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Post-judgment family law matters (except Title IV-D) are referred to a general magistrate. When you file the matter you must simultaneously file either a Motion for Referral or an Objection to Referral. Pre-judgment matters are never referred.
Applies in the Family Law Division of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit (Hillsborough County) and East Circuit Divisions "P," "R," and "T" (Plant City). Title IV-D child support matters are handled instead by the child support enforcement hearing officers.
Under AO S-2025-006, all post-judgment family law matters other than Title IV-D child support issues are referred by the court to a general magistrate. Contemporaneous with filing any post-judgment family law matter, the filing party must file and serve on all parties either (1) a Motion for Referral to General Magistrate or (2) an Objection to Referral to General Magistrate. No pre-judgment matters are referred. Any objection under Fla. Fam. L. R. P. 12.490(b) must be in writing and filed within 10 days of service of the order of referral. Motions concerning discovery, continuances, or withdrawal of counsel that relate to a referred matter must be set before and heard by the general magistrate without a further order of referral; a separate order of referral is required for all contempt matters. JAWS assigns the referral to Division GM-1, GM-3, GM-4, or GM-5 by the last two digits of the case number.
All post-judgment family law matters, excluding Title IV-D child support issues, will be referred by the court to a general magistrate. Contemporaneous with the filing of any post-judgment family law matter, the party filing the matter must file and serve on all parties either (1) a Motion for Referral to General Magistrate, or (2) an Objection to Referral to General Magistrate. … No pre-judgment matters will be referred to the general magistrates.
Parties in dissolution and most family financial cases must exchange a financial affidavit and specified financial documents within 45 days of service of the initial pleading, file a certificate of compliance, and supplement as circumstances change.
Small claims cases (up to $8,000) begin with a mandatory pretrial conference where the court narrows issues and typically orders mediation. Failure to appear can result in default or dismissal.
CV-E runs a structured 150-day case management conference track with published CMO templates for jury, non-jury, and complex settings, plus a projected-vs-actual trial period system and 2026–2027 published trial calendars.