Florida›Circuit 13
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit
Verified judges, local rules, standing orders, and controlling division-assignment orders for Hillsborough County — every entry cites its official source with a last-verified date.
Official site: https://www.fljud13.org
Counties in this circuit
Bench (69 judicial officers)
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Titles shown as circuit judges, county judges, and quasi-judicial officers per the official directory.
Recently verified rules
Search all rules →Digital Courtesy Copies Only; Small Claims & Eviction Procedures Published — County Civil J
Judge Baggé-Hernández runs the fullest county-civil template (13 sections) including dedicated Small Claims and Landlord/Tenant-Eviction procedures — courtesy copies go digitally to the division, JAWS is the scheduling default, and unsolicited non-party communications are disregarded.
UMC Dockets ARE VIA ZOOM; Other Remote Needs Good Cause — County Civil N
Judge Henderson's practices PDF (mod. May 2026): UMC dockets run on Zoom, other remote appearances require good cause from the requesting party, and unclaimed binders are recycled after 3 days.
Speedy-Trial Waivers Are Never Accepted by E-Mail — County Criminal E
Judge Scott: all cases in person unless special-set on Zoom (good cause, documentation possible), waivers of speedy trial refused via e-mail — written and filed, or on the record — and every e-mail to the Court copies the opposing party.
UMC Runs on Zoom Only; Cancelled Hearings Kill the Zoom Credentials — County Civil I
Judge Edwards's practices PDF: the Uniform Motion Calendar is conducted via Zoom only, remote-appearance credentials die with a cancelled hearing, and Zoom appearances for in-person settings require an uploaded Order to Appear Via Zoom in the Division I queue.
Late Materials Not Considered; Unclaimed Binders Recycled in 3 Days — County Civil L
Judge Saba's practices PDF (mod. Jan. 2026): hearing materials received after the deadline will not be considered, binders not retrieved within 3 days of the proceeding are recycled, and Zoom requests for in-person-noticed hearings go by motion.
Bantner Removed His Prior AI Requirements — the Statewide Rule Controls — County Civil M
The strongest in-the-wild confirmation of the 2026 statewide AI rule: Judge Bantner's page expressly states his prior AI requirements are REMOVED because of the May 28, 2026 amendment of Rule 2.515 — signing a filing now itself certifies the authorities exist and are accurately cited.
In-Custody Continuances 48 Hours Ahead — or the Jail Transport Rolls — County Criminal B
Judge Taylor (under the shared County Criminal Standing Pretrial Order): continuance motions for in-custody defendants must be filed at least 48 hours before the court date to cancel jail transport, and all pleas are in person absent a pre-approved plea in absentia.
A Notice of Appearance Without a Speedy Waiver Means In-Person Arraignment — County Criminal D
Judge Brown (14-item FSC template, the county-criminal exemplar): in-person default under his Standing Order on Remote Appearances; filing an NOA without waiving speedy trial obligates defendant AND counsel to appear at arraignment; his AI paragraph points to statewide Rule 2.515(d) (compliant).
All Cases In Person; Discovery Motions Within 10 Days of the Due Date — County Criminal A
Judge Smith's practices PDF (mod. Jan. 14, 2026): ALL CASES ARE IN PERSON, discovery-related motions are filed within 10 days after discovery was due, and out-of-custody pleas include a scanned fingerprint card in the filing.
Unilateral Notices Need a Detailed Cover Letter and 3 Documented Attempts — County Civil H
Judge Giardina: 15-minutes-or-less schedules through JAWS, over 30 through the JA — and a unilaterally-set notice of hearing must attach a cover letter detailing at least three attempts to coordinate; hearings in person since February 14, 2022.
Mandatory In-Person Appearance; Idle Motions Deemed Abandoned — County Civil P
Judge Makholm's practices PDF (mod. July 1, 2026 — days old): appearance in person is mandatory for the listed settings, and unprosecuted motions "may be deemed abandon[ed]."
The Movant Appears Even If the Motion Settled — County Civil O
Judge Allen: every hearing is in person (no phone/Zoom for small-claims initial pretrials), 60-minutes-or-less books through JAWS — and even after the parties agree, the movant must appear at the scheduled time unless a timely cancellation or signed stipulation reached the division.