes may be inaccessible to wheelchairs or public information counters may be too high for some persons. In addition to architecturally renovating facilities to make them readily accessible to persons with disabilities, there are other methods of providing program access including relocating a service to enable a person with a disability to participate or seating several jurors, including a juror using a wheelchair, in front of the juror box. The ADA requires that reasonable accommodations be provided to requesting qualified persons with disabilities in order that they might participate fully in court programs, services, activities, and benefits: If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact the Office of the Court Administrator, 255 N. Broadway Avenue, Bartow, Florida 33830, (863) 534-4686, at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled appearance is less than 7 days; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711. Any device or aid that is designed to provide effective communication and participation for individuals with disabilities is an auxiliary aid or service. Examples of auxiliary aids or services include: assistive listening devices, real-time transcription services, providing materials in large print, braille, diskette, or audio tapes, and reader services. sign language interpreters, oral interpreters Examples of services the State Courts System is not required to provide under the ADA include: transportation to the courthouse, legal counsel or advice, personal devices such as a wheelchair or hearing aid, personal services such as medical or attendant care, (However, wheelchairs are available in the Polk County Courthouse.) a modification of a policy or an auxiliary aid or service that would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of the program or service or would result in an undue burden. To request a court related ADA accommodation: Please call the Office of the Court Administrator at (863) 534-4686; or Follow this link to submit an ADA accommodation request online: https://www.jud10.flcourts.org/ada-accommodation-request You can view our local governing Administrative Order Here: 1-21.5 Florida State Courts System-Title VI Anti-Retaliation Policy Title VI Anti-Retaliation Policy (English) Title VI Anti-Retaliation Policy (English) Frequently asked Questions & Answers