BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — It could take longer to do business at the Brevard County Clerk of Courts offices, because dozens of employees will be put on unpaid furloughs.
Clerk of Court Scott Ellis said between 60 and 70 of his workers will be impacted by the furlough.
"So beginning July 20, we'll be down about the equivalent of about 100 people," Ellis said.
Ellis blames the furloughs on statewide budget cuts. Clerks offices across Florida pool their funds and send them to the state, which in turn divides it up to fund the individual agencies. Clerks offices had a $20 million shortfall this year, and legislators were asked to make up the difference.
"The legislators were requested to fund the $20 million shortfall. The Legislature basically told the clerks to go pound sand," Ellis said.
Brevard County is losing around $700,000 in just the fourth quarter of the year. Ellis said to make up for it, the furloughs will last 10 weeks. Other employees not impacted by the furlough will get reduced hours.
It's possible that customers who have civil business, like traffic tickets or passport applications, may deal with longer wait times.
"If I have to wait half an hour or 40 minutes, I'll have to think of another way of doing it," customer Dan Duggan said
Once the state budget is finalized, Ellis said he'll have to determine if any employees will be laid off.