The Palatka news and advertiser., 1915-05-14
GOVERNOR vETOES
CIRCUIT COURT BILL
An Unnecessary Expendi-
ture of $4,000 Annually.

tuIo vi ,UUU Annually.
Palatka will not likely be the head
quarters for new judicial circuit
to be made Up of Putnam, Clay anC
st. Johns counties.
Gov. Trammell gave the measure
its death blow in the following mes,
sage to the Senate last Friday:
Executive Chamber,
Tallahassee, Fla, May 6, 1915
Hon. Chas. E. Davis,
President of the Senate.
Sir:--
In pursuance of the provision of
Section % of Article III of the State
Constitution, | return herewith with
out my approval the following meas
ure which originated in the Senate:
"An Act creating an additional Ju-
dicial Circuit in the State of Florida
to be designated the Twelfth Judicial
Circuit, and providing for two addi-
tional Circuit Judges therefor, and de-
fining and fixing the territorial limits
and boundaries of the Fourth, Eighth
and Twelfth Judicial Circuits and pre-
scribing when said Circuit Courts
shall take jurisdiction and the effect
on pending cases and the time for
holding the term of court in the
Fourth and Twelfth Judicial Circuits" i"
My objections to the said measure
becoming law are as follows:
1t is my opinion that the said meas
ure provides for one Circuit Judge
and one State Attorney more than are
necessary for the efficient and prompt
relief of the congested condition pre-
vailing in the courts of the territory
embraced by this measure, and there
fore calls for what deem to be the
unnecessary expenditure of approx
mately $S,000.00 annually of the pub
lie funds.
This measure provides for an ad-
ditioanl Circuit Judge for Duval and
Nassau Counties; and also for an ad-
ditional Circuit Judge and an addi-
tional State Attorney for Putnam,
St. Johns and Clay Counties. AS
am informed, there is no claim from
the court officers that the public bIsi-
ness makes it advisable that Putnam
County be changed from its present
circuit, but to the contrary it is my
understanding that the Judge and the
State Attorney of the Circuit now
including Putnam County are carry
ing on the court work of said circuit
and said county with reasonable dis
patch. This being true, as far as
there is any need for additional Cir
cult Judges or additional State At
torneys, Putnam County should prop
erly be eliminated from considera-
ton.
l feel convinced that the State
Attorney for the present Fourth Cir
cult, embracing Duval, Nassau, st.
Johns and Clay Counties, has ample
time to give efficient and prompt at
tention to all the dIties of his office
arising in said four counties. 1t
should be remembered that Duval, the
largest of these counties, has a Grim
inal Court of Record, in which all
criminal cases, other than capital, are
tried, hence the State Attorney is re-
lieved of the greater part of the pros
ecutions in Duval County. In view of
these facts, it is apparent to me that
no necessity exists for another State
ATTORNEY in the counties of st. Johns
and Clay, although this measure pro-
vides for an additional State Attor-
ney for said two counties and Putnam.
As above shown, the public business
does not require an additional State
Attorney in any of these three coun-
ties embraced in said proposed new
circuit. The additional Office not be-
ing required in the public interest,
the expense thereof should not be in
Cured by the creation of such un-
necessary Office.
As l understand it, the congested
condition of court work which de-
mands relief is restricted very largely
to Duval County. In my opinion,
such necessary relief should be pro-
vided, and | think this can be done
without placing Putnam, St. Johns
and Clay Counties alone in Circuit
with additional and unnecessary eX-
pense which that action would in
volve. There is no reason why Put
nam County should not remain in its
present circuit.
Ny understanding is, that the trial
of cases in the Circuit Court for Clay
County usually consumes only one
week at each of the two regular
terms held annually, and that the
trial of cases in the st. Johns Cir
cult usually consumes not over two
weeks at each of the two regular
terms held annually, making total
of only about six weeks in the year
consumed in the trial of cases in
those two counties. l also under
stand that the court matters disposed
of in Chambers, arising from those
two counties, is not sufficient to re-
quire any great amount of the time
of the Circuit Judge.
Considering the above mentioned
conditions as to Clay and st. Johns
Counties I am convinced that with the
Judges which it is proposed
to create for Duval County-being one
Circuit Judge and Civil
Court of Record for Duval County
that the circuit court business aris-
ing in St. Johns and Clay Counties
can be adequately cared for if al
lowed to remain in a circuit with Du-
val County. 1t is my opinion that
the relief necessary in Duval County
can be provided by creating an addi-
tional Judgeship for the territory at
present embraced in the Fourth Cir
cult and creating the proposed Duval
County Civil Court of Record without