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Florida’s Clerks of Court are laying off staff and reducing hours for other employees for the next three months.

Clerks are heavily funded by the revenue for traffic tickets, which fell by up to 75 percent in the first weeks of the pandemic and have now stabilized at about half of what would be considered normal.

Pinellas Clerk Ken Burke is a board member of the Clerk’s statewide association.

He said people can expect longer wait times for services.

“Be patient. Be patient. I think people recognize this is a different time because of the pandemic. I think people are understanding. They realize it only makes sense that when you eliminate twenty-five percent of your work force for a period of time, that things are going to happen slower. And so, work with us as much as possible,” said Burke.

The clerks’ budget cycle runs October-September, which means more cuts could be in store after October first.