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                                                                   Exhibit 10.17


                        AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT


         This Amendment to Employment Agreement ("Amendment") is made and
entered into as of January 8, 2002, by and between H.T.E., INC., a Florida
corporation, (hereinafter called the "Company"); __________ (hereinafter called
the "Executive").

R E C I T A L S

         The Executive and Company wish to amend the terms and conditions of
that certain Employment Agreement dated as of _____ (the "Employment
Agreement").

AMENDMENT AGREEMENT

         NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual covenants
set forth herein, the parties agree to amend the Employment Agreement as
follows:

         The following "Enhanced Severance and Accelerated Option Vesting"
provisions are hereby added as subparagraph 5.8:

                  5.8 Enhanced Severance and Accelerated Option Vesting. In the
         event of a "Change of Control" of the Company, as defined below, and
         notwithstanding any other provision of this Employment Agreement to the
         contrary, the Company shall provide "Enhanced Severance" and
         "Accelerated Option Vesting" for or to the Executive as hereinafter
         provided:

                           a. Enhanced Severance. If during the eighteen (18)
                  month period beginning with the date of a Change of Control
                  (the "Enhanced Severance Period") a "Prohibited Act" occurs,
                  as defined below, the Company shall pay to the Executive an
                  amount equal to the aggregate compensation from salary, cash
                  bonus plan and commissions earned by the Executive during the
                  nine (9) months immediately preceding the date of the
                  Prohibited Act ("Enhanced Severance Payment"). Upon twenty
                  (20) days written notice to the Company, the Executive shall
                  have the right to resign her employment upon the occurrence of
                  a Prohibited Act without further liability to the Company
                  under this Employment Agreement. Such resignation by the
                  Executive shall not effect the Company's obligation to pay to
                  the Executive the Enhanced Severance Payment. The Company
                  shall pay the Enhanced Severance Payment to the Executive in
                  equal monthly or more frequent installments during the nine
                  (9) months immediately following the date of the Prohibited
                  Act. In addition, the Executive and the Executive's dependents
                  shall continue to receive, without charge, all health,
                  medical, dental and vision insurance coverage or any other
                  insurance benefits they were receiving or participating in
                  prior to the date of the Prohibited Act during the nine (9)
                  months immediately following the date of the Prohibited Act.
                  The Enhanced Severance Payment and the above-described
                  continuation of insurance coverage shall be in lieu of and
                  replace all other severance or compensation continuation
                  payments or benefits to which the Executive may otherwise be
                  entitled to receive under this Employment Agreement.

                           b. Change of Control. For the purpose of this
                  Employment Agreement, a "Change of Control" shall mean: (i)
                  the acquisition (other than by the Company), at any time after
                  the date hereof, by any person, entity or "group", within the
                  meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Securities
                  Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"), of beneficial
                  ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under
                  the Exchange Act) of fifty percent (50%) or more of either the
                  then outstanding shares of common stock or the combined voting
                  power of the


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                  Company's then outstanding voting securities entitled to vote
                  generally in the election of directors; (ii) the individuals
                  who, as of the date hereof, constitute the Board of Directors
                  of the Company (the "Incumbent Board") cease for any reason to
                  constitute at least a majority of the Board of Directors,
                  provided that any person becoming a director subsequent to the
                  date hereof whose election, or nomination for election by the
                  Company's shareholders, was approved, or not objected to, by a
                  vote of at least a majority of the directors then comprising
                  the Incumbent Board (other than an election or nomination of
                  an individual whose initial assumption of office is in
                  connection with an actual or threatened election contest
                  relating to the election of the directors of the Company, as
                  such terms are used in Rule 14a-11 of Regulation 14A
                  promulgated under the Exchange Act) shall be, for purposes of
                  this Agreement, considered as though such person were a member
                  of the Incumbent Board; or (iii) approval by the stockholders
                  of the Company of: (a) a reorganization, merger or
                  consolidation with respect to which persons who were the
                  shareholders of the Company immediately prior to such
                  reorganization, merger or consolidation do not, immediately
                  thereafter, own more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined
                  voting power entitled to vote generally in the election of
                  directors of the reorganized, merged or consolidated company's
                  then outstanding voting securities, (b) a liquidation or
                  dissolution of the Company, or (c) the sale of all or
                  substantially all of the assets of the Company, unless the
                  approved reorganization, merger, consolidation, liquidation,
                  dissolution or sale is subsequently abandoned.

                           c. Prohibited Act. For the purpose of this Employment
                  Agreement, a "Prohibited Act" shall mean: (i) if after one
                  hundred twenty (120) days following the date of a Change of
                  Control, the Executive is assigned any duties inconsistent in
                  any respect with the Executive's position (including status,
                  offices, titles and reporting requirements), authority, duties
                  or responsibilities as contemplated by this Employment
                  Agreement or which have, prior to a Change of Control, then
                  been assigned to the Executive, or any other action by the
                  Company which results in a diminution in such position,
                  authority, duties or responsibilities, excluding for this
                  purpose (x) an isolated, insubstantial and inadvertent action
                  not taken in bad faith and which is remedied by the Company
                  promptly after receipt of notice thereof given by the
                  Executive, or (y) a Prohibited Act to which the Executive
                  either consents or does not object, in writing, to the Company
                  within thirty (30) days of the occurrence of such Prohibited
                  Act; (ii) any failure by the Company to comply with any of the
                  provisions of this Employment Agreement, other than an
                  isolated, insubstantial and inadvertent failure not occurring
                  in bad faith and which is remedied by the Company promptly
                  after receipt of notice thereof given by the Executive; (iii)
                  the Company requires the Executive to be based at any office
                  or location which is not within thirty (30) miles of the
                  Company's current offices at 1000 Business Center Drive, Lake
                  Mary, Florida, except for travel reasonably required in the
                  performance of the Executive's responsibilities; (iv) any
                  reduction in the Executive's base salary or change in any
                  incentive compensation plans in which the Executive is then
                  participating; or (v) a termination or purported termination
                  by the Company of the Executive's employment without cause, as
                  provided by this Employment Agreement.

                           d. Extension of Term of Employment Agreement. In the
                  event of a Change of Control and if the remaining or unexpired
                  term of this Employment Agreement does not extend to the end
                  of the Enhanced Severance Period, the term and legal
                  effectiveness of the provisions of this Employment Agreement
                  shall be extended to the end of the Enhance Severance Period.

                           e. Accelerated Option Vesting. Effective upon a
                  Change of Control and notwithstanding any provision to the
                  contrary in any option agreement under which the Executive may
                  acquire the Company's common stock (the "Option Agreements"),
                  the Executive shall vest as to all then unvested
                  non-performance based stock options under the Option
                  Agreements, the greater of: (i) fifty percent (50%) of the
                  unvested non-performance based stock options; or (ii) an
                  additional one year's vesting under the pre-Change of Control
                  time vesting schedule for non-performance based stock options.


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         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this Amendment as of
the date first above written.


                                          COMPANY:

                                          H.T.E., INC.

                                          By: /s/ Joseph M. Loughry, III
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                                             Joseph M. Loughry, III,
                                             President and CEO



                                          EXECUTIVE:

                                          ------------------------


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