Florida›Fifth Judicial Circuit
Sumter County
Full ingestion scheduledFifth Judicial Circuit (Circuit 5) · official circuit site ✓
Rules that apply here (county → circuit → statewide)
Judge Helm (Sumter felony): hearing requests state case, time and motion; cancellations need proof of resolution
A hearing request must identify the case, requested time and motion, followed by a notice of hearing; a cancellation request requires proof that the matter has been resolved or otherwise removed from the docket.
Judge Daly (Sumter civil): OnceHub ≤1 hour, Zoom ≤30 minutes, 48-hour Zoom materials, 5-business-day remote requests
Hearings of one hour or less schedule through OnceHub (instructions PDF posted); non-evidentiary hearings ≤30 minutes generally proceed by Zoom under her standing Zoom order (materials 48 hours ahead); general hearing evidence 5 days ahead; trial continuances within 14 days of learning grounds; remote-appearance motions at least 5 business days ahead; DACMS + motion-practice standing order (3/2025) and stipulated-plan approval order (DOCX) posted.
Judge Militello (Sumter county criminal): continuance motion + proposed order 3 business days ahead; in-person criminal
A continuance motion with proposed order should be submitted at least three business days before the proceeding; criminal proceedings are in person (some civil matters may be hybrid).
Judge Jerald (Marion FG): maximum 7 proposed dates; document failed coordination
Scheduling correspondence may identify no more than seven proposed dates and must document conflicts when coordination fails; Division FG carries DV/dating-violence DR cases, a third of repeat/stalking/sexual-violence injunctions, after-hours injunctions and ALL risk-protection orders.
Judge Hatcher (Sumter family/probate): notify after e-portal acceptance; 3-day processing; 4-day interpreter requests
Chambers should be notified after a filing is accepted through the e-portal (not before it appears on the docket); allow three business days for chambers to process hearing submissions; interpreter requests at least four business days ahead; editable-Word proposed orders.
Judge Senn (Sumter county civil/small claims): motion first; special set for testimony or exhibits; in person by default
A motion must be filed before a hearing request; testimony, exhibits and oral argument require a specially set hearing; proceedings are in person unless a written order authorizes remote appearance; .docx proposed orders.
Judge Cotton (Marion county): trials and finals in person; Zoom evidence 2 days ahead; 10-day pro se notice
Small-claims pretrials, jury/non-jury trials, rent matters and final judgments are in person (many others hybrid); Zoom-proceeding evidence due at least 2 days ahead; pro se parties get at least 10 days' notice; editable Word proposed orders.
Judge Kissner Kwatkosky (Marion Felony X): posted proposed-order + hearing-request instructions
Division X publishes separate instructions for submitting proposed orders and for requesting hearings (both May 2026).
Judge Landt (Marion county civil): file with the clerk — never email the judge; all parties on every email
Documents for judicial review must be filed with the Clerk of Court, not emailed to the judge; email correspondence must include all attorneys of record and pro se parties or no action will be taken.
Judge Bass (Marion FC): motion filed first; 7-day coordination window; 45-minute temporary-relief hearings
The motion must be filed before scheduling; if a party does not respond to offered dates within 7 days the court schedules without further coordination; evidentiary hearings in person in Courtroom 5B; temporary-relief hearings capped at 45 minutes; pretrial statements 10 days before pretrial; physical exhibits + index 2 business days ahead; Word-format orders.
Judge Herndon DCMO: generative-AI face-of-filing disclosure clause [PREEMPTED June 15, 2026 — still posted]
Judge Herndon's live differentiated civil case-management and motion-practice order retains an all-caps clause requiring generative-AI use in a pleading or motion to be noted on its face. Since June 15, 2026, AOSC26-12 bars local AI-disclosure mandates and the circuit's own A-2026-13-A §2.D disclaims any such requirement — the clause is preempted but remains posted (a judge-level holdout, like the model clause in A-2024-59).
Judge Hodges (Marion civil): Zoom ≤30 minutes, virtual materials 5 business days ahead, no binders, discovery motions decided on papers
120-day DCMO or stipulated CM plan per SC2023-0962 + A-2024-59; hearings via cmatthews@circuit5.org with meet-and-confer confirmation; Zoom typical for hearings ≤30 minutes — in-person required over 30 minutes without prior approval; agreed/unopposed orders in Word with cover letter; competing orders flagged and sent immediately; no binders/notebooks; virtual-hearing materials 5 business days ahead; discovery motions (Rules 1.280–1.390) ordinarily decided without hearing.
Judge McCourt (Marion Felony Z): hearing materials 10 days ahead
Hearing materials should reach chambers at least 10 days before the hearing.
Judge Pickens (Marion FK/dependency): subject-line rule, copy all parties, camera-on for remote, 10-day materials
All written communication by email with party names + case number in the subject line; every correspondence copied to all parties/attorneys; hearing materials 10 days ahead; remote participants need working camera/microphone/speaker with camera on; proposed orders through the e-portal in .docx with required signature/service codes.
Judge Rogers (Marion Felony Y): dedicated hearing-request procedures + 2026 trial and COP calendars
Hearing requests follow the posted procedures PDF (official filename typo 'haring'); 2026 pretrial/trial schedule and change-of-plea dates posted separately.
Judge Brigham (Marion Felony W): PMBcalendar scheduling; uniform motion-practice + MIL materials
Scheduling requests go to the PMBcalendar address; the profile links the uniform motion-practice order and motion-in-limine materials for Division W.
Judge Curington (Lake county criminal): plea, plea-in-absentia and transport forms posted
The profile supplies plea, plea-in-absentia and inmate-transport forms and instructions; no separate comprehensive procedure document exists.
Judge Pepperman (Lake county civil): Zoom is the default, subject to judicial discretion
Most matters are handled by Zoom, with the judge retaining discretion to require in-person appearance.
Judge Nimeth (Lake): email-only scheduling; court will not print virtual-hearing evidence
Hearings scheduled by email only (never phone), all parties copied with case, county, motion and total time; failed coordination requires a motion memorializing the history; evidence for virtual hearings must be physically delivered — the court will not print it; proposed orders emailed in editable Word after opposing review; electronic materials 10 days / binders 1 week ahead.
Judge Toti (Lake family): >15-minute and evidentiary matters in person; no remote evidence
Hearings longer than 15 minutes and all evidentiary proceedings are held in person; remote evidence is not accepted.
Judge Takac (Lake): CM order imposes detailed evidence-disclosure requirements — non-compliant evidence excluded
Before trial or any dispositive evidentiary hearing a case-management order sets specific, detailed requirements for disclosing ALL evidence to the other parties and the Court; failure to comply results in exclusion. Hearing requests use a 7-item email format to ssutton@circuit5.org.
Judge Welke (Lake): noon-Monday PNC cutoff, 2:30 p.m. transport deadline, no remote evidence, probate orders by U.S. Mail only
Time-certain PNC appointments close at noon the Monday before (noon Friday if Monday is a holiday); sentencing strictly in person; inmate transport requests by 2:30 p.m. the day before; remote evidence never accepted — evidentiary hearings in person; exhibits exchanged 2 days ahead and notebooks 5 days ahead; probate proposed orders by U.S. Mail only, held 10 days pending documentation then destroyed; equipment requests 1 week ahead; ADA requests 7 days ahead.
Judge Jones (Lake county criminal): 5-business-day notice; 10 days + proof for pro se; no early final orders
At least five business days' notice required; service on a self-represented party should give at least 10 days with proof of service; proposed final judgments/orders should not be submitted before the hearing.
Judge Herndon (Marion civil): 1-hour Zoom threshold, 20-day responses, 5-day replies, 15-page cap, MIL 15 days
Non-evidentiary matters ≤1 hour may proceed by Zoom (longer in person); opposition memoranda due within 20 days of service; replies within 5 days of receipt; 15-page motion-memo cap; motions in limine 15 days before trial; case law/exhibits 5 business days ahead; Word orders by email (not the portal).
Marion Circuit Civil Standing Order: motion practice — 15-page cap, 5-day replies, motions in limine 15 days before trial term
County-wide standing order (signed by Judge Hodges as Administrative Judge, June 24, 2022) establishing motion-practice procedures in ALL Marion circuit-civil cases: 15-page memo cap absent permission; replies within 5 days of receipt of the opposing memorandum; Rule 1.380 motions need good-faith certification; motions in limine resolved without hearing unless argument is granted and must be filed at least 15 days before the trial term; non-compliance risks striking, stay, dismissal or default.