Loading…
13 verbatim requirements extracted from 17218-02__2026-05.pdf, across 4 topics.
Nineteenth Judicial Circuit (Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, St. Lucie). Check the order's own effective and rescission dates before relying on it. Procedural information only; not legal advice.
PROPOSED ORDERS • ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER 2026-05 (Superseding Administrative Order 2017-10) • WHEREAS, the undersigned has determined that an Administrative Order amending established rates of compensation for expert witnesses appointed and paid by the Court pursuant to Chapters 393 (Developmental Disability Examining Committee), 744 (Guardianship Examining Committee), 916 (Adult Competence to Proceed), and 985 (Juvenile Competence to Proceed), Florida Statutes, is necessary for the efficient and proper administration of justice in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit; and • ORDERED that the rate structure outlined below is adopted for experts appointed on or after the enactment of this Administrative Order: • The Office of the Court Administrator shall maintain a Court- Appointed Expert Witness Registry of expert witnesses by field of expertise who shall be appointed on a rotating basis. Except as otherwise provided in this Administrative Order, an expert must be included on the Registry in order to provide services and be compensated for services by Court Administration. An expert will not be added to the Registry until he or she has been approved by the Chief Judge. In addition, every expert must enter into an expert witness services contract with Court Administration before he or she will be included on the Registry. • Appointment of an expert who is not on the Registry may be made in the event an appropriate expert is not available within the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit or for other good cause. The court may appoint expert witnesses from another circuit’s registry of c ourt-appointed expert witnesses if the appropriate expert is not available within the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit. Court Administration will maintain a list of experts, their qualifications, and approved fees to share with other circuits. The order of appointment shall set forth findings to justify an off-Registry appointment. The expert will be compensated at the standard rates set forth herein, and payment of any fees in excess of the standard rates must be approved in advance as provided herein. The expert must enter into a contract to provide court -appointed expert witness services with Court Administration. • Nothing in this Administrative Order limits the Court’s authority to require an expert to appear in person upon a finding that in- person testimony is necessary for the fair and efficient administration of justice. • Experts must use the Uniform Invoice for Expert Witness Services developed by the Office of the State Courts Administrator. The current Uniform Invoice is available on the Circuit’s website at www.circuit19.org and attached to this Administrative Order as Exhibit A. • This Administrative Order shall take effect at the time of signing. HEARING TIME & ARGUMENT LIMITS • Any party objecting to an expert appearing remotely must file a written objection no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the scheduled hearing or trial at which the expert’s testimony will be offered. The objection must state with particularity the basis for requiring the expert’s physical presence. • Maximum Allowable No Show Rate Maximum Hourly Testimony Rate, Court Ordered (including wait time, 2-hour cap) • An expert must immediately notify the court as soon as it is determined that additional services beyond what an expert can provide within the existing rate structure are necessary. The notification must set forth reasons as to why the particular case would require extraordinary time and effort on the part of the expert, any additional testing that is required, and the estimated number of hours needed to complete the evaluation. The notification should include a copy of the Uniform Invoice for Expert Witness Services and any relevant supporting documents. If the court determines that additional services are necessary, the court shall enter a written order that shall include findings to justify approval of payment in excess of the standard rate structure. COURTESY COPIES • 1. The evaluation shall occur within twenty-one (21) days of the order of appointment. 2. The expert’s written report shall be completed and electronically filed with the Court within fourteen (14) days after the examination. 3. At the time the report is filed, the expert shall also electronically file a completed Uniform Invoice for Expert Witness Services. 4. The expert shall simultaneously provide courtesy copies of the report and the completed Uniform Invoice to all counsel of record and the Court. REMOTE & VIRTUAL APPEARANCES • If no timely objection is filed, the expert may appear remotely without further order of the Court.
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER 2026-05 (Superseding Administrative Order 2017-10)
Reviewer note: Document sha256: 23883586d84c4396c99e35ca96df8e1337c1b3bfc486d49c7d92f297b8848c86. One rule per order rather than per topic, so an order's requirements stay together. Published during the completeness pass. Text layer cleaned 2026-09-08 (Phase 3g): 2 kerning-split words rejoined; wording untouched. Verbatim from the order, captured 2026-07-24; whitespace normalised only. No OCR was used anywhere in this chain. [moved from the text 2026-09-14]
6 verbatim requirements on proposed orders in NINA W. DI PIETRO's division.
3 verbatim requirements on proposed orders in JOHN HURLEY's division.