Transcript Information

A transcript is a verbatim, typewritten record of a court proceeding.

Yes, the transcript is considered the official record when transcribed by the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit.

The Prohibition Against Dissemination form pertains only to the digital recording portion of your request. Due to court proceedings often containing confidential information, this legal document simply acknowledges that you are prohibited from sharing or distributing confidential information. Dissemination of information is strictly prohibited and may subject an offender to legal action for contempt of court (See AOSC11-22).

Court Reporting Services offers two formats as detailed below:

• PDF: A PDF is a digital copy sent via e-mail.
• Printed Copy: A printed copy is a physical transcript and can be picked up in person at the 15th Judicial Circuit's Main Branch Courthouse. Alternatively, a requesting party can provide a pre-paid mailer for the product to be mailed.

The cost for transcripts depends on (1) the duration of the requested court proceeding date(s) (length of the transcript) and (2) the type of technology used to record the court proceeding. The transcript per page rates are set forth in Exhibit 'A' of  AO 2.503.

Once your online request has been submitted, you will be contacted by a contracted vendor of the 15th Circuit with an estimated cost and a request for an 80% deposit. If you have not received an estimate within seven business days of your order being submitted, please contact our office. Please note, Court Reporting Services is unable to retain requests for more than 30 days without financial arrangements.

If you are not listed in the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller's docketing system as an attorney or a party to a case, the request will be processed as a public record request with a non-refundable review fee applied. In accordance with the Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.420(a), a review of the transcript must be undertaken by the Circuit's Office of General Counsel prior to its release.

Once the review fee has been paid, you will be contacted by a contracted vendor of the 15th Circuit with an estimated cost, payment options and a request for an 80% deposit. If you have not received an estimate within seven business days of your order being submitted, please contact our office.

Payment for Transcript(s): An estimated cost with payment options will be provided by a contracted vendor of the 15th Circuit (an 80% deposit is required to begin production)

Payment for Review Fee (if applicable): Payment for a review fee is accepted in the form of a cashier's check or money order to the Board of County Commissioners.

Please note, Court Reporting Services is unable to retain requests for more than 30 days without financial arrangements. If a deposit is not received within 30 days from when an estimate is provided, the request will be closed.

If you are a party to a case and have paid the initial deposit, the standard turnaround time is six weeks from the date of payment.

Lengthier turnaround times can be expected due to unforeseen high volume periods and most commonly for all non-party requests. In accordance with the Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.420(a), a review of the transcript(s) must be undertaken by the Circuit's Office of General Counsel prior to its release. As such, certain lengthy proceedings (e.g. jury trials) can inherently increase the review time resulting in longer turnaround times.

Requests for appellate transcripts cannot be processed via the online request form. Court Reporting Services must be served with a Designation to Court Reporter form. Please note, filing the Designation with the Clerk's Office does not constitute service on the Court Reporting Services Department unless the following Court Reporting e-mail address is included on the Clerk's e-Service list: CAD-CourtReportingOffice@pbcgov.org.

Once a payment is made, appellate transcripts are produced within 30 days, with the exception of dependency-related appeals that have a 20-day turnaround time. Feel free to contact our office for additional information, if needed.

If you have been declared indigent for costs in a criminal case, transcripts to be produced at the public's expense must be accompanied by a court order. Please note, this does not apply to civil related appeals because the state has not provided funds from which these can be paid.