You will have to fill out a form which I will provide to you if you think you may want the Public Defender appointed. When the individual defendant's case is called before the judge, that judge will make an initial inquiry of the defendant as to their eligibility for representation by the Public Defender. The defendant will sign the Affidavit of Indigency and will be provided an application along with instructions for returning the application, paying the application fee and receiving help in completing the application. Defendants will not be sent to the Examiner's office upon leaving the courtroom. If the defendant requires assistance they may contact the examiner by phone and schedule an appointment or receive help over the phone.
All applications are to be returned to the courthouse within five working days.
If defendant is unable to make payment that day, he will be given ten business days to make payment to the clerk. Upon receipt of the completed application the Indigence Examiner will perform a review of the completed application and will either confirm that the appointment is made by the court or not. If the information provided to the Indigence Examiner does not confirm the appointment, the application will be forwarded to the Court for further review. If the court determines the appointment should be rescinded, a written order withdrawing the public defender appointment will be entered. In hearings at the branch courthouses in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Haines City and Lake Wales, the presiding judge will make a statement similar to the one set forth in paragraph 3.