- Court Schedule: Hearing times are provided on a first come first served bases, however they will not be held until all parties have agreed upon the hearing time. Do not include the Court/Judicial Assistant in your scheduling emails with the opposing party.
- Scheduling Hearings: The preferred method for scheduling is by JAWS. For any requests for hearing times more than 30 minutes, the preferred method is e-mail request rather than telephone. For any scheduling request;
- The requesting party should e-mail the Judicial Assistant for hearing time(s) and copy the opposing party.
- The Judicial Assistant will provide a minimum of two (2) available dates/times to the requesting party, also with a copy to opposing party by "replying to all."
- If the requesting party sends the dates to the opposing party or attorney (whichever is applicable) by e-mail, that responding party or the attorney's office is responsible for responding with his/her availability within two (2) business days of receiving the request.
- If the responding party or attorney fails to respond within two (2) business days of the request, the requesting party may pick the hearing date and time of his/her choice.
The ability of the requesting party to choose a hearing date of his/her choice is an option only if:
- The requesting party has attempted in good faith to clear the dates/times with the opposing (or non-requesting) party, AND
- There has been no response from the responding party or attorney within two (2) business days of the request, AND
- The requesting party has documented the scheduling attempts through e-mail.
Only after the Court confirms the hearing date in the e-mail, or if there has been no response from the other party pursuant to the above regarding the unilateral setting of a hearing, will the requesting party file and serve a Notice of Hearing.
If the parties cannot agree on the first set of proposed dates/times, they may request a second set of dates/times. If the parties cannot agree upon the second set of dates/times, the parties shall notify the Judicial Assistant of the scheduling impasse. If the parties reach a scheduling impasse, the Judge will set a case management conference or set the date/time for the hearing or other court appearance.
Please Note: The Court will not provide hearing times before a motion has been filed on the issue the party is request hearing time for.
- Notice of Hearing: Notices of hearing must include the following elements in addition to those required by the applicable rules of procedure and local administrative orders:
- The specific TITLE and docket # of the motion to be heard;
- The DATE the motion to be heard was filed;
- The LENGTH OF TIME of the hearing; and
- Zoom information if applicable (including meeting ID, password, and a copy of a link to the Zoom meeting).
All notices of hearing must contain the ADA notification required by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.540.
- Submission Deadlines: Exhibits, responses to motions and copies of case law must be delivered or mailed to the Judge's chambers (copies of any documents provided to the Judge must be provided to all parties to the case) three (3) business days before the hearing. Any exhibits, responses to motions and copies of case law received by the Court less than three (3) business days before the hearing will not be reviewed or considered at the hearing.
- Order of Proceedings: Matters will be heard in the order they appear on the docket.
- Continuance Procedure: Continuances are disfavored and will be granted only upon good cause shown. Except for good cause shown, the motion must be signed by the party requesting the continuance, as required by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.545(e).
- Cancelling Hearings: Only the party whose motion is being heard can cancel a hearing on that matter after it has been properly scheduled for a hearing. If the hearing time has multiple issues crossed noticed, a party can only cancel their motions set at that hearing time. DO NOT CANCEL A HEARING WITHOUT NOTIFICATION TO ALL PARTIES. When the parties agree that a hearing or other court appearance needs to be cancelled or that the parties have reached a settlement in the case, a notice of Cancellation MUST be immediately e-filed with the Clerk of Court AND a courtesy copy of the Notice of Cancellation sent to the division e-mail address at FamLawDivA@fliud13.org.
- Other hearing types/matters:
Zoom Hearings - All matters will be in-person with the exception of the following: Adoption/TPR Hearings, Initial Case Management Conference's, Dismissal Docket Hearings, Uniform Motion Calendar, Non-Evidentiary Hearings, Uncontested Hearings and any hearing requiring less than thirty (30) minutes.
All evidentiary hearings set for thirty (30) minutes or more will be held in-person. Either party may file a motion to appear remotely.
Available Scheduling On Jaws
- Uniform Motion Calendar (UMC) - multi-case docket, five (5) to seven (7) minutes per case.
- Attorney CMC Hearings - multi-case docket, seven (7) to ten (10) minutes per case.
- Hearing time slots listed as:
- MOTION DOCKET 15, or
- MOTION DOCKET 30.
Evidentiary Hearings - If you intend to introduce evidence, you must file a notice that clearly indicates your intent. Moreover, exhibit notebooks must be provided in hard copy to the Court (and the opposing party) at least three (3) business days prior to the hearing. If you fail to follow these requirements, you may not be able to introduce your exhibits or the matter may be continued.
Case Management Conferences – See below.
Motion Docket - The motion docket is for non-post-judgment cases. If your motion is post-judgment, IT MUST be referred to the General Magistrate and not scheduled on this Motion Docket. This docket will be available on-line through JAWS (similar to our Open Docket) for you to schedule hearings up to 30 minutes in length. The Motion Docket is for fifteen (15) - or thirty (30) - minute hearings. If you are unable to clear time on an available Motion Docket, you may e-mail (all parties must be copied) the Judicial Assistant to obtain alternative hearing times.
Attorney CMC Docket - This docket is used for Status Conferences. This is a multi-case docket; each case is allowed seven (7) to ten (10) minute per case.
UMC (Uniform Motion Calendar)/ Uncontested Final Hearings - This Docket is a multi-case docket and designed for any uncontested matters taking five (5) minutes per case.
Temporary Relief Hearings - Will be held pursuant to Administrative Order S-2025-013. The parties are directed to review and comply with Administrative Order S-2025-013 – Link.
Mediation is mandatory prior to attending temporary relief hearing. If the moving party fails to schedule and/or cooperate in attending mediation prior to the temporary relief hearing, the hearing WILL BE CANCELLED by the Judge.
If the opposing (or non-moving) party fails to cooperate in attending mediation, the issue shall be addressed by the Judge at the temporary relief hearing where possible sanctions could be imposed.
At least two business days prior to the scheduled temporary relief hearing, the moving party shall file the original Temporary Relief Hearing Memorandum with the Clerk of the Court and serve a copy on all parties, as well as deliver a copy to the Judge. A proposed Parenting Plan is also required if the case involves a minor child(ren).
Emergency Motions – See below.
Final Hearing/Non-Jury Trials – See below.
Post Judgment Hearings - All post judgment matters must be referred to the General Magistrate. All post judgment matters MUST be mediated prior to the scheduling of any hearings. You must e-mail the judicial assistant to schedule post judgment hearings.