Community Court
In 2019, the City of Fort Lauderdale piloted a first of its kind Community Court Program in the South Florida region as an innovative approach to handle low-level misdemeanor crimes and municipal ordinance violations to help address homelessness in the City.
The Community Court program strives to engage the community, help individuals receive services tailored to their needs, and link participants to restitution projects and onsite social services and treatment providers.
Type of Services:
- Filling out an application for a State ID
- A referral to a medical service provider
- Acquiring a bus pass for transportation needs
- Case management for housing / shelter processes
- Detox services and mental health rehabilitation
Judge Florence Taylor Barner
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The Court is presided over by the Honorable Judge Florence Taylor Barner. Judge Flo, as she is referred to by all who grace her courtroom, is passionate about helping those before her achieve the steps to bettering their circumstances. In fiscal year 22, Judge Flo called 317 hearings to order and ruled on a total of 72 cases. From these cases, she congratulated 16 Community Court program graduates, contributing a total of 170 community service hours to the City of Fort Lauderdale.
Learn more about the Homeless Outreach Team
Homeless Outreach in FTL
Homeless Outreach Officers
The last component to the success of the Fort Lauderdale Community Court Program is the Homeless Outreach Team. Officers Brian Blount, Scott Hagemann, and Carlos Guerra lead the outreach and logistical initiatives that encourage our City’s homeless population to seek out services every Wednesday at Community Court.
Community Court is held every Wednesday from 9:00 am to noon at 18 NW 1st Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 (green building at the bus terminal).