Tenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Hardee, Highlands and Polk Counties Chambers Communication Rules

WARNING

Contact

Email to chambers

After filing the motion and reopening a closed case, email the judicial assistant to obtain hearing times.

Please email the judicial assistant to obtain hearing times for a motion after the motion has been filed with the Clerk’s office and, if the case has been closed, after the case has been reopened.

WARNING

Contact

Email to chambers

The final hearing date for an Order to Show Cause concerning entry of a foreclosure judgment must be obtained by email before the packet is submitted.

Orders to Show Cause regarding entry of Foreclosure Judgments MUST include a final hearing date that is obtained by email before submitting the packet for the Judge’s consideration.

WARNING

Sending a cancellation notice alone does not remove the hearing from the Court calendar.

Sending a notice of cancellation does not remove the hearing from the Court calendar.

WARNING

Contact

Email

Email as soon as you learn a hearing is no longer needed, and be prepared to explain the reason for cancellation.

Please email as soon as you learn that a hearing is no longer needed being prepared to state the reason for the cancellation.

WARNING

Contact

Email to chambers

Once hearing details are agreed, email the judicial assistant the case, motion, hearing, attendance-format, and calendar-clearance information.

Once the parties agree on the date, time and length of time for each party to have a fair opportunity to be heard send an email to Kmorales@jud10.flcourts.org (Keila Morales-González) providing the following information: a. The case number, style of the case, and the names of the attorneys involved; b. The motion being set for hearing; c. The agreed date and time for the hearing; d. The agreed upon length of time being reserved for the hearing for all parties to be heard; e. Whether the hearing is being set for an in-person or virtual hearing; and f. The name of the individual(s) with whom the time was cleared.

WARNING

Do not request or schedule anything during times marked as taken on the calendar.

Red blocks are times that are taken. Please do not request or schedule anything during these times.

WARNING

Wait at least 14 days after submitting proposed orders before following up with the case manager.

Please allow at least 14 days after submitting your proposed orders for review before following up with the case manager.

WARNING

Filers should contact the individual judge’s office to learn any additional preferences for submitting proposed orders through the E-Filing Portal.

Filers should contact the individual judge’s office to determine any additional preferences for the submission of proposed orders through the E-Filing Portal.

WARNINGCivil cases

Contact

Email to chambers

Proposed jury instructions should be emailed to the judicial assistant by 4:00 p.m. on the last work day before trial.

B. The proposed instructions should be submitted via email to the judicial assistant no later than 4:00 p.m. the last work day before the trial.

WARNINGCivil cases

As a courtesy, if the length of a hearing changes in any way (for example, a case settles and you know that a long hearing will only take a few minutes rather than an hour), please notify the Court as soon as possible. The remainder of that hearing time may be needed for other hearings.

As a courtesy, if the length of a hearing changes in any way (for example, a case settles and you know that a long hearing will only take a few minutes rather than an hour), please notify the Court as soon as possible. The remainder of that hearing time may be needed for other hearings.

WARNINGCivil cases

Contact

Phone

Promptly call the Court when a hearing is no longer needed; if a case settles, hearings already set on the Judge’s calendar must still be canceled.

Please call or email as soon as you learn that a hearing is no longer needed. If the case settles, you must still cancel any hearings that you have set on the Judge’s calendar.

WARNINGCivil cases

Verify the correct Judge with the Clerk’s Office before submitting a motion or proposed order for consideration.

Please verify the correct Judge with the Clerk’s Office prior to submitting the motion/proposed Order for consideration.

WARNINGCriminal cases

Do not include the Judicial Assistant in electronic communications with other parties about coordinating a hearing.

DO NOT include the Judicial Assistant in any electronic communications with other parties relating to the coordination of the hearing.

WARNINGCriminal cases

The judicial office does not accept text messages.

The judicial office does not accept text messages.

WARNINGCriminal cases

Represented individuals must direct questions and concerns to their attorney.

If you are represented by an attorney, you must contact your attorney directly with any questions and/or concerns.

WARNINGCriminal cases

Parties may contact the judicial office only as these procedures allow, and the court will not consider unsolicited communications from non-parties.

Parties may only contact the judicial office in accordance with these practices and procedures. Unsolicited communications from non-parties will not be considered by the court.

WARNINGCriminal cases

Hearing times provided by the Judicial Assistant are not reserved while the parties coordinate.

The hearing times provided are not held while the attempt is being made to coordinate with opposing counsel/party.

WARNING

Contact

Phone

Phone

(863) 534-4686; 711 if hearing or voice impaired

A person with a disability needing an accommodation should contact the Court Administrator at least seven days before the appearance, or immediately upon receiving the notice if less than seven days remain; people with hearing or voice impairments may call 711.

If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact the Office of the Court Administrator, 255 N. Broadway Avenue, Bartow, Florida 33830, (863) 534-4686, at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled court appearance is less than 7 days; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711.

WARNING

A party who needs an interpreter must notify the Court before the pretrial conference.

If either of the parties requires an interpreter, the party requiring the interpreter shall notify the Court prior to the pretrial conference to enable the Court to comply with Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 2.560.

WARNING

Contact

Phone

Phone

(863) 534-4686

To request disability accommodations for the proceeding, contact the Office of the Court Administrator at least 7 days before the appearance, or immediately upon receiving the notice if fewer than 7 days remain.

Please contact the Office of the Court Administrator, 255 N. Broadway Avenue, Bartow, Florida 33830, (863) 534-4686, at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled court appearance is less than 7 days;

WARNING

Hearing date and time slots must be cleared with opposing counsel or the parties.

All hearing date/time slots shall be cleared with opposing counsel or parties.

WARNING

Contact

Letter fax to chambers

Only emergency motions should be faxed to the judge’s office.

The only documents that should be faxed to the judge’s office are emergency motions.

WARNING

Contact

Email to chambers

The hearing-time request email must provide the listed case, motion, scheduling, hearing-format, and clearance information.

After completing the above, send an email to meldridge@jud10.flcourts.org (Melissa Eldridge) providing the following information: a. The case number, style of the case, and the names of the attorneys involved; b. The motion being set for hearing; c. The agreed upon date and time for the hearing; d. The agreed upon length of time being reserved for the hearing; e. Whether the hearing is being set for an in-person or virtual hearing; and f. The name of the individual(s) with whom the time was cleared.

WARNING

Contact

Email

Email to obtain the final hearing date before submitting an Order to Show Cause packet.

Orders to Show Cause regarding entry of Foreclosure Judgments MUST include a final hearing date that is obtained by email before submitting the packet for the Judge’s consideration.

WARNING

Call or email as soon as you learn that a hearing is no longer needed.

Please call or email as soon as you learn that a hearing is no longer needed.

WARNING

Contact

Email to chambers

Email the judicial assistant to inform them that an Emergency Motion will be submitted for the judge’s consideration.

Call or email to inform the judicial assistant that your office will be submitting an Emergency Motion for Judge Spoto’s consideration and then fax a copy of the Emergency Motion to the office.

WARNING

Contact the Judicial Assistant for hearing times to include in the order to show cause packet.

Thus, contact the Judicial Assistant for hearing times to include in OTSC packet.

WARNING

Contact

Email to chambers

Request hearing times by email only after the motion is filed and, if the case was closed, reopened.

Please email the judicial assistant to obtain hearing times for a motion after the motion has been filed with the Clerk’s office and, if the case has been closed, after the case has been reopened.

WARNING

Do not include additional motions considered for potential cross notices in the hearing-scheduling procedure without prior Court approval.

Be sure that any additional motions that have been considered for potential cross notices are not included in the above scheduling procedure without prior approval of the Court.

WARNING

Notify the judge’s office as soon as possible if a hearing is shortened so unused time can be offered to other litigants.

Notify the judge’s office as soon as possible if the length of a hearing is shortened so that the portion of the hearing time not needed may be offered to other litigants.

WARNING

Contact

Phone to chambers

Always call to confirm that the intended recipient received the fax.

Always call to confirm that the fax was received by the person or office intended as the recipient.

WARNINGCivil cases

A person with a disability who needs an accommodation should contact the arbitrator’s ADA coordinator at least 7 days before the appearance, or immediately upon receiving notice if fewer than 7 days remain; a person with a hearing or voice impairment should call 711.

If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact _____________________________[name of ADA coordinator for arbitrator] _______________________________________[address, telephone number of ADA coordinator for arbitrator], at least 7 days prior to your scheduled appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled appearance is less than 7 days; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711.

WARNINGCivil cases

Contact

Phone

A person with a disability needing an accommodation should contact the arbitrator’s ADA coordinator at least 7 days before the appearance, or immediately upon receiving notice if fewer than 7 days remain; hearing- or voice-impaired persons should call 711.

If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact _____________________________[name of ADA coordinator for arbitrator] _______________________________________[address, telephone number of ADA coordinator for arbitrator], at least 7 days prior to your scheduled appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled appearance is less than 7 days; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711.

WARNING

Contact the Judicial Assistant for hearing times to include in the Order to Show Cause packet.

Thus, contact the Judicial Assistant for hearing times to include in the OTSC packet.

WARNING

Before submitting a motion or proposed order for consideration, verify the correct judge with the Clerk’s Office.

Please verify the correct Judge with the Clerk’s Office prior to submitting the motion/proposed Order for consideration.

WARNING

Contact

Phone

Phone

(863) 534-4690

A person requesting disability accommodation should contact the Court Administrator at least 7 days before the appearance, or immediately if fewer than 7 days remain.

Please contact the Office of the Court Administrator, 255 North Broadway, Bartow, FL 33830, (863) 534-4690, at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled appearance is less than 7 days;

WARNING

Notify the Court as soon as possible whenever the hearing length changes.

If the length of the hearing changes in any way (for example, a case settles and you know that a long hearing will only take a few minutes rather than an hour), please notify the Court as soon as possible. The remainder of that hearing time may be needed for other hearings.

WARNING

Contact

Email to chambers

Do not email evidence to the judicial assistant’s office expecting the office to print it.

Do not email evidence to this office and expect it to be printed.

WARNING

As a courtesy, notify the Court as soon as possible if a hearing’s length changes.

As a courtesy, if the length of a hearing changes in any way (for example, a case settles and you know that a long hearing will only take a few minutes rather than an hour), please notify the Court as soon as possible.

WARNING

Contact

Email

Hearing time may be requested by email to the judicial assistant; the request must include the case number, party names, matters, and time required, and the scheduling party must contact the other parties to determine their required time.

Hearing time may be obtained by email to the judicial assistant at mfreeman@jud10.flcourts.org. Such request must include the case number, party names, matter(s) to be heard, and time required. The party scheduling a hearing is responsible for contacting all other parties to determine how much time each party will require.

WARNINGCivil cases

Contact the court before transmitting prehearing materials by a method other than email.

d. Please contact the court before using a method other than email to transmit prehearing materials

WARNING

Contact

Phone

Phone

(863) 534-4686

A person needing disability accommodation should contact the Office of the Court Administrator at least 7 days before the court appearance, or immediately upon receiving notice if fewer than 7 days remain.

If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact the Office of the Court Administrator, 255 N. Broadway Avenue, Bartow, Florida 33830, (863) 534-4686, at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled appearance is less than 7 days.

WARNINGCivil cases

Contact

Phone

Phone

(863) 534-4686; TDD (863) 534-7777; Florida Relay Service 711

A person seeking disability accommodation should contact the Court Administrator at least 7 days before the appearance, or immediately upon receiving notice if fewer than 7 days remain; hearing- or voice-impaired persons may use the listed TDD or relay options.

Please contact the Office of the Court Administrator, (863) 534-4686, at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled appearance is less than 7 days; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call TDD (863) 534-7777 or Florida Relay Service 711.

WARNING

Criminal proceedings are conducted in person unless counsel provides otherwise notice or the judge approves another arrangement.

Pursuant to Administrative Order 1-60.0, (subject to change) effective June 21, 2021, criminal proceedings will be conducted in-person unless otherwise notified by counsel and/or approved by the judge.

WARNING

Contact

Phone

People who are hearing or voice impaired should call 711.

if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711.

WARNING

Parties may contact the judicial office only as permitted by these procedures, and the court will not consider unsolicited communications from non-parties.

Parties may only contact the judicial office in accordance with these practices and procedures. Unsolicited communications from non-parties will not be considered by the court.

WARNING

Do not contact the judicial office by text message; it does not accept texts.

The judicial office does not accept text messages.

WARNING

Represented parties must direct questions and concerns to their attorney.

If you are represented by an attorney, you must contact your attorney directly with any questions and/or concerns.

WARNING

Hearing times provided by the Judicial Assistant are not held while the parties coordinate.

The hearing times provided are not held while the attempt is being made to coordinate with opposing counsel/party.

WARNING

Do not include the Judicial Assistant in electronic communications with other parties about coordinating a hearing.

DO NOT include the Judicial Assistant in any electronic communications with other parties relating to the coordination of the hearing.