EFFECTIVE May 2, 2022, all hearings will be held in-person unless otherwise approved by the Court.

ZOOM HEARINGS

The Court’s ZOOM link is https://zoom.us/j/3247214059.  The ZOOM meeting ID is 324-721-4059; the password is 292155.

 

Please be in a quiet room or area when appearing for your hearing; no other parties should be present in the room, absent court approval.

 

Please make arrangements for child care while the hearing is being conducted.

 

Please dress, look, and behave as if you are in the courthouse.

 

Please have stable internet connection.

 

Please identify (rename) yourself with your full legal name; avoid identifying yourself with nicknames or with the device’s default name setting.

 

Please do not walk around while the hearing is taking place; do not appear while driving a vehicle. 

 

Please have the camera directed toward your face.

ALL HEARINGS

CONDUCT AND BEHAVIOR:  All proceedings will be conducted with dignity, decorum, courtesy, and civility.   Unless appearing by ZOOM, the use of a mobile device, or other electronic equipment, is prohibited.  All mobile devices must be turned off prior to entering the hearing room.

RECORDING OF HEARINGS:  All hearings are digitally recorded.  If any attorney or party wishes to utilize the services of their own court reporter, they may do so at their own expense.  If the hearing is on ZOOM, the party using the service of the court reporter is responsible for providing the court reporter with the ZOOM log-in information.

INTERPRETER SERVICES: Language interpreters are not provided by the court in family law proceedings. Any party who requires the service of a language interpreter shall, prior to the hearing, obtain a certified interpreter at their own expense.   The translator may not be a family member or friend.  Parties needing assistance may contact the Court Interpreter Center at (813) 272-5947 to obtain a list of certified interpreters. 

El tribunal no proporciona intérpretes en los procedimientos de derecho de familia. Cualquier persona que requiera el servicio de un intérprete, deberá  obtener un intérprete certificado a su propio costo antes de la audiencia. El intérprete no puede ser un familiar o un amigo. Las personas que necesiten asistencia pueden comunicarse con el Centro de Intérpretes del Tribunal, llamando al (813) 272-5947 para obtener una lista de intérpretes certificados.

COMMUNICATION AND SCHEDULING: Please communicate with this office via e-mail at gmfam3@fljud13.org. The following information must be included in all e-mail correspondence: case name; case number; the name of the motion or petition you want to schedule for hearing and the date it was filed; and how much time you are requesting. Please request sufficient time for both parties to present their case. Please make sure you copy the opposing party on all e-mail correspondence with this office.

Hearings cannot be scheduled through JAWS.

Any hearing of two (2) hours or more in duration requires an Order Setting Pre-Trial Conference and Final Hearing.  These hearings cannot be canceled without approval of the court.  

Hearings scheduled for less than two (2) hours may be canceled upon 24 hour notice by the moving party or their attorney.  The party canceling the hearing shall also file a notice of cancellation with the Clerk of the Circuit Court and provide a copy to the office of the magistrate.  DO NOT CANCEL A HEARING WITHOUT NOTIFICATION AND AGREEMENT OF ALL PARTIES.

LEGAL ADVICE AND COMMUNICATION WITH THE MAGISTRATE: The judicial assistant cannot provide any legal advice or answer your legal questions; nor can the assistant explain your situation to the Magistrate.   Your opportunity to speak with the Magistrate happens in Court only.

The role, functions of, and limitations on General Magistrates are specifically described in Rule 12.490, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure.

The role, functions of, and limitations on Child Support Hearing Officers are specifically described in Rule 12.491, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure.

MOTION AND ORDER OF REFERRAL TO GENERAL MAGISTRATE:  All matters must have an Order of Referral to General Magistrate with the exception of cases that are limited to child support issues only.  If you do not have an order of referral, the motion for referral and order of referral can be obtained at:

Motion: https://www.flcourts.org/content/download/403117/3457036/920a.pdf

Order: https://www.flcourts.org/content/download/403119/3457048/920b.pdf

DOCUMENTS FOR USE AT HEARING:   Unless otherwise ordered, all documents a party wants the court to consider at a hearing shall be provided to opposing counsel or party and shall be delivered to the office of the magistrate at least three (3) days prior to the hearing.   The documents shall be pre-marked; each page shall be numbered in sequential order.

All confidential information shall be redacted by the individual submitting the document, including but not limited to social security numbers and bank account numbers.

NOTICE REQUIREMENTS:  The original Notice of Hearing before General Magistrate must be filed with the Clerk of the Court at least five (5) business days prior to the hearing.   A copy must be provided to opposing counsel or an unrepresented party and a courtesy copy delivered to the office of the magistrate.  All pleadings or motions seeking relief must be provided to the party or counsel not less than five (5) business days prior to the hearing.  If the motion and notice of hearing is not timely provided, the court may continue the hearing to a later date.

A notice of hearing form may be obtained at:

http://www.fljud13.org/Portals/0/Forms/pdfs/family/NoticeofHearingBeforeGeneralMagistrate.pdf?ver=2019-06-10-145403-103

There will be no cross-noticing of hearing time or “piggybacking” upon a previously scheduled motion without timely notice to the parties and the court.  No “piggybacked” motion will be heard unless it is determined by the court that the docket will accommodate the hearing of the additional matter at the scheduled time.

PROPOSED RECOMMENDED ORDER: If you are asked to prepare a recommended order, please send the proposed order to the judicial assistant in WORD format.  Please do not upload the proposed order in JAWS.

MEDIATION: All issues, with the exception of motions for contempt, must be mediated prior to the hearing.  However, you may schedule the hearing (for a date after mediation) before mediation is held.

ADA SERVICES:  If you are a person with a disability who needs accommodation in order to participate in the proceeding you are entitled, at no cost, to the provision of certain assistance.  Please contact the ADA Coordinator at least seven (7) days prior to the hearing, or immediately upon receiving notice if the time before the scheduled hearing is less than seven (7) days. 

Contact information for the ADA coordinator is:

Hillsborough County Courthouse, 800 East Twiggs Street, Room 604, Tampa, Florida 333602

(813) 272-7040

ADA@fljud13.org

If you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711. 

Please see the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit web page for additional information on ADA accommodation.

EMERGENCY HEARINGS:  All emergency hearings shall be handled by the presiding division Judge.  If the Judge determines the issue is not an emergency and refers the matter to the Magistrate, a hearing will be set in the normal course of business.

CHILDREN IN COURT: Pursuant to Rule 12.407, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, no minor child shall be brought to court to appear as a witness or to attend a hearing, or be subpoenaed to appear at a hearing, without first obtaining a court order authorizing the child’s appearance, except in case of an emergency.