Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court

In 2004, the 13th Judicial Circuit Courthouse in Hillsborough County, Fla., was built as part of a new courthouse construction and renovation project in downtown Tampa. The six-story George E. Edgecomb Courthouse is more than 268,000 square feet and includes both Family and Civil Courts.

With so much going on inside the building, the courthouse began to experience a growing congestion problem in the lobby areas. Patrons arriving at the courthouse were confused about where to go and how to get there, prompting them to ask staff members for directions. This caused courthouse operations to move even slower. In 2015, the 13th Judicial Circuit sought a solution to this problem that would inform patrons of their destinations as well as guide them there. After proposing its DocketCall® solution, Infax was selected for the job.

Infax configured and remotely installed its DocketCall software on twelve 40-inch monitors provided by the court. By seamlessly integrating with the courthouse’s Tyler Odyssey CMS, the software is able to pull and filter case information to electronically display the daily docket on the facility’s monitors. If any changes need to be made to the docket, authorized staff members simply enter the changes into the CMS or into the Infax GUI to allow DocketCall to automatically update the appropriate displays. Also included in the installation was Engage, Infax’s content-creating software for courthouses. With Engage, users can display welcome messages, digital directories, courthouse maps and more.

With the ability to find where they need to go in less than 60 seconds, patrons no longer need to stop courthouse staff to ask for directions. As a result, the 13th Judicial Circuit staff members are able to continuously tend to their tasks to make the facility as efficient as possible. An additional benefit of DocketCall is a reduction in stress levels often felt by court patrons. Entering an unfamiliar building can be stressful, but when given proper information and direction, new visitors feel more confident about their ability to navigate the courthouse.