Judge Ayers

The Honorable Kelly A. Ayers

Unified Family Court, Division D

Edgecomb Courthouse800 E. Twiggs St., Room #422
Tampa, Florida 33602
Courtroom #401
Judicial Assistant: Dwauna Heyward
(813) 276-2059
famlawdivd@fljud13.org

Zoom Meeting ID: 509-295-9300
Password: Not required Court Zoom Link Administrative Orders Judicial Biography

Procedures & Preferences
Unified Family Court, Division D

Procedures & Preferences

In accordance with the Thirteenth Circuit Administrative Orders, the Court has set forth the following procedures for appearance for scheduled proceedings in Unified Family Court Division D:

Family Law Divisions Judicial Preferences Quick Reference Chart

All contested matters involving timesharing and all matters scheduled for more than 30 minutes will be in-person, unless expressly agreed to by the Court or waived by the Court.

VIDEO ATTENDANCE FOR PROCEEDINGS

COURT ZOOM LINK: https://zoom.us/j/5092959300MEETING ID: 509-295-9300

When appearing via ZOOM, you are participating in a Court proceeding. You must be seated in an indoor, quiet location, just as if you were participating in person at the courthouse.

Each Party is to appear for their hearing by video conference by using ZOOM. Each Party may use a computer with a camera and speakers or download the app for free on their phone to participate by video. At the scheduled time of the hearing, each Party may access the hearing by using the following link: https://zoom.us/j/5092959300. Alternatively, each Party may use the www.Zoom.com website or app and enter the Meeting ID: 509 295 9300. Please make sure to activate the video and audio settings so you can see, hear and speak during the hearing. Please make sure the video reflects your name. Please WAIT PATIENTLY in the waiting room until your hearing is called.

If a Party does not have access to a computer with camera and speakers or a smart phone with video capability, upon express permission by the Court, the Party may appear for the hearing by phone. At the scheduled time of the hearing, a Party may access the hearing by calling 1 (786) 635-1003. When prompted, enter the Meeting ID: 509 295 9300. The phone dial-in and Meeting ID may be utilized from any landline, cellular or internet phone.

Please contact the Judicial Assistant, Dwauna Heyward, at (813) 276-2059 if you have any issues or questions.

For any matter ready for a contested final hearing/trial, including a half day trial, full day or multiple day trial, please email a request to the Judicial Assistant, copying opposing side.
THE COURT WILL NOT SCHEDULE A FINAL HEARING OR TRIAL UNLESS MEDIATION HAS TAKEN PLACE WITHIN THE PAST 6 MONTHS OR NEW COUNSEL HAS BEEN OBTAINED SINCE THE LAST MEDIATION.
For all Final Hearings and Trials, an Order Setting Final Hearing/Trial must be uploaded to JAWS for execution 15 days prior to the hearing/trial.

The Court will consider a bond motion without evidence or hearing. A written Motion for Bond Reduction may be filed with the Clerk of Court, and emailed to opposing counsel.

A copy of the Motion for Bond Reduction shall be forwarded to the Court via the Division F Judicial Assistant at felonydivf@fljud13.org. Once said motion has been filed and received by the Judicial Assistant, the Court will direct the State to file a written response with the Clerk of Court. A copy of said response by the State shall be filed, and emailed to the Court and opposing counsel within 24 hours. The Court will then rule on the bond motion by sending an email to all parties. Defense counsel shall then prepare an Order reflecting the Court’s ruling and upload said Order to E-Portal for the Court’s signature. All Orders shall be approved by the State prior to submitting to the Court for signature.

Any pleading or motion should be filed with the Clerk of Court before setting the matter for hearing in JAWS or requesting a hearing time from the Judicial Assistant.
Any matter requiring 30 minutes or less of hearing time is to be scheduled through JAWS. If a Party who is not represented by an attorney wants to schedule a hearing, please email the Judicial Assistant, Dwauna Heyward, at (813) 276-2059, for available hearing times.
A hearing (not including final hearings or trials) may be cancelled on JAWS by the party who scheduled the hearing provided the hearing was not crossed noticed. Please also file a notice of cancellation and provide a copy to the Judicial Assistant.
All matters scheduled on an OPEN DOCKET may not exceed a total of 5 minutes (2.5 minutes per Party), and may not be an evidentiary hearing unless the matter is uncontested.

DISCOVERY MOTIONS

All Motions to Compel and Motions for Contempt with respect to discovery are to be set on the "Discovery Motions (Contempt & Compel)" docket.
Each Motion will be limited to a total of 10 minutes for both parties.
In the event more 10 minutes for a motion is needed, please contact the Judicial Assistant and the hearing can be scheduled for more than one slot on the docket.
ALL DISCOVERY MOTION HEARINGS WILL BE HELD IN PERSON, UNLESS EXPRESSLY AGREED TO BY THE COURT.

MOTIONS TO WITHDRAW AS COUNSEL

ALL MOTIONS TO WITHDRAW SHALL BE HEARD ON THE OPEN DOCKET
In the event an Open Docket is not readily available, please contact the Judicial Assistant, to be added to an Open Docket.
In the event a Motion to Withdraw is not set on the Open Docket, it may be cancelled by the Court and placed on the next Open Docket.

PRETRIAL CONFERENCES

All parties and all attorneys who will be litigating the case must appear IN PERSON, unless otherwised agreed to by the Court.

JAWS AVAILABILITY

PLEASE CHECK JAWS REGULARLY AS THE JAWS CALENDAR IS UPDATED ON A REGULAR BASIS AS MORE HEARING TIMES BECOME AVAILABLE
If a Party encounters any issues in obtaining hearing times, please either email the Judicial Assistant or set a Case Management Conference (CMC) on the Open Docket. Please include in the Notice of Hearing that the nature of the CMC is to obtain hearing time and the amount of time needed.
After obtaining a hearing time either through JAWS or the Judicial Assistant, a Notice of Hearing is to be e-filed.
Any hearing cancellation is to be cancelled via JAWS or made in writing and emailed to the Judicial Assistant if the hearing was not scheduled through JAWS. A Notice of Cancellation is to be e-filed and emailed to the Judicial Assistant.
PLEASE COPY ALL ATTORNEYS ON THE CASE ON ALL CORRESPONDENCE SENT TO THE JUDICIAL ASSISTANT. If a Party is not represented by counsel, please copy the Party on all correspondence sent to the Judicial Assistant.

When submitting proposed orders, if both Parties are represented by counsel, proposed orders, along with a Cover Letter, are to be uploaded to the Florida E-Portal. If a proposed order is required to be uploaded to the Portal, please do not also send a hard copy to the Court.
The Cover Letter needs to include whether or not the proposed order is agreed upon by all Parties.

Competing Orders:

If a Party is not represented by counsel, proposed orders along with a cover letter are to be uploaded to the Florida E-Portal with a copy emailed to the Pro Se Party. Please also email/mail each Pro Se Party a copy of the executed order.

All motions, affidavits, stipulations, proposed orders and any other documents are to be electronically filed through the e-filing portal.

FOR ZOOM HEARINGS/TRIALS:

Please provide all hearing and trial notebooks or documents to be used at the hearing/trial to the Court via hard copy, copying the other party, no later than three (3) business days prior to the scheduled hearing or trial. Please organize the notebooks and documents with a table of contents with corresponding tabs displaying the documents.
A copy of any notebook or document provided to the Court shall also be provided to all other Parties.

FOR IN PERSON HEARINGS/TRIALS:

The Parties may provide all hearing and trial notebooks or documents to be used at the hearing/trial to the Court, via hard copy, at the time of the hearing/trial, copying the other party, no later than three (3) business days prior to the scheduled hearing or trial. Please organize the notebooks and documents with a table of contents with corresponding tabs displaying the documents.

Judge Ayers

The Honorable Kelly A. Ayers

JUDICIAL BIOGRAPHY

The Honorable Kelly A. Ayers

Assignments

Education

Procedures & Preferences

Informational Links

Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida

Judge Ayers

The Honorable Kelly A. Ayers

Procedures & Preferences

1. In Person Proceedings:

2. Video Attendance for Proceedings:

3. Scheduling Final Hearings/Trials (Half & Full Days):

4. Scheduling All Other Hearings and Cancellation of Hearings:

5. Submitting Proposed Orders:

6. E-Filing Required by Attorneys/Submitting Proposed Orders:

7. Case Law and Legal Authority/Hearings Notebooks: