Eighteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Brevard and Seminole Counties Filing Rules

Exhibit labels must identify the party and exhibit letter, follow the specified alphabetical sequence, and state the case number and hearing date.

Do not attach the motion to the cover letter accompanying a proposed order.

Specified counsel may submit a withdrawal motion and proposed order to the judicial assistant when the motion is based on a certified representation conflict involving co-defendants or witnesses.

Every notice of hearing must contain the ADA notification required by Florida Rule of Judicial Practice and Judicial Administration 2.540.

Exhibit A provides an alternative certificate stating that conferral on the motion is not required under Rule 1.202.

The backup phone line may be used for emergencies only.

The Civil Case Manager schedules CM PTCs and can be contacted by email about PTC orders, qualifying PTC cancellations, and case-management questions; responses usually arrive within three business days.

If unable to connect to the virtual hearing, participants may use the backup telephone line for emergencies only.

Requests to add or remove a case from the Court’s calendar must be submitted by 2:00 p.m.

Emails to the judicial office must copy all parties unless the communication is legally authorized to be ex parte.

Each party must provide the Court with printed hard-copy exhibits.

No characters, verbiage, tabs, or spaces may appear before or after the date and signature codes.

Submit all proposed orders to the Court in Word format.

All evidence must be brought in physical form on the day of the hearing; the Court and Clerk will not print it.

The redline version of the proposed order must be in Microsoft Word format and use Track Changes.

After no callback by the end of the second business day, a hearing may be set unilaterally with at least 10 days’ notice to the self-represented litigant.

Retained experts must be produced for discovery deposition without the necessity of a subpoena. If specific items are to be brought to the deposition by the retained expert witness, opposing counsel must be notified in writing sufficiently in advance of the deposition pursuant to time limits set forth in Rule 1.310, Fla. R. Civ. Pro. in order to produce said items or documents. Otherwise, unretained experts are required to be produced.

Attorneys and self-represented litigants must update their contact information using Form 2.603 whenever their registered electronic-service email account changes.

Attorneys and self-represented litigants must provide an email address to receive signed orders electronically unless excused.

Attorneys and self-represented litigants must provide an email address for electronic receipt of signed orders and update their contact information on Form 2.603 whenever the registered email account changes, unless excused from providing an address.

A hearing must be requested immediately for any filed objection.

The party asserting privilege may submit a memorandum addressing the documents and asserted privileges within 10 days after service of the in-camera review notice.

Once all parties confirm availability, the moving party may immediately file the notice of hearing and email a copy to the judicial assistant promptly after filing.

A notice of hearing must be filed immediately after hearing time is reserved.

The opposing party or counsel has five calendar days after service of both the motion and notice to file its opposition argument and legal memorandum with citations of authority.

Proposed orders are submitted through the e-Portal by selecting Proposed Orders and Seminole County.

Landlord/Tenant paperwork must be submitted through the Clerk of the Courts E-portal, and if the opposing party is pro se, copies must be mailed from the filer’s office upon receipt.

Proposed orders for the matters addressed in this section may be submitted through the e-portal.

Attorneys and self-represented litigants must provide an email address for electronic order signing unless excused.

To upload exhibits through the Clerk's website, an attorney of record must log in to the case, use the “upload to Judge” option, and select the exhibit file.

First appearance schedules may be changed only for emergencies and with approval from the Chief Judge or the Administrative Judge, not for personnel convenience.

No motion to continue is necessary when the hearing was not set by the Court and the parties agree to continue it.

A stipulated continuance before Docket Sounding does not require a written motion and must be emailed to the judicial assistant at least two days in advance.

Before an Actual Trial Period is issued, parties may submit an agreed order extending a deadline only if the extension does not affect compliance with remaining deadlines or the Projected Trial Period.

Continuances are considered for good cause, successive requests without compelling reasons are disfavored, and lack of due diligence is not a basis for granting one.

Do not send materials both by email and in a binder.

Materials intended for the Court’s review before a hearing or trial must be submitted to the Court.

To cancel a hearing, file and serve a notice of cancellation on opposing counsel and any self-represented litigant, and email a copy to the Judicial Assistant.

Unless the Court directs otherwise, advance submissions are optional and have no court-imposed deadline, though the Court recommends providing them to the Court and the other side as early as possible.

Courtesy copies must reach the Court at least 10 business days before an evidentiary hearing, or the Court may not review them.

A hearing on a motion for rehearing or reconsideration may not be set without prior approval.

A meaningful good-faith meet and confer must address the motion’s issues, not merely hearing scheduling or whether opposing counsel agrees with the requested relief.

Without the required showing of the bondsman’s agreement to resume the bond, the defendant will be remanded into custody to repost the original bonds even if the Court recalls the warrant.

Before requesting hearing time for a contested motion or issue, the parties—including when the opposing side is self-represented—must meet and confer in an attempt to resolve it.

A conference must be a substantive, good-faith in-person, telephone, or video conversation; exchanges of ultimatums by fax, email, or letter do not qualify, and counsel must promptly respond to scheduling communications.

For a matter scheduled for a hearing, do not submit a proposed order until after the hearing and the Court has ruled.

Bulk composite exhibits are prohibited; each exhibit must be uploaded separately.

Submit Count II damages separately and do not include them with the final possession paperwork.

Parties are encouraged to submit in-camera review requests in manageable batches rather than in one grouping.

Submit Count I possession paperwork separately from Count II damages; do not include damages with Final Possession paperwork.

A public defender applicant must be advised to pay the application fee to the clerk within seven days; an unpaid fee will be assessed at the end of the case and may be imposed as a condition of probation or community control.

The clerk charges on a per-page basis.

Eviction monies must be sent to the Clerk; monies mailed to the Judge will be returned.

Documents submitted for in-camera review must be enclosed in a sealed envelope marked “FOR IN CAMERA REVIEW/NOT TO BE FILED” and sent with a cover letter to chambers.