Terms Used In Florida Statutes > Chapter 914 - Witnesses; Criminal Proceedings

• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• At-risk child: means :
  (a) A child from a family under investigation by the Department of Children and Families or a designated sheriff's office for child abuse, neglect, abandonment, or exploitation. See Florida Statutes 1002.81
• Authorized hours of care: means the hours of care that are necessary to provide protection, maintain employment, or complete work activities or eligible educational activities, including reasonable travel time. See Florida Statutes 1002.81
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• coalition: means an early learning coalition created under…. See Florida Statutes 1002.51
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: means the Department of Education. See Florida Statutes 1002.81
• Department: means the Department of Education. See Florida Statutes 1002.51
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Direct enhancement services: means services for families and children that are in addition to payments for the placement of children in the school readiness program. See Florida Statutes 1002.81
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Disenrollment: means the removal, either temporary or permanent, of a child from participation in the school readiness program. See Florida Statutes 1002.81
• Economically disadvantaged: means having a family income that does not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty level and includes being a child of a working migratory family as defined by Florida Statutes 1002.81
• Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Family income: means the combined gross income, whether earned or unearned, that is derived from any source by all family or household members who are 18 years of age or older who are currently residing together in the same dwelling unit. See Florida Statutes 1002.81
• Family or household members: means spouses, former spouses, persons related by blood or marriage, persons who are parents of a child in common regardless of whether they have been married, and other persons who are currently residing together in the same dwelling unit as if a family. See Florida Statutes 1002.81
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Market rate: means the price that a child care or early childhood education provider charges for full-time or part-time daily, weekly, or monthly child care or early childhood education services. See Florida Statutes 1002.81
• minor: includes any person who has not attained the age of 18 years. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• political subdivision: include counties, cities, towns, villages, special tax school districts, special road and bridge districts, bridge districts, and all other districts in this state. See Florida Statutes 1.01
• Prekindergarten director: means an onsite person ultimately responsible for the overall operation of a private prekindergarten provider or, alternatively, of the provider's prekindergarten program, regardless of whether the person is the owner of the provider. See Florida Statutes 1002.51
• Prevailing market rate: means the biennially determined 75th percentile of a reasonable frequency distribution of the market rate by program care level and provider type in a predetermined geographic market at which child care providers charge a person for child care services. See Florida Statutes 1002.81
• Private prekindergarten provider: means a provider other than a public school which is eligible to deliver the school-year prekindergarten program under…. See Florida Statutes 1002.51
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Single point of entry: means an integrated information system that allows a parent to enroll his or her child in the school readiness program or the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program at various locations throughout a county, that may allow a parent to enroll his or her child by telephone or through a website, and that uses a uniform waiting list to track eligible children waiting for enrollment in the school readiness program. See Florida Statutes 1002.81
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Subpoena duces tecum: A command to a witness to produce documents.
• Temporary restraining order: Prohibits a person from an action that is likely to cause irreparable harm. This differs from an injunction in that it may be granted immediately, without notice to the opposing party, and without a hearing. It is intended to last only until a hearing can be held.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Working family: means :
  (a) A single-parent family in which the parent with whom the child resides is employed or engaged in eligible work or education activities for at least 20 hours per week;
  (b) A two-parent family in which both parents with whom the child resides are employed or engaged in eligible work or education activities for a combined total of at least 40 hours per week; or
  (c) A two-parent family in which one of the parents with whom the child resides is exempt from work requirements due to age or disability, as determined and documented by a physician licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, and one parent is employed or engaged in eligible work or education activities at least 20 hours per week. See Florida Statutes 1002.81
• writing: includes handwriting, printing, typewriting, and all other methods and means of forming letters and characters upon paper, stone, wood, or other materials. See Florida Statutes 1.01