ELECTRONIC FILING

(a) All documents that are court records, as defined in Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.430(a)(1), are to be filed by electronic transmission, consistent with the requirements of Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.525, provided that:

(1) the clerk has the ability to accept and retain such documents;

(2) the clerk or the chief judge of the circuit has requested permission to accept documents filed by electronic transmission; and

(3) the supreme court has entered an order granting permission to the clerk to accept documents filed by electronic transmission.

(b) All documents filed by electronic transmission under this rule satisfy any requirement for the filing of an original, except where the court, law, or these rules otherwise provide for the submittal of an original.

(c) The following paper documents or other submissions may be manually submitted to the clerk for filing under the following circumstances:

(1) when the clerk does not have the ability to accept and retain documents by electronic filing or has not had electronic court filing procedures (ECF Procedures) approved by the supreme court;

(2) by any self-represented party or any self-represented nonparty unless specific ECF Procedures provide a means to file documents electronically. However, any self-represented nonparty that is a governmental or public agency and any other agency, partnership, corporation, or business entity acting on behalf of any governmental or public agency may file documents by electronic transmission if such entity has the capability of filing documents electronically;

(3) by attorneys excused from e-mail service pursuant to these rules or Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.516;

(4) when submitting evidentiary exhibits or filing non-documentary materials;

(5) when the filing involves documents in excess of 25 megabytes (25 MB) in size. For such filings, documents may be transmitted using an electronic storage medium that the clerk has the ability to accept, which may include a CD-ROM, flash drive, or similar storage medium;

(6) when filed in open court, as permitted by the court;

(7) when paper filing is permitted by any approved statewide or local ECF procedures; and

(8) if any court determines that justice so requires.

(d) The filing date for an electronically transmitted document is the date and time that such filing is acknowledged by an electronic stamp, or otherwise, pursuant to any procedure set forth in any electronic court filing procedures (ECF Procedures) approved by the supreme court, or the date the last page of such filing is received by the court or clerk.

(e) Where these rules are silent, Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.525 controls.

(f) Electronic transmission may be used by a court for the service of all orders, pursuant to Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.516, and for the service of filings pursuant to any ECF Procedures, provided the clerk, together with input from the chief judge of the circuit, has obtained approval from the supreme court of ECF Procedures containing the specific procedures and program to be used in transmitting the orders and filings.