Florida Federal Court Structure at a Glance
Court Locations in Florida — 28 U.S.C. § 89
The district structure of Florida is set by statute, quoted below from 28 U.S.C. § 89:
“Florida is divided into three judicial districts to be known as the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida.”
Court locations under the statute:
Court for the Northern District shall be held at Gainesville, Marianna, Panama City, Pensacola, and Tallahassee.
Court for the Middle District shall be held at Fernandina, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Live Oak, Ocala, Orlando, Saint Petersburg, and Tampa.
Court for the Southern District shall be held at Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Key West, Miami, and West Palm Beach.
Court for the Middle District of Florida, or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, on or after the effective date of this title [probably should be effective date of this section], and shall not affect any action pending in either such court on such effective date.
Federal White-Collar Cases in Florida
Federal fraud offenses committed in Florida are prosecuted in the district where the offense occurred. Jurisdiction is statutory: “The district courts of the United States shall have original jurisdiction, exclusive of the courts of the States, of all offenses against the laws of the United States.” (18 U.S.C. § 3231).
Circuit assignment is statutory as well. 28 U.S.C. § 41 provides:
“Eleventh Alabama, Florida, Georgia.”
The Eleventh Circuit hears appeals from the district courts in Florida. The district courts listed above maintain public websites with local rules, judge information, and case-location details; the federal court finder at uscourts.gov also covers Florida.
The principal federal fraud statutes — mail fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1341), wire fraud (§ 1343), and bank fraud (§ 1344) — apply in every federal district. Bank fraud carries a statutory maximum of 30 years: “shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.” (18 U.S.C. § 1344).
This page is part of the White-Collar Case Law Research Desk reference library. Additional research notes are published as new court decisions are issued.
Primary sources
- 28 U.S.C. § 89 — Florida (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “Florida is divided into three judicial districts to be known as the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida.”
- 28 U.S.C. § 41 — Number and composition of circuits (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “Eleventh Alabama, Florida, Georgia.”
- 18 U.S.C. § 3231 — District courts (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “The district courts of the United States shall have original jurisdiction, exclusive of the courts of the States, of all offenses against the laws of the United States.”
- 18 U.S.C. § 1344 — Bank fraud (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.”
White-Collar Federal Defense Reference by State
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