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The Florida Small Claims Rules (July 1, 2026 edition) apply to county-court civil actions demanding money or property worth no more than $8,000, exclusive of costs, interest, and attorneys' fees. The initial appearance is a pretrial conference set by the clerk not more than 50 days after the action is filed, and the plaintiff and defendant must appear personally or by counsel, in person or through communication technology. If the defendant does not appear, the plaintiff is entitled to a default; if the plaintiff does not appear, the action may be dismissed for want of prosecution, the defendant may proceed to trial, or the action may be continued.
Florida > All counties > Small claims (claims up to $8,000, exclusive of costs, interest, and attorneys' fees)
Rule 7.010. (b) Scope. These rules are applicable to all actions of a civil nature in the county courts which contain a demand for money or property, the value of which does not exceed $8,000 exclusive of costs, interest, and attorneys’ fees. … Rule 7.090. (a) Appearance. On the date and time appointed in the summons/notice to appear, the plaintiff and defendant must appear personally or by counsel, subject to subdivision (b). Such appearance may be in person or through the use of communication technology under Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.530. (b) Summons/Notice to Appear; Pretrial Conference. The summons/notice to appear shall specify that the initial appearance shall be for a pretrial conference. The initial pretrial conference shall be set by the clerk not more than 50 days from the date of the filing of the action. … (c) Defensive Pleadings. Unless required by order of court, written pretrial motions and defensive pleadings are not necessary. If filed, copies of such pleadings shall be served on all other parties to the action at or prior to the pretrial conference or within such time as the court may designate. The filing of a motion or a defensive pleading shall not excuse the personal appearance of a party or attorney on the initial appearance date (pretrial conference). … (e) Waiver of Appearance at Pretrial Conference. Where all parties are represented by an attorney, counsel may agree to waive personal appearance at the initial pretrial conference, if a written agreement of waiver signed by all attorneys is presented to the court prior to or at the pretrial conference. The agreement shall contain a short statement of the disputed issues of fact and law, the number of witnesses expected to testify, an estimate of the time needed to try the case, and any stipulations of fact. The court shall forthwith set the case for trial within the time prescribed by these rules. … Rule 7.160. (a) Plaintiff. If plaintiff fails to appear on the initial appearance date (pretrial conference), or fails to appear at trial, the action may be dismissed for want of prosecution, defendant may proceed to trial on the merits, or the action may be continued as the judge may direct, subject to rule 7.090(b). (b) Both Parties. If both parties fail to appear on the initial appearance date (pretrial conference), the judge may continue the action or dismiss it for want of prosecution at that time or later as justice requires, subject to rule 7.090(b). Rule 7.170. (a) Default. If the defendant does not appear at the scheduled time, the plaintiff is entitled to a default to be entered by either the judge or clerk.
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Reviewer note: CORRECTED Phase 9.3 (2026-08-01): default consequence sits in rule 7.170(a) (plaintiff ENTITLED to default on defendant nonappearance), not 7.090; no plaintiff-nonappearance dismissal provision exists; appearance can be excused under 7.090(e). Verified from the Bar's 7/1/2026 Small Claims Rules. Applicability 2026-09-09 (fix program 2026-09-09, Phase 5, audit M7): specific -> universal — the row binds every court in its state/circuit/county scope and names no court, judge or division. Receipt taken and source re-pointed 2026-09-17 (fix program 2026-09-17, Phase 5 - audit L6): the registered key https://www-media.floridabar.org/uploads/2026/06/2027_01-JUL-Small-Claims-Rules-7-1-2026.pdf answers S3 AccessDenied (403) since the edition rolled; the current edition (Florida Small Claims Rules, July 1, 2026, https://www-media.floridabar.org/uploads/2026/08/2026_01-JUL-Small-Claims-Rules-7-1-2026-1.pdf) was fetched live, hashed and read by eye against this summary - Rule 7.090(a) (the plaintiff and defendant must appear personally or by counsel at the date and time in the summons/notice to appear, subject to (b)), (b)-(c) (the pretrial conference; a defensive pleading does not excuse the personal appearance), (f) (mediation may take place at the pretrial conference), Form 7.322 (the summons/notice to appear) and Rule 7.170(a) (default if the defendant does not appear) - and still supports it. Source is now The Florida Bar rules index so the monitor observes the next edition. | 2026-10-03 (fix program 2026-10-03, H1 sweep): the 2026-08-01 note's statement that no plaintiff-nonappearance dismissal provision exists was wrong; rule 7.160(a) provides that if the plaintiff fails to appear the action may be dismissed for want of prosecution, the defendant may proceed to trial, or the action may be continued. The summary was right on that point and is kept in substance; the requirement text now quotes rules 7.010(b), 7.090(a)-(c), (e), 7.160 and 7.170(a) verbatim from the July 1, 2026 edition, the receipt already on file (sha256 daf3ac5b, unchanged on 2026-10-03), and the checklist drops two items the quoted rules do not state.
6 verbatim requirements on case management in STEVEN P. DELUCA's division.
4 verbatim requirements on case management in LAUREN N. PEFFER's division.