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Florida Statute 27.02 - Full Text and Legal Analysis
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The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title V
JUDICIAL BRANCH
Chapter 27
STATE ATTORNEYS; PUBLIC DEFENDERS; RELATED OFFICES
View Entire Chapter
27.02 Duties before court.
(1) The state attorney shall appear in the circuit and county courts within his or her judicial circuit and prosecute or defend on behalf of the state all suits, applications, or motions, civil or criminal, in which the state is a party, except as provided in chapters 39, 984, and 985. The intake procedures of chapters 39, 984, and 985 shall apply as provided therein. The state attorney shall appear in the circuit and county courts within his or her judicial circuit for the purpose of prosecuting violations of special laws and county or municipal ordinances punishable by incarceration if the prosecution is ancillary to a state prosecution or if the state attorney has contracted with the county or municipality for reimbursement for services rendered in accordance with s. 27.34(1).
(2) The state attorney, when complying with the discovery obligation pursuant to the applicable rule of procedure, may charge the defendant fees as provided for in s. 119.07(4), not to exceed 15 cents per page for a copy of a noncertified copy of a public record. However, these fees may be deferred if the defendant has been determined to be indigent as provided in s. 27.52.
History.s. 3, ch. 1661, 1868; RS 1344; GS 1779; RGS 3005; CGL 4739; s. 5, ch. 72-404; s. 7, ch. 90-208; s. 116, ch. 95-147; s. 4, ch. 98-280; s. 6, ch. 2003-402; s. 4, ch. 2004-265; s. 31, ch. 2004-335.

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Amendments to 27.02


Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 27.02

Total Results: 27  |  Sort by: Relevance  |  Newest First

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Ed Rich v. Larry C. Dollar, 841 F.2d 1558 (11th Cir. 1988).

Cited 237 times | Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | 1988 U.S. App. LEXIS 4821, 1988 WL 26461

...The affidavit of Larry Dollar attached to his alternative motion contains the assertion that the decision to file charges against Mr. Rich was made by Assistant State Attorney Neal. Nothing in the showings made by Rich either challenges or rebuts the assertions made in these two affidavits. In addition, Fla.Stat. § 27.02 (1985) clearly establishes that it is the States Attorney who is assigned the duty to “......
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Frank H. Smith v. United Parcel Serv., 296 F.3d 1244 (11th Cir. 2002).

Cited 44 times | Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | 194 A.L.R. Fed. 745, 2002 U.S. App. LEXIS 13972, 2002 WL 1482775

discrimination in violation of Ala.Code § 27-2-1, and claims for suppression and conspiracy. Both
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State Ex Rel. Martin v. Michell, 188 So. 2d 684 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1966).

Cited 42 times | Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida

...ner. NOTES [1] Section 10, Declaration of Rights, Constitution of Florida, F.S.A. [2] Article III, Section 20, Constitution of Florida. [3] State v. Clemmons, Fla. 1963, 150 So.2d 231. [4] Article V, Section 6(6), Constitution of Florida. [5] F.S.A. § 27.02....
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Schreiber v. Rowe, 814 So. 2d 396 (Fla. 2002).

Cited 18 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 2002 WL 432575

...(2000) (providing that state attorneys serve on a full-time basis and are prohibited from the private practice of law) with § 27.51(3), Fla. Stat. (2000) (providing that public defenders serve on a full-time basis and are prohibited from the private practice of law). [5] Compare § 27.02, Fla....
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Barnes v. State, 743 So. 2d 1105 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999).

Cited 16 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 1999 WL 72206

...[s]hall appear in and attend to, in behalf of the state, all suits or prosecutions, civil or criminal or in equity, in which the state may be a party, or in anywise interested, in the Supreme Court and district courts of appeal of this state.") and section 27.02 ("The state attorney shall appear in the circuit and county courts within his or her judicial circuit and prosecute or defend on behalf of the state all suits, applications, or motions, civil or criminal, in which the state is a party, except as provided in chapters 39, 984, and 985."). §§ 16.01(4) and 27.02, Fla....
...thorize the supplemental motion. It is also conspicuous that the Attorney General's response does not adopt any part of the supplemental motion on behalf of his office. Mr. Raft also timely responded to the order, acknowledging sections 16.01(4) and 27.02 but arguing that, in spite of their clear import, a state attorney has a common law right unaffected by these statutes to represent the State of Florida in criminal appeals....
...Indeed the representation of the state in appellate court extraordinary review of orders entered before judgment in ongoing criminal prosecutions in the circuit court strikes us as probably not inconsistent with a State Attorney's general duties described in section 27.02....
...riminal, in which the state is a party." [e.s.] By its plain terms, section 27.05 pertains only to the supreme court and even then it merely requires the local prosecuting official to assist the Attorney General, not to replace that office. Notably, section 27.02 is confined to only the trial courts within the State Attorney's jurisdiction....
...same statute also contains a proviso that the common law so adopted is "not inconsistent" with "the acts of the Legislature of this state." § 2.01, Fla. Stat. (1997). Mr. Raft's common law argument is plainly inconsistent with section 16.01(4) and section 27.02. Section 16.01 unambiguously authorizes only the Attorney General to represent the state in the appellate courts of this state, and section 27.02 plainly limits a State Attorney's authority to represent the state to criminal prosecutions in the county and circuit courts within the judicial circuit in which the State Attorney holds office....
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Adams v. Dreyfus Interstate Dev. Corp., 352 So. 2d 76 (Fla. 4th DCA 1977).

Cited 14 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal

JJ., concur. NOTES [1] 9A Fla.Jur., Damages, § 27. [2] 9A Fla.Jur., Damages, § 82. [3] Conner v. Atlas
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Johnson v. State, 78 So. 3d 1305 (Fla. 2012).

Cited 9 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 37 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 1, 2012 Fla. LEXIS 22, 2012 WL 16692

...The state attorney has a statutory obligation to "appear in the circuit and county courts within his or her judicial circuit and prosecute or defend on behalf of the state all suits, applications, or motions, civil or criminal, in which the state is a party." Id. (citing § 27.02(1), Fla....
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Wood-Hopkins Con. Co. v. Masonry Contractors, Inc., 235 So. 2d 548 (Fla. 1st DCA 1970).

Cited 7 times | Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal | 61 A.L.R. 3d 786

[1] 13 Am.Jur.2d 29, Building, Etc. Contracts, § 27. [2] Wisconsin Red Pressed Brick Co. v. Hood (1897)
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State by & Thro. State Atty. v. Gen. Dev. Corp., 448 So. 2d 1074 (Fla. 2d DCA 1984).

Cited 6 times | Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal

...ve action to enforce DER's related rules and regulations under section 120.69(1)(a). BACKGROUND On September 27, 1982, appellant filed the above-mentioned alternative actions in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit in Sarasota County. Appellant alleged: (1) section 27.02, Florida Statutes (1981), [3] when read in conjunction with article V, section 17, Florida Constitution (1968), [4] gave him authority to file the civil action for damages and penalties, and section 120.69(1)(a) gave him authority to fi...
...utes (1981), [8] with respect to the administrative action. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court took the case under advisement and then later issued its final order on December 22, 1982. In that order, the court specifically ruled: (1) section 27.02 is merely enabling legislation for article V, section 17 of the Florida Constitution and simply "authorizes a state attorney to bring criminal and civil actions, but does not give special authority to bring an action [pursuant to sectio...
...ion 120.52(1)(b). It is from this order that the state attorney appeals. ISSUES In this appeal, we have discerned the following two related and important issues which merit our discussion: (1) whether a state attorney has independent authority under section 27.02 (or any other statute) to institute in his judicial circuit and on behalf of the state a civil action for damages and penalties pursuant to section 403.141(1) for alleged violations of section 403.161(1) occurring in his circuit, and (2...
...rol of the conditions creating the violation or other appropriate corrective action. (Emphasis supplied). Accordingly, we must analyze appellant's assertions in light of the relevant statutory provisions. Discussion Appellant essentially argues that section 27.02 when read in conjunction with article V, section 17 [13] grants him the authority to independently initiate a section 403.141(1) civil action on behalf of the state....
...ncern for today's burgeoning environmental problems that are inevitable with commercial development, we, nevertheless, reject appellant's novel contention with respect to this issue. We reach this conclusion after examining article V, section 17 and section 27.02 together, as well as determining the legislature's intention with respect to this issue as evidenced by the enactment of various statutes relating to the authority of state attorneys and by the enactment of certain sections of Chapter 403....
...Rather, only a specific general law can grant him the power to file such a suit. Such a construction of article V, section 17 is consistent with the scope of authority traditionally granted to and exercised by a state prosecuting attorney. Furthermore, we hold that section 27.02 contrary to appellant's contention, is not such a specific general law but only broadly sets forth, as its heading indicates, a state attorney's general duties....
...[2] Section 7 states: "It shall be the policy of the state to conserve and protect its natural resources and scenic beauty. Adequate provision shall be made by law for the abatement of air and water pollution and of excessive and unnecessary noise." [3] Section 27.02 provides: "The state attorney shall appear in the circuit and county courts within his judicial circuit and prosecute or defend on behalf of the state all suits, applications, or motions civil or criminal, in which the state is a party......
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Eagan v. DeManio, 294 So. 2d 639 (Fla. 1974).

Cited 4 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida

...e or oral communications by the department of law enforcement or any law enforcement agency... ." The state attorneys are constitutional officers (Fla. Const., art. V, § 17, F.S.A.), in whom the Legislature vested the duty to prosecute (Fla. Stat., § 27.02, F.S.A.)....
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Bolden v. State, 832 So. 2d 153 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002).

Cited 3 times | Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 2002 WL 31465393

...Indeed, he could not make that claim because the information against him was filed by the state attorney for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, who clearly had jurisdiction to prosecute him for a crime committed in that circuit. Art. V, § 17, Fla. Const.; § 27.02, Fla....
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State v. Gen. Dev. Corp., 469 So. 2d 1381 (Fla. 1985).

Cited 3 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 10 Fla. L. Weekly 291, 1985 Fla. LEXIS 3392

...I agree with the court's approval and adoption of the decision and opinion of the district court of appeal to the extent that the decision holds that the state attorney did not have authority derived from article V, section 17, Florida Constitution and section 27.02, Florida Statutes (1981), to bring the action for civil penalties or enforcement pursuant to sections 403.121 and 403.141, Florida Statutes (1981), or under chapter 120, Florida Statutes (1981)....
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State v. Pub. Def., Eleventh Jud. Cir., 12 So. 3d 798 (Fla. 3d DCA 2009).

Cited 3 times | Published | Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal

...Ass'n of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Inc., 978 So.2d 134, 138 (Fla.2008). Here, unlike Behr and In re Prosecution, the State sought standing as a party to each of the twenty-one criminal cases. The State, as a party to the criminal cases, is treated by statute differently than the counties. Section 27.02, Florida Statutes, provides in pertinent part, "[t]he state attorney shall appear in the circuit and county courts within his or her judicial circuit and prosecute or defend on behalf of the state all suits, applications, or motions, civil or criminal, in which the state is a party...." ß 27.02(1), Florida Statutes (2004). The State's status as a party to the criminal cases, as well as its statutory obligation under section 27.02, distinguishes this case from Behr and In re Prosecution....
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Pub. Def., Eleventh Jud. Circuit of Florida v. State, 115 So. 3d 261 (Fla. 2013).

Cited 2 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 38 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 339, 2013 WL 2248965, 2013 Fla. LEXIS 1038

oppose the motion in the trial court, based on section 27.02(1), Florida Statutes (2007),2 which gives the
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State v. Pub. Def., Eleventh Jud. Circuit, 12 So. 3d 798 (Fla. 3d DCA 2009).

Cited 1 times | Published | Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal | 2009 Fla. App. LEXIS 4463, 2009 WL 1311014

treated by statute differently than the counties. Section 27.02, Florida Statutes, provides in pertinent part
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McNamara v. Hawks, 354 F. Supp. 492 (S.D. Fla. 1973).

Cited 1 times | Published | District Court, S.D. Florida | 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14934

...suggesting plaintiff's guilt. The office of the State Attorney is created by statute with the defined duties to prosecute or defend on behalf of the state all suits, applications or motions, civil or criminal, in which the state is a party. See F.S. § 27.02 (1971), § 32.01 (1971), F.S.A., Article V, § 9B of the Constitution of the State of Florida (1968), F.S.A....
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Kilpatrick v. Oliff, 519 So. 2d 9 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1987).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 12 Fla. L. Weekly 2263, 1987 Fla. App. LEXIS 10317, 1987 WL 686

Florida. The state attorney is not the party. See § 27.02 Fla.Stat.; Dade County v. Strauss, 246 So.2d 137
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Ago (Fla. Att'y Gen. 1991).

Published | Florida Attorney General Reports

absolute in the criminal justice system). 6 Section 27.02, F.S. (1990 Supp.) See also, s.905.16, F.S.
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Carwise v. State, 449 So. 2d 943 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1984).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 1984 Fla. App. LEXIS 12907

guilty and placed on probation by court order. Section 27.02, Florida Statutes (1983) provides: Duties before
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Martin v. Chiles, 763 F. Supp. 1133 (S.D. Fla. 1991).

Published | District Court, S.D. Florida | 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6462, 1991 WL 81214

2241(c)(3). W. LaFave & J. Israel, Criminal Procedure § 27.2 (1985).
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State ex rel. State Attorney for the Twelfth Jud. Circuit v. Gen. Dev. Corp., 448 So. 2d 1074 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1984).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 1984 Fla. App. LEXIS 12361

in Sarasota County. Appellant alleged: (1) section 27.-02, Florida Statutes (1981),3 when read in conjunction
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State v. Demarzo, 453 So. 2d 850 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1984).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 1984 Fla. App. LEXIS 14295

state attorney. § 322.261(3). In addition, Section 27.02, Florida Statutes (1981), provides that the
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Andrew H. Warren v. Ron DeSantis (11th Cir. 2024).

Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Argued: May 2, 2023

courts within their circuit. Fla. Stat. § 27.02. DeSantis suspended Warren in August
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Andrew H. Warren v. Ron DeSantis (11th Cir. 2024).

Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Argued: May 2, 2023

courts within their circuit. Fla. Stat. § 27.02. DeSantis suspended Warren in August
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State of Florida v. Peter Washington, Jr. (Fla. 6th DCA 2025).

Published | Florida 6th District Court of Appeal

officer of all trial courts in that circuit.”); § 27.02, Fla. Stat. (1985) (“The state attorney shall
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State of Florida v. Peter Washington, Jr. (Fla. 6th DCA 2025).

Published | Florida 6th District Court of Appeal

officer of all trial courts in that circuit.”); § 27.02, Fla. Stat. (1985) (“The state attorney shall
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Watson v. Inman, 596 So. 2d 1282 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1992).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 1992 Fla. App. LEXIS 4934, 1992 WL 84151

Practice and Procedure, Relief from Executions § 27-2 (1991 ed.). For the reasons stated, the stay is

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