The St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller prioritizes the mission to protect the public’s trust in the circuit court and county government by impartially fulfilling our responsibilities while delivering superior service to St. Johns County residents and stakeholders. The Clerk’s Office uses various user engagement platforms to highlight services, programs, events, and other Clerk related information.
Social media platforms maintained by the Clerk’s Office are moderated limited public forums and subject to Florida’s Public Records Law, records retention requirements, and applicable laws governing public records and electronic communications.
Public comments are welcomed and encouraged. The purpose of comments is to facilitate discussion related to the specific topic of each post. Comments and content shared on the Clerk’s social media platforms must relate to the subject matter of the original post. Comments unrelated to the subject matter of the original post may be hidden from public view.
The Clerk’s Office will regulate posts to its social media platforms in a reasonable, viewpoint-neutral method consistent with the law regarding a limited public forum. The following types of posts will be removed from view and archived in accordance with Florida law:
- Comments or content unrelated to the subject matter of the original post, including active or closed court cases, comments concerning matters outside the jurisdiction, services, or authority of the Clerk’s Office.
- Profane, obscene, or sexually explicit language or content.
- Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination against any person or group based on a protected characteristic.
- Duplicate, repetitive, or spam comments posted by the same individual or account.
- Commercial solicitations, advertisements, endorsements, political comments, or promotional content, including unrelated links to external websites.
- Accusations of illegal conduct
- Content that infringes upon copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights.
- Confidential, exempt, or otherwise non-public information, including personal identifying information, financial information, medical information, court-protected information, or information that may compromise the privacy of others.
- Threats, harassment, or content intended to intimidate or interfere with another person’s use of the platform.
The Clerk’s Office will not hide or remove comments solely because they express criticism, disagreement, or an unfavorable opinion. Moderation decisions will be based on the content-neutral standards outlined.
Social media content, including comments that have been hidden or removed pursuant to this policy, may constitute public records under Florida law. Members of the public may request copies of social media records, including hidden comments, on our Public Records Request Portal.
For questions about this policy, please contact the Public Affairs Division at publicaffairs@stjohnsclerk.com.
