Florida Free Legal Answers

*On-line legal advice clinic offering low-income Floridians answers to legal questions on-line free of charge; matches participants with lawyers who can answer questions on a wide range of issues including family matters (divorce, child support, adoption, domestic violence, name change); landlord/tenant; bankruptcy, consumer; education, employment, workers compensation, wills and estate planning but does NOT answer questions on criminal law *Ask a specific question about a noncriminal legal issue; receive an email when the question receives a response or log back in, see the response and ask more questions if necessary; volunteer lawyers can submit a single response or have a dialogue with the user through the site *The volunteer lawyers cannot call or represent the questioner in court; information provided by the users is confidential and volulnteer lawyers will not write letters, make phone calls, file documents or attend court proceedings

Services: Bankruptcy Assistance, Child Support Assistance/Enforcement, Community Legal Clinics, Divorce Assistance, Domestic/Family Violence Legal Services, General Legal Aid, Landlord/Tenant Assistance, Probate Assistance

Franklin County Clerk of the Circuit Court

*Records legal documents (liens, licenses, child support, mortgages, marriages, adoptions, etc), and authorizes declaration of domicile and residency affidavits *Temporary injunction may assist victims of domestic violence by filing a "Petition for Injunction for Protection against Domestic Violence" with Family Law Division *Tax deed sales bidding procedures involve Clerk of the Court when agency conducts sale of public auction; deed sales advertised in legal advertisements in local newspaper *Annex office located in Carrabelle at 912 NW Ave A, 32322 (Thursdays only, 8:15AM-11:30PM and 12:30PM-4:45PM)

Services: Court Filing Offices, Public Officials Offices, Records/Licenses/Permits

Franklin County Tax Collector

*Responsible for collection of ad valorem taxes and other taxes set at local level, including those by special levying districts, state agencies, and county commissions *Issues state motor vehicle licenses and processes applications for titles on automobiles, trucks, mobile homes, and boats; sells state hunting and fishing licenses *Acts as agent of several state departments: Department of Revenue, Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and Fresh Water Fish Commission

Services: Tax Collection Agencies

Gadsden County Clerk of the Circuit Court

*Serves Gadsden County residents in filing legal documents associated with home, marriage, divorce, property, and other important legal and court documents *Collection/disbursement of court ordered child support and alimony payments *Performs over 900 different constitutional and statutory functions *No telephone payments accepted; cash, money order, certified check, or credit/debit card acceptable forms of payment *Credit/debit card have a surcharge of 3.

Services: Court Filing Offices, Public Officials Offices, Records/Licenses/Permits

Homeowner's HOPE Hotline

*Provides free counseling to help homeowners avoid foreclosure by counselors trained to set up individual action plans to educate and assist in overcoming immediate financial issues *Individuals can also begin an Online Counseling Session by visiting web site *When initiating online session, persons will be redirected to available counselor at nonprofit, HUD-approved agency partnered with Homeowner's HOPE Hotline and the Homeownership Preservation Foundation *Callers may need face-to-face time and will be given address of closest agency, if any are available

Services: Mortgage Delinquency and Default Counseling

HUD, Jacksonville Field Office

*Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Jacksonville Field Office covers several counties in North Florida *Explains various programs to help people buy homes, obtain affordable housing, and enforce fair housing laws *This office does not provide direct housing assistance but offers information concerning many various HUD programs *Housing Discrimination Hotline takes consumer complaints of unfair treatment or discrimination

Services: Consumer Complaints, Consumer Education

Internal Revenue Service Taxpayer Assistance Center

*Free online fillable forms for self-filing, and free guided tax preparation services (for those making less than $79,000 yearly); all methods will require income statements like W2s or 1099s, documents for adjustments to income if applicable, dependent and spouse information, if applicable and prior year tax records *Free online fillable forms are available beginning in January; choose the income tax form you need, enter your tax information online, electronically sign and file your return, print your return for recordkeeping if you file using this method; remember there is no guidance provided and you are limited to basic calculations for the current tax year only; once the return has been accepted no changes or updates may be made; no state forms available *Guided Tax Preparation is available starting in January for those who have an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $79,000 or less from 11 different partners depending on factors like income, age, eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit, Veteran Status, and State of Residence; there is a Free File Online lookup tool to help find the right partner tool from options like FileYourTaxes.

Services: Tax Preparation Assistance

Jefferson County Clerk of the Circuit Court

*Serves the judicial circuit involving felony jurisdiction matters including Criminal Activity, Criminial Appeals, Small Claims, Traffic, Civil/Civil Appeals, Tax Deeds, Family Law, Probate, Marriage Licenses and injunctions *Calls citizens for jury duty *County Recorder: legal documents (liens, mortgages, marriages, adoptions, etc), and authorizes declaration of domicile and residency affidavits *Tax deed sales of public auctions advertised in legal advertisements *Temporary injunctions to assist victims of domestic violence or repeat violence *Serves the Circuit and County Courts and the Board of County Commissioners, acting as accountant, auditor and custodian of county funds

Services: Court Filing Offices, Public Officials Offices, Records/Licenses/Permits

Leon County Clerk of Courts and Comptroller

*Records legal documents (liens, mortgages, deeds, adoptions, etc); passport applications and renewals available; performs marriages; authorizes declaration of domicile and residency affidavits; handles domestic partnership registry.

Services: Court Filing Offices, Records/Licenses/Permits

Leon County Clerk of Courts, Official Records Division

*Allows domestic partners who live in a committed family relationship, but are not legally married, to register to receive the following benefits: a) healthcare facility visitation; b) healthcare decisions; c) funeral and burial decisions; d) notification of family members; e) preneed guardian designation; f) correctional facility visitation rights; g) participation in education *Full registration documents are available in the Clerk's office or online *Other office locations: 1276 Metropolitan Blvd, Rm 101; 315 S Calhoun St, 7th Floor

Services: Records/Licenses/Permits