BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Layoffs are coming to the Brevard County Clerk of Court's office again.
Falling revenue is to blame for the $1.5 million shortfall.
Clerk of Court Scott Ellis said the race is on to replace people with technology.
But he also said not everyone can be replaced.
“It's about a 12 percent reduction, and since 85 percent of our expenses are personnel and benefits, we're probably going to lose a dozen people in September,” said Brevard County Clerk of Court Scott Ellis. “And depending on attrition we may lose five or six more in January. But, because it's such an unstable environment, I lost two people just yesterday.”
Ellis said his office has worked hard to maintain customer service, and that the cuts next month won't come from that area.
“We are in a race. And our race is to use technology to replace people, and quite truthfully we've done a good job of keeping up,” he said. “But, you can't replace everybody. You have to have a certain number of people we have to have to have the courts operate.”
Ellis said as long as clerks' offices around the state are funded by the fees they collect, there will be challenges and even deeper cuts.
“We plan on getting cut about 300K mid-year again,” he said.
Ellis and others would like the Legislature to take a look at the funding model for the state's clerks of court.