Trials shall be conducted in person unless otherwise instructed by the Court.
Zoom trial hearing shall be set by the Court on a case by case basis.
All witness lists shall be provided to all parties and a copy to the Court five days prior to trial.
Exhibits shall be premarked and provided to all parties three business days prior to the evidentiary hearing or trial. A courtesy copy will be emailed to the Court and a copy filed with the Clerk. Counsel shall also submit a Notice of Filing and attach an exhibit list with each proposed exhibit to be introduced into evidence during the hearing and/or trial. All exhibits shall be numbered sequentially; for example: Guardian’s exhibit 1, Mother’s exhibit 1, composite a-e.
All parties must be available to testify in person unless an exception has been addressed and granted by the Court prior to trial, please make sure any testifying witness has a photo ID to show the Court.
Any case law shall be provided electronically to all parties with courtesy copies to the Court the day of trial.
CONSENTS: The Parent and attorney shall complete and sign the appropriate consent form (forms found under the FORMS section on the Judges’ Profile page ) and provide them to the Court via email (jackeline.bermudez-rodriguez@fljud13.org) prior to the scheduled hearing along with a copy of the Parent’s photo ID; (i.e., driver’s license, state ID). The Parent shall appear via Zoom video to be sworn in by the Court or if the Parent cannot appear via video, the Parent may appear via Zoom or telephonically for the hearing or reserve in advance of the hearing a Zoom Room A or B by notifying the Judicial Assistant at least 3 days prior to the hearing or appear in person in Courtroom 310.
SURRENDERS: Counsel shall obtain the surrenders executed by their client and submit those documents to the Court using the email jackeline.bermudez-rodriguez@fljud13.org prior to the hearing. At the hearing the Parent shall have a photo ID/ Driver’s license/ Passport to confirm identity. Alternatively, if a Parent does not have a smart phone or access to an electronic device with Zoom video capability, they can appear by Zoom telephonically, but then shall appear with a notary to be sworn in or the parent may appear in person in Courtroom 310.
ORDERS: Counsel may also agree to submit stipulated orders to JAWS via the statewide e-portal for the Court’s review and ruling in lieu of a hearing. If an attorney has problems or questions regarding the statewide e-portal and its use, please contact the Helpdesk at 813-272-6513 and they will provide you with the instructions for uploading orders via the e-portal.
After a hearing, if an order needs to be submitted to the Court, the order shall be circulated among the Parties for approval. Once approved or after a reasonable period of time has elapsed for a party to voice an objection to the proposed order, it shall be the responsibility of the proponent of the hearing/motion to submit the proposed order to the Court via email for signature. If there remains disagreement among the parties as to any of the terms of an order after a proposed order has been circulated, the proponent of the hearing/motion shall submit the proposed order along with an email outlining which areas where there was a disagreement so the Court can determine the appropriate language before signing the order. The Court will not conform and distribute copies of orders until further notice.
Any Parent, Child Advocate, Guardian ad Litem, caregiver, provider, participant or interested party with questions regarding these procedures is urged to call, e-mail, or text their lawyer. The Judge’s Judicial Assistant may also be able to assist with general questions, but Parties should consult with their counsel first.