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

WARNING

Do not include the court in electronic communications with other parties coordinating a hearing time.

After obtaining available hearing times, do not include the court in any electronic communications with other parties relating to the coordination of hearing time.

WARNINGCivil cases

A party requiring 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.

WARNINGCivil cases

Contact

Phone

Phone

(863) 534-4686

A person with a disability needing accommodation should 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; hearing- or voice-impaired individuals 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 appearance is less than 7 days. If you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711

WARNINGCivil cases

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

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

WARNING

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.

WARNINGCivil cases

Counsel or an unrepresented party must notify the Court if the case settles.

Counsel or, if unrepresented, the party(ies) shall notify the Court in the event of a settlement.

WARNINGCivil cases

Contact

Phone

Phone

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

A person needing disability-related assistance should contact the Office of 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 people may use the listed TDD or relay service.

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.

WARNINGCivil cases

Contact

Email

Prehearing materials should be submitted in electronic format and attached to an email forwarded to jwitmer@jud10.flcourts.org, and copied to all other parties.

Prehearing materials should be submitted in electronic format and attached to an email forwarded to jwitmer@jud10.flcourts.org, and copied to all other parties.

WARNING

Hearings involving evidence are in person in Hearing Room 5D-1, and the office should be notified ahead of time if you plan to appear in person.

Any hearings submitting evidence shall be IN PERSON in Hearing Room 5D-1. (please let me know ahead of time, if you plan to appear in person)

WARNING

Contact

Email to chambers

To obtain motion-hearing times, email the office and include the case number, style, motion, requested duration, and attorney information.

You may e-mail our office (klindsey@jud10.flcourts.org) to obtain hearing times for a motion hearing. Please include the following information in your email: Case # Style: Motion: Duration Time Requesting: Attorney for Plaintiff: Attorney for Defendant: Attorney requesting hearing:

WARNING

Verify the correct Judge with the Clerk’s Office before submitting a motion or proposed Order packet.

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

WARNING

Do not rely on the clerk to send the trial-setting information to the judge’s office.

Do not rely on the clerk to provide our office with the information.

WARNING

Virtual hearings should be scheduled as a virtual hearing when you are clearing your hearing with the Judge’s office and opposing counsel.

Virtual hearings should be scheduled as a virtual hearing when you are clearing your hearing with the Judge’s office and opposing counsel.

WARNING

If a trial order does not arrive within a reasonable time, inquire with the judicial assistant.

If you do not receive a trial order within a reasonable time, you should inquire with the judicial assistant.

WARNINGCivil cases

Contact

Phone

Phone

(863) 534-4686

A person needing an accommodation must 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.

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;

WARNING

Contact

Phone to chambers

If an attorney intends to object to an order, call the judge’s office to inform it.

If your attorney tells you he/she is going to object to the order, please call and inform the judge’s office.

WARNING

When there is no opposing counsel, a residential or commercial foreclosure summary-judgment hearing may be scheduled on the Foreclosure Docket; contact the Judge’s office for available dates.

If there is no opposing counsel, a residential or commercial foreclosure Motion for Summary Judgment hearing may be scheduled on our Foreclosure Docket. Please contact the Judge’s office for available dates.

WARNING

Represented defendants must contact their attorney directly with questions or concerns.

If you are represented by Counsel, you are required to contact the attorney directly with any questions and or concerns.

WARNING

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

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

WARNING

The party scheduling a hearing must contact all other parties.

The party scheduling the hearing is responsible for contacting all other parties.

WARNING

Do not contact the Judicial Assistant with questions about a rejected order.

Please DO NOT contact the Judicial Assistant with questions about a rejected order.

WARNING

Contact

Email to chambers

To obtain hearing times, email the judicial assistant with all parties included.

You may email kwitt@jud10.flcourts.org with all parties included, to obtain hearing times for a hearing.

WARNING

Do not use the court-provided chat feature without express authorization from the Court.

Court-provided remote technology includes a “chat” feature. The chat feature shall not be utilized without express authorization from the Court.

WARNING

Contact

Phone to chambers

Please call/email as soon as you learn that a hearing is to be cancelled.

Please call/email as soon as you learn that a hearing is to be cancelled.

WARNING

Notify the Judge’s office as soon as possible if the required hearing time changes.

If the length of a hearing changes in any way (either more or less time will be required than what was reserved), please let the Judge’s office know as soon as possible as the remainder of that time may be needed for other hearings.

WARNING

You may contact the judicial assistant about an order's status if the Court has not communicated and the order remains unentered one week after submission.

If you have not received any communication from the Court and your order has not been entered within one week of submission, you may contact the judicial assistant regarding the status of your order(s).

WARNING

When there is no opposing counsel, contact the Judge’s office for available Foreclosure Docket hearing dates.

If there is no opposing counsel, a residential or commercial foreclosure Motion for Summary Judgment hearing may be scheduled on our Foreclosure Docket. Please contact the Judge’s office for available dates.

WARNING

Contact

Email to chambers

After the parties agree on a hearing date and time, email the judicial assistant with the agreed date and time.

After all parties have agreed upon a hearing date and time, email the judicial assistant with the agreed upon date and time.

WARNINGCriminal casesCourt notice

For weekend and holiday first-appearance hearings, consult Court Administration at the Polk County Courthouse for scheduling.

Weekend and Holiday First Appearance hearings are heard by the Circuit Wide Duty Judge. Consult Court Administration at the Polk County Courthouse for scheduling.

WARNING

If you do not receive a trial order within a reasonable time, you should inquire with the judicial assistant.

If you do not receive a trial order within a reasonable time, you should inquire with the judicial assistant.

WARNING

Contact

Phone

Phone

Office of the Court Administrator: (863) 534-4686; TDD: (863) 534-7777; Florida Relay Service: 711

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

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, (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.

WARNINGCivil cases

Contact the court before using a method other than email to transmit prehearing materials.

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

WARNING

Contact

Email to chambers

Hearing times are assigned first come, first served, and a time is not reserved until the Court sends a confirmation email.

Hearing times are booked on a first come, first serve basis and hearing times are not reserved until the confirmation email is sent.

WARNING

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.

WARNING

Contact

Email to chambers

Once all parties agree on a hearing date and time, email the Judicial Assistant the agreed date and time and each party’s allotted presentation time.

After all parties have agreed upon a hearing date and time, email the Court’s Judicial Assistant with the agreed upon date and time, along with the time each party will require to present his or her position during the hearing.

WARNING

Contact

Phone to chambers

The Court must be called as soon as a party learns that a hearing is to be canceled.

Please call as soon as you learn that a hearing is to be canceled.

WARNING

Contact

Email to chambers

Request hearing time by emailing the Judicial Assistant with the case number, party names, matters to be heard, and time required; the scheduling party must first contact the other parties to determine their time needs.

Hearing time may be obtained by email to the Court’s Judicial Assistant at btitus@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.

WARNING

Contact

Email to chambers

Send a return email to reserve a particular hearing date and time.

You must send back an email to reserve a particular hearing date/time.

WARNING

Do not include the Court in electronic communications with other parties coordinating hearing times.

After obtaining available hearing times, do not include the Court in any electronic communications with other parties relating to the coordination of hearing time.

WARNING

If a hearing’s expected length changes, the Court should be notified as soon as possible.

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.

WARNINGCivil cases

Contact

Email

Prehearing materials should be submitted in electronic format and attached to an email forwarded to wwatson@jud10.flcourts.org, and copied to all other parties.

Prehearing materials should be submitted in electronic format and attached to an email forwarded to wwatson@jud10.flcourts.org, and copied to all other parties.

WARNINGCivil cases

Contact the court before using a method other than email to transmit prehearing materials.

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

WARNINGCivil cases

Contact

Phone

Phone

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

Participants seeking disability accommodations 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 participants may call TDD or Florida Relay.

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 schedule appearance is less than 7 days; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call TDD (863) 534-7777 or Florida Relay Service 711.

WARNING

Contact

Phone

Phone

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

A person needing an accommodation should contact the Office of the Court Administrator at least seven days before the appearance, or immediately upon notification if fewer than seven days remain; hearing- or voice-impaired people may call TDD or Florida Relay.

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 schedule appearance is less than 7 days; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call TDD (863) 534-7777 or Florida Relay Service 711.

WARNING

Do not include the Court in electronic communications with other parties about coordinating hearing time.

After obtaining available hearing times, do not include the Court in any electronic communications with other parties relating to the coordination of hearing time.

WARNINGCivil cases

Do not use the Court's virtual-hearing chat feature unless the Court expressly authorizes it.

Court-provided remote technology includes a “chat” feature. The chat feature should not be utilized without express authorization from the Court.

INFOCourt notice

Contact

Phone

Phone

(863) 402-6949

For questions or additional support, call the listed number.

or call (863) 402-6949.

INFOCourt notice

Contact

Email

For questions or additional support, email Court Technology at the listed address.

If you have questions or need additional support, please email Court Technology at 10thVirtualCourtSupport@jud10.flcourts.org,

INFO

Contact

Email to chambers

As a courtesy, email the judicial assistant as soon as possible if the hearing length changes; the remaining time may be used 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 by emailing Ms. Reiley. The remainder of that hearing time may be needed for other hearings.

INFOCriminal cases

Contact

Email to chambers

Counsel may email the judge’s office to obtain a copy of the Probation Officer form.

You may contact the judge’s office via email to obtain a copy of the Probation Officer form.