§ 985.318, Fla. Stat. · Part VI. PETITION, ARRAIGNMENT,AND ADJUDICATION
Petition.
Text — 2026 Florida Statutes
(1) All proceedings seeking a finding that a child has committed a delinquent act or violation of law shall be initiated by the state by the filing of a petition for delinquency by the state attorney.
(2) The petition shall be in writing and shall be signed by the state attorney under oath.
(3) The state attorney shall represent the state in all proceedings in which a petition alleges delinquency.
(4) When a petition has been filed and the child or his or her counsel has advised the state attorney that the truth of the allegations is admitted and that no contest is to be made of the allegations in the petition, the state attorney may request that the case be set for an adjudicatory hearing. If the child changes the plea at the adjudicatory hearing, the court shall continue the hearing to permit the state attorney to prepare and present the case for the state.
(5) The form of the petition and its contents shall be determined by rules of procedure adopted by the Supreme Court.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
s. 5, ch. 90-208; s. 14, ch. 93-230; s. 221, ch. 95-147; s. 26, ch. 97-238; s. 81, ch. 98-280; s. 36, ch. 99-284; s. 39, ch. 2006-120.
Note
Note.—Former s. 39.048; s. 985.218.
Source of truth
- Edition
- 2026 Florida Statutes
- Official file
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0900-0999/0985/0985.html
- Text hash
- sha256 2595ef7f16eabde62454a05e01395e5b2e556cbb76597bae3e581a5c5389852a
- Composed by
- compose_v2.py 2026-10-04: the Legislature's structured HTML read in document order; verify_v2.py's independent reading agrees character for character
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Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.