Court Rules

Court-wide rules

Applies court-wide

These 781 rules apply across Fifteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Palm Beach County. Where this judge's own standing orders above address the same topic, the judge's requirement controls.

Filing Requirements

All 385
  • Applies to
    Pleadings and notices
    Must include
    caption

    All pleadings and notices filed in the criminal division must include the assigned division's letter designation in the caption.

  • Applies to
    Objection letter or memo

    The objection letter or memo must indicate that an objection exists.

  • Applies to
    Evidence document

    Any non-English document offered in evidence at a hearing or trial must be accompanied by a verbatim translation.

Service

All 127
  • Applies to
    Response
    Service
    Email

    Responses by the State Attorney's Office in post-conviction motions must also be emailed.

  • Applies to
    Proposed order or judgment
    Service
    Mail to all parties

    At the commencement of any motion hearing, the moving party must provide sufficient copies and stamped, addressed envelopes for all parties.

  • Applies to
    Proposed order or judgment

    A party directed to prepare a proposed order or judgment must provide a copy to opposing counsel before submitting it to the Court.

Filing Timing

All 63

  • A proposed order must not be uploaded until after the hearing has occurred.

  • Deadline
    5 business days

    Before scheduling, the motion and notice of hearing with complete Zoom information must be filed with the clerk, and the opposing side must receive at least five business days' notice unless short notice is agreed upon.

  • A proposed order or judgment must be submitted to the Court at the commencement of any motion hearing, including the uniform motion calendar.

Fees

All 49
  • Applies to
    Transcript and digital recording copy

    The CRS Department must establish applicable fees for producing transcripts and digital recording copies.

  • Applies to
    Transcript and digital recording copy

    A transcript or digital recording copy cannot be released until full payment is received or a court order authorizes release.

  • Applies to
    Transcript and digital recording copy

    Effective July 1, 2022, the fee schedule governs transcript and digital recording copy production, except designated offices are billed under the Circuit's Statement of Services.

More categories

View all Fifteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Palm Beach County rules
About Judge Melanie Dale Surber

**Current assignment** **Division:** Juvenile JS **Courtroom:** SC 4 **Room number:** 2W-115 **Courthouse:** South County Courthouse **Phone:** (561) 274-1455 **Judicial assistant:** William Rivera **Email:** Cad-DivisionJS@pbcgov.org

Common questions about Judge Melanie Dale Surber's rules

Are courtesy copies required for Judge Melanie Dale Surber?

Courtesy-copy rule applies for motions. Details: delivery upon filing, by email. The requesting party must send one courtesy copy of the remote-appearance motion to the CAD email address and copy all parties.

View ruleSource: page 1, section C. Remote Appearance

Does Judge Melanie Dale Surber require a pre-motion conference or letter before filing a motion?

Judge Melanie Dale Surber's rules set a pre-motion procedure for covered motions. Before an evidentiary hearing on a motion to reopen is scheduled, the case must be set for a Tuesday-morning status check through the Judicial Assistant.

View ruleSource: page 1, section B. Scheduling Procedures — Dependency

What formatting rules apply to filings before Judge Melanie Dale Surber?

Judge Melanie Dale Surber's formatting rule includes file format pdf a. Courtesy copies for hearings or trials must use PDF/A format.

View ruleSource: page 1, section E. Courtesy Copies of Case Law and Other Documents

What must be included with notice of hearing filings before Judge Melanie Dale Surber?

The rule requires certificate of conference. Before setting a delinquency matter, the noticing party must attempt to resolve it in good faith and certify that effort.

View ruleSource: page 1, section B. Scheduling Procedures — Delinquency Proceedings

What must be included with remote appearance motion filings before Judge Melanie Dale Surber?

The rule requires proposed order. A remote-appearance motion must be accompanied by a proposed order submitted through OLS that includes the Court's Zoom information.

View ruleSource: page 1, section C. Remote Appearance

How may parties contact Judge Melanie Dale Surber's chambers?

The rule addresses email communications with Judge Melanie Dale Surber's chambers. All parties must be copied on judicial-office email unless the law authorizes an ex parte communication.

View ruleSource: page 1, section A. Communications with the Judicial Office — Ex parte Communications

How do I request an adjournment or extension before Judge Melanie Dale Surber?

Advance notice is not fully stated in the structured details. Delinquency judicial-review hearings cannot be cancelled or continued by agreement; a motion must be filed and a hearing set.

View ruleSource: page 1, section B. Scheduling Procedures — Delinquency Proceedings

Is electronic filing required before Judge Melanie Dale Surber?

Yes. Electronic filing is required for the covered filings. Proposed orders must be submitted through OLS, and emailed proposed orders will be rejected.

View ruleSource: page 1, section D. Submission of Orders — Format

When is a filing treated as filed before Judge Melanie Dale Surber?

The rule addresses filing timing, filing status, or cure windows. An agreed order resetting a delinquency status-check hearing must be filed at least 24 hours before the hearing.

View ruleSource: page 1, section B. Scheduling Procedures — Delinquency Proceedings

What rule applies to e-service before Judge Melanie Dale Surber?

The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: method: e-service. Attorneys and self-represented litigants generally must make and receive service by email through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal unless excused.

View ruleSource: page 1, section A. Communications with the Judicial Office — E-Filing Portal Contact Information
Complete rules summary for Judge Melanie Dale Surber

The court will not consider unsolicited communications from non-parties.

Out-of-court communications with the Court must generally be directed to the Judicial Assistant at the stated email address.

Case-related correspondence to the Court generally must copy all parties and concern only scheduling, pleadings, or draft orders.

Case-related emails from non-attorney litigants are placed in the court file and forwarded to attorneys of record.

All parties must be copied on judicial-office email unless the law authorizes an ex parte communication.

Attorneys and self-represented litigants generally must make and receive service by email through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal unless excused.

Attorneys and self-represented litigants must provide an email address for electronic receipt of signed orders unless excused.

An agreed order resetting a delinquency status-check hearing must be filed at least 24 hours before the hearing.

Before setting a delinquency hearing, all motions must be cleared with the Judicial Assistant, the parties must confer, and the moving party must file the notice and copy the Court email address.

A delinquency motion expected to last longer than 15 minutes must be scheduled through the Judicial Assistant and cannot be placed on the morning docket.

A delinquency notice of hearing ordinarily must be filed 72 hours before the hearing, any later notice must be filed as an emergency, and the motion must be filed before setting the hearing.

The prevailing party must submit a proposed order within three days after the Court rules.

Before setting a delinquency matter, the noticing party must attempt to resolve it in good faith and certify that effort.

Delinquency judicial-review hearings cannot be cancelled or continued by agreement; a motion must be filed and a hearing set.

A trial cannot be continued by agreement without a motion and proposed order, and a contested continuance must be set for hearing.

Dependency routine hearings and motions under 10 minutes may be set only after contacting the Judicial Assistant and are heard Tuesday at 9:00 or 9:30 a.m.

Dependency motions lasting over 10 minutes and all evidentiary motions must be scheduled through the Judicial Assistant; specially set motions are not heard before 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Parties must file hearing notices 72 hours before the hearing or as emergencies if filed later, file all motions before setting a hearing, and the prevailing party must submit proposed orders no later than 3 days after the Court rules.

Notice of a requested goal change or conversion of a judicial review to a permanency hearing must be filed at least five days before the hearing.

Before an evidentiary hearing on a motion to reopen is scheduled, the case must be set for a Tuesday-morning status check through the Judicial Assistant.

Family-case hearings and motions may be scheduled only by contacting the Judicial Assistant at the stated email address.

All parties must follow Local Rule 4; before setting a matter for hearing, the party or attorney noticing it must attempt to resolve it and certify the good-faith attempt.

Hearings must be requested by email to the Judicial Assistant.

Continuance motions are disfavored, require good cause, face heightened disfavor when successive, and cannot be granted for lack of due diligence.

A continuance motion must be submitted at least three days before the affected court date unless exigent circumstances apply.

Unless good cause is shown, the requesting party must personally sign a continuance motion.

A continuance motion must specifically state the basis and discovery date, opposition, readiness actions and dates, proposed ready date, and whether that date is agreed.

Dependency judicial-review and permanency hearings may not be cancelled without court permission.

All other agreed resets or cancellations must be cleared with the Judicial Assistant before the cancellation and reset notices are filed.

A remote-appearance motion must be filed at least three days before the hearing, with a courtesy copy emailed to the Court and all parties copied.

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