Court Rules

Court-wide rules

Applies court-wide

These 99 rules apply across Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Broward County. Where this judge's own standing orders above address the same topic, the judge's requirement controls.

Filing Requirements

All 31
  • Applies to
    Motion
    Must include
    case number

    Motions must state the facts with specificity, list all of the defendant's cases, the charges for each case, and the legal reason for custody; boilerplate motions are not allowed.

  • Applies to
    Motion
    Must include
    case number

    A separate motion must be filed for each individual case number, including the new law charge and VOP case numbers.

  • Applies to
    Motion
    Must include
    certificate of conference

    Counsel must certify a good-faith attempt to resolve the issue with opposing counsel; if contact was unsuccessful, counsel must certify at least three contact attempts plus a follow-up email.

Communication

All 13
  • Contact
    Phone to chambers

    Counsel must contact the Division Judge's judicial assistant to be placed on an in-custody docket and must provide a working phone number and email address.

  • Contact
    Phone to chambers

    When setting a hearing, counsel must give the Division Judge's judicial assistant a good-faith estimate of the anticipated hearing length.

  • Contact
    Email to chambers

    Out-of-jurisdiction bond and change-of-plea matters are heard by Judge Andrew Siegel and must be set through Sabrina Albert at Salbert@17th.flcourts.org.

E-Filing

All 11
  • Applies to
    Motion

    A copy of the motion must be e-filed with the Clerk's office.

  • Applies to
    Notice of change of plea

    The notice of change of plea must be e-filed with the Clerk's office.

  • Applies to
    Motion

    For motions seeking to exceed page limits, proposed orders may be uploaded to CMS, the motion must be uploaded as a supporting document, and no hearing is required.

Formatting

All 9
  • Margins
    top 1 in, bottom 1 in, left 1 in, right 1 in

    All motions and responses must be double-spaced with at least one-inch margins and a font size of at least 12 points.

  • Format
    PDF

    PDF submissions containing more than one item must be bookmarked.

  • Uploaded orders must not duplicate header and footer content because CMS inserts that content automatically.

About Judge John D. Fry

Judge John D. Fry is a judge on the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, serving Broward County, which handles circuit and county court matters.

Practitioners should refer to the document 'division-mt-mw-74' for this judge's divisional procedures.

Common questions about Judge John D. Fry's rules

Are courtesy copies required for Judge John D. Fry?

Courtesy-copy rule applies for motions. Details: 1 copy, delivery upon filing, by email. A copy of any motion the Judge needs to see or act upon, with a proposed order, must be emailed to the division email and provided to the opposing party.

View ruleSource: page 1, section ALL DIVISION PROCEDURES

What formatting rules apply to filings before Judge John D. Fry?

Judge John D. Fry's formatting rule includes times new roman font, 14 point type, text must be in boldface, and courier font is also acceptable. The ADA notice must appear in boldface 14-point Times New Roman or Courier font.

View ruleSource: page 1, section THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITY ACT (ADA)

What must be included with motion for continuance filings before Judge John D. Fry?

The rule identifies required filing content or certificates. Continuance motions must state whether speedy trial is or has been waived.

View ruleSource: page 1, section MOTION TO CONTINUE

What must be included with motion filings before Judge John D. Fry?

The rule requires proposed order. Motions submitted for the Judge to see or act upon must be accompanied by a proposed order.

View ruleSource: page 1, section ALL DIVISION PROCEDURES

How may parties contact Judge John D. Fry's chambers?

The rule addresses email communications with Judge John D. Fry's chambers. The rule lists email divmw@17th.flcourts.org. Emergency motions must be filed with the Clerk and emailed to divmw@17th.flcourts.org, and will not be addressed unless the motion is ex parte compliant or the other side is copied on the email.

View ruleSource: page 1, section EMERGENCY AND OTHER URGENT MATTERS

How do I request an adjournment or extension before Judge John D. Fry?

Requests should be made at least 3 business days in advance when this rule applies before Judge John D. Fry. Motions for continuance must be received at least three business days before the scheduled court date.

View ruleSource: page 1, section MOTION TO CONTINUE

Is electronic filing required before Judge John D. Fry?

Yes. Electronic filing is required for the covered filings. All motions must be e-filed through the E-filing Portal and appear on the Clerk's system before any courtesy copies or agreed orders are provided to the Court.

View ruleSource: page 1, section ALL DIVISION PROCEDURES

When is a filing treated as filed before Judge John D. Fry?

The rule addresses filing timing, filing status, or cure windows. The moving party must complete the notice of hearing within 24 hours after the hearing date is confirmed.

View ruleSource: page 1, section ALL DIVISION PROCEDURES
Complete rules summary for Judge John D. Fry

Continuance motions must state whether speedy trial is or has been waived.

All motions must be e-filed through the E-filing Portal and appear on the Clerk's system before any courtesy copies or agreed orders are provided to the Court.

A copy of any motion the Judge needs to see or act upon, with a proposed order, must be emailed to the division email and provided to the opposing party.

Motions submitted for the Judge to see or act upon must be accompanied by a proposed order.

Agreed motions must be titled 'AGREED ORDER' together with the title of the motion.

Hearing and trial requests must be made by email to divmw@17th.flcourts.org with the State or opposing counsel copied.

Hearing dates are obtained by emailing the judicial assistant, with a courtesy copy to the opposing party.

The moving party must complete the notice of hearing within 24 hours after the hearing date is confirmed.

When the defendant is in custody, the party must advise the court when scheduling (by telephone or division email) and include that language in the notice of hearing.

Hard copies of the motion, memoranda, and supporting authorities must be mailed or hand-delivered to the Judge at least two business days before an evidentiary hearing.

Pretrial motions must be heard at least seven business days before trial or may be deemed waived, and the moving attorney must promptly file, serve, and obtain a qualifying hearing time.

Hearing requests made less than 14 business days before trial may be deemed a waiver, and the State needs a minimum of 14 days to issue hearing subpoenas.

Motions for continuance must be received at least three business days before the scheduled court date.

Emergency motions must be filed with the Clerk and emailed to divmw@17th.flcourts.org, and will not be addressed unless the motion is ex parte compliant or the other side is copied on the email.

Exhibits for trial or evidentiary hearings must be filed with a Notice of Filing at least five days in advance, with a copy to the other side.

Motions to withdraw and their notices of hearing must include a certificate of service to the defendant with the defendant's full address and manner of delivery, or the court will not hear the motion.

Motions for termination or modification of probation must be filed through the E-Portal before requesting a hearing, with a copy sent to the division email.

Motions for termination or modification of probation must be emailed to the division email with a copy to the State and a request for a hearing time.

Advance notice must be given by telephone or division email if an interpreter other than Spanish or Creole is required, to avoid possible case delay.

Parties may not ask the Judicial Assistant or other court personnel to relay messages or ex-parte information to the Judge.

Pro se litigants must file all requests, motions, and correspondence intended for the Judge's review with the Clerk of Courts.

Pro se litigants may contact the Judge's Assistant to follow up on filings, but must not ask court personnel to relay messages to the Judge.

All hearing and conference notices and orders must contain the prescribed ADA accommodation notice language.

The ADA notice must appear in boldface 14-point Times New Roman or Courier font.

Questions or concerns not addressed by the division procedures may be directed to the division email and the State.

The prosecutor must be copied on every email to the division.

More Judges in Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Broward County

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Andrew L. Siegel
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Barbara R. Duffy
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Bernard I. Bober
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Betsy Benson
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Carlos Augusto Rodriguez
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