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12 verbatim requirements extracted from 3691-01__2015-12.pdf, across 3 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.
HEARING TIME & ARGUMENT LIMITS • F. Magistrates/Hearing Officers 1. Magistrates and hearing officers may be utilized to assist the judges within the Family Division when it is determined that referral of a case to a magistrate/hearing officer is appropriate. 2. The Nineteenth Circuit has enacted a separate administrative order to address the specific powers and matters to be heard by the magistrates and hearing officers. G. Supervised Visitation The circuit shall maintain a cmTent list of supervised visitation centers and have said list available. H. Parent Education and Family Stabilization 1. Pursuant to §61.21(4), Florida Statutes, all parties to a dissolution of marriage proceeding with minor children or a paternity action that involves issues of parental responsibility shall be required to complete the Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course prior to the entry by the court of a final judgment. The court may excuse a party from attending the parenting course, or from completing the course within the required time, for good cause. 2. All parties to a modification of a final judgment involving shared parental responsibilities, custody or visitation may be required to complete a court-approved parenting course prior to the entry of an order modifying the final judgment. 3. Pursuant to §61.21(5), Florida Statutes, all parties required to complete a parenting course under this section shall begin the course as expeditiously as possible. For dissolution of marriage actions, unless excused by the court pursuant to subsection (4) of Florida Statutes §61.21, the petitioner must complete the course within forty-five ( 45) days after filing of the petition, and all other parties must complete the course within forty-five ( 45) days after service of the petition. For paternity actions, unless excused by the court pursuant to subsection (4) of Florida Statutes §61.21, the petitioner must complete the course within forty-five (45) days after filing the petition, and any other party must complete the course within forty-five ( 45) days after an acknowledgment of paternity by that party, an adjudication of paternity of that party, or an order granting visitation to or support from that party. Each party to a dissolution or paternity action shall file proof of compliance with Florida Statutes §61.21, with the Court prior to the entry of the final judgment. 4. The circuit shall maintain a current list of providers approved by the Department of Children and Families and have said list available in the Clerk's office and on the Court's website. The Standing Order of Referral to Parenting Classes shall be consistent with the current list of approved providers. In all original actions for Dissolution of Marriage with minor children or paternity actions involving issues of parental responsibility, the Clerk of Court shall attach a copy of this Court's Standing Page 4of12 • Order of Referral to Parent Education Classes to the original pleading and to all copies to be served upon the opposing party. The party filing the action shall be bound by the Order upon the filing of the case. The Respondent shall be bound by the Order upon receipt of service. 5. The petitioner in dissolution of marriage proceedings with minor children, or paternity actions involving issues of parental responsibility, shall enroll minor children of the parties in any school program designed to assist children with issues involved in separated families, if said program is available at the school in which the children are enrolled. I. Counseling/Evaluation/Treatment Services The circuit shall utilize the services of mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence service providers, when appropriate. J. Security The Chief Judge and the Administrative Family Law Judge shall collaborate with the relevant security providers to ensure that adequate and sufficient security personnel and equipment are available to ensure that Family Divisions are safe environments. Domestic violence hearings, and any other family hearing with special safety concerns, shall be held in the courtroom, whenever possible. Any person who has reason to believe any matter may possess special safety concerns shall notify the courtroom personnel immediately. K. Technology The Nineteenth Judicial Circuit shall use available technology to access information essential to case management and coordination, to print forms and notices as quickly as possible, to generate statistical reports, to provide public access and inter-agency access to records and to allow teleconferencing and/or the appearance of witnesses by electronic means, when provided by law. IV. IDENTIFICATION AND COORDINATION OF RELATED CASES In order to conserve judicial resources, avoid inconsistent court orders, and eliminate multiple appearances on the same issues, the following policies and procedures will be followed, unless otherwise ordered by the court: A. Related Cases 1. The petitioner in a family case shall file a Notice of Related Cases. All parties shall comply with the requirements of Rule 2.085( d), Florida Rules of Judicial Administration. Page 5of12 • A. Standing Temporary Domestic Relations Order 1. In all original actions for Dissolution of Marriage, other than ~ Simplified Petition, the Clerk of Court shall attach a copy of the Court's Standing Temporary Domestic Relations Order (Attachment A) to the original pleading and to all copies to be served upon the opposing party. The Petitioner shall be bound by the Standing Temporary Domestic Relations Order upon the filing of the case. The Respondent shall be bound by the Standing Temporary Domestic Relations Order upon service of the initial pleading. 2. The Standing Temporary Domestic Relations Order shall specifically address each of the following areas: a. Relocation of children b. Child support c. Treatment of children d. Restrictions against harassment e. Sales, encumbrances, transfers or damage of assets f. Concealment or destruction of family records g. Insurance policies h. Additional debt i. Application of the Standing Order j. The term of the Standing Order, which shall be sixty (60) days. B. Notice of Related Cases -The petitioner in a "family case" as defined by Rule 2.545(d), Rules of Judicial Administration, shall file a Notice of Related Cases and comply with the requirements of this Rule in all respects. C. Guidelines for Parenting - In all original actions involving issues of parental responsibility of minor children, except for Title IV-D and Chapter 751 actions, the Clerk shall attach a copy of this Court) Guidelines for Parenting (Attachment B) to the original pleading and to all copies to be served upon the opposing party. D. Motions 1. All motions shall be filed with the Clerk prior to contacting the judge. 2. In all cases in which the primary residence of minor children is an issue at a temporary relief hearing, the parties shall mediate this issue along with child support and any other related issues prior to the hearing. This mediation shall be done on an expedited basis so as to not delay _the temporary hearing. If either party takes any action to hinder the prompt mediation of these issues the court may impose sanctions. Upon written motion, with good- cause shown, any party may apply to the court to waive this required mediation. Any such motion to waive mediation shall be signed by the litigant requesting the waiver as well as the litigant's attorney, if represented Page 7of12 • by counsel. 3. Emergency motions must recite sufficient facts to justify the granting of relief on an emergency basis. A copy of the emergency motion must be provided to the judge/magistrate's office and the opposing party or their attorney. The judge/magistrate will review the motion and if determined to be an emergency the judge's/magistrate's office will notify the moving party of the date and time of the hearing. The moving party will be responsible to provide notice to the other side. 4. All stipulated motions shall be signed by all attorneys or pro se parties. The original motion shall be filed with the Clerk. A copy of the stipulated motion shall be submitted to the Judge or Magistrate in accordance with the judge's/magistrate's procedures. 5. All attorneys and parties who intend to appear at any hearing shall meet at the courthouse fifteen (15) minutes prior to any hearing and shall attempt to resolve the matter. 6. All Motions to Compel Discovery shall comply with the requirements of Rule 12.380, .Fla.Fam.L.R.P. As required by the rule, the motion must include a certification that the movant, in good faith, has conferred or attempted to confer with the person or party failing to make the discovery in an effort to secure the information or material without court action. E. Notice of Hearing 1.. Except in Title IV-D actions, all notices of hearing must include a certificate signed by the attorney or pro se litigant that they have made a good faith attempt to resolve the matter without the necessity of a hearing. Should the court determine that there has not been a good faith attempt to resolve the matter the court may impose sanctions against the moving party or their attorney. F. Cancellation of Trial or Hearings 1. Only the party noticing the matter for hearing may cancel the hearing. 2. Trials or hearings scheduled by court order may not be cancelled. G. Mediation 1. Unless otherwise determined by the court, any party who seeks to schedule a trial or hearing on any contested issue, other than contempt, enforcement, injunctions against domestic or repeat violence, or Title IV-D actions, which will take more than one (1) hour, shall first participate in mediation. All parties and mediators will comply with the Florida Statutes, Florida Rules of Family Procedure and Florida Rules of Mediation, as well as the requirements listed in Nineteenth Circuit Page 8of12 • administrative order regarding mediation of family law cases. 2. If either party fails to appear at the mediation session, or if after mediating in good faith, an agreement cannot be reached, the mediator shall file the original mediation report with the Clerk 'of Court, with copies to the judge/magistrate, and all parties, or their counsel of record, within five ( 5) days after the mediation scheduled conference. 3. If an agreement is reached, the mediator shall submit a Stipulated Order Approving Mediation Agreement or a Stipulated Final Order of Jylodification of Final Judgment. 4. Any mediation agreement in which child support is at issue must include a completed child support guidelines worksheet. 5. Upon written motion, with good cause shown, any party may request that the court waive the mediation requirement. The motion, or joint motion, shall be signed by the litigant(s) requesting the waiver and their attorney, if represented by counsel. 6. Mediation, by agreement of the parties, which has taken place within three (3) months prior to the filing of the original action or modification, will satisfy the requirements of this section, if the mediator certified that the mediation resulted in an impasse. 7. The circuit shall make available a list of certified family mediators. H. Uniform Motion Calendar (UMC) 1. A UMC shall be provided by each Family Law Division judge (except Judges in Juvenile Delinquency and/or Dependency cases) at least one (1) day per week, unless holidays, illness, vacations, judges' meetings, or educational programs present a conflict in the judge's schedule. Each judge shall select the choice of day(s) and time(s) to hold their weekly UMC. 2. All notices of hearing for matters on the UMC must include a certificate signed by the attorney or pro se litigant that they have made a good faith attempt to resolve the matter without the necessity of a hearing. Should the court determine that there has not been a good faith attempt to resolve the matter the court may impose sanctions against the moving party or their attorney. 3. Hearings are limited to ten (10) minutes per case. If two (2) parties are involved in a case, each side is allotted five (5) minutes; if more than two (2) parties, time will be allocated by the judge. The time limitation shall include the time necessary for the judge to review documents, memos, and cases. 4. Prior to the hearing, the moving party shall furnish to the judge and opposing party or counsel, a copy of the motion to be heard and notice of hearing. Prior to the Page 9of12 • hearing, all parties shall furnish to the judge copies of all documents, pleadings or case law, which they want the judge to consider. 5. Unless otherwise ordered by the presiding judge, counsel or parties shall schedule motions on UMC with the Clerk of Court, and send written notice to the judge and opposing counsel, or pro se litigant in accordance with the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure. Unless otherwise ordered by the court or agreed upon by the opposing party or counsel, all UMC matters must be noticed at least 5 business days in advance of hearing. 6. At the hearing, any party requesting relief shall furnish the court with a prepared order and sufficient copies with pre-addressed stamped envelopes for all parties. 7. The sequence of the hearings will be set by the judge. Failure of any party to appear shall not prevent a party from proceeding with a hearing when the case is called. If a party called for hearing chooses to wait until the absent party arrives, the matter may be passed over until the end of the UMC. 8. Civil contempt, temporary relief, and non-routine evidentiary matters shall not be heard at UMC. UMC matters may include, but are not limited to, final hearings in uncontested matters, motions to compel discovery, motions for protective orders, motions to withdraw, motions to continue, motions for rehearing, motions to appoint experts, and motions to set or resolve mediation disputes. 9. Failure to comply with the procedures designated in paragraphs 1 through 8 of this section, inclusive, may result in the hearing being stricken from the docket. I. Ex parte Orders to Compel Discovery 1. When a Motion to Compel Discovery alleges a complete failure to timely respond or object to discovery, and there has been no request for extension of time to respond, an Ex Parte Order may be entered requiring compliance with the original discovery demand within ten (10) days from the entry of the order. All Motions to Compel Discovery shall comply with the requirements of Rule 12.380, Fla.Fam.L.R.P~ As required by the rule, the motion must include a certification that the movant, in good faith, has conferred or attempted to confer with the person or party failing to make the discovery in an effort to secure the information or material without court action. The moving party shall serve a copy of the motion and proposed order to the opposing parties or attorneys of record and shall furnish the Court with a copy of the motion and a proposed order in accordance with the judge's/magistrate's procedures. J. Proposed Orders and Judgments 1. Copies of all orders and judgments entered in family law cases shall be mailed to counsel and self-represented parties, even if default has been entered, unless service Page 10of12 • Florida (May 2004). All parties and attorneys of record must conduct themselves in accordance with the guidelines contained therein. b. The Nineteenth Judicial Circuit further adopted Standards of Professional Courtesy per Administrative Order 2015 - 06. All parties and attorneys of record must conduct themselves in accordance with the standards contained therein. 2. Coordination with Opposing Party a. In order to preclude unnecessary motions for continuance and protective orders, and prevent unnecessary backlog of the court's calendar, it is required that counsel or pro se litigants attempt to coordinate all hearings, depositions, and mediation, prior to scheduling or filing of notices for such matters. b. Any notice scheduling hearing, trial, deposition or mediation filed by a party shall be considered a representation that the party has coordinated the date with the opposing party. c. If the date has not been coordinated with the opposing party, the following language shall appear on the notice: "The above hearing/trial/deposition/mediation date has not been coordinated with the opposing party because ____ _ DONE AND ORDERED in quadruplicate at Stuart, Martin County, Florida this 5th day of January, 2016. Page 12of12 PROPOSED ORDERS • IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE NINETEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR INDIAN RIVER, MARTIN, OKEECHOBEE AND ST. LUCIE COUNTIES, FLORIDA AMENDED ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER 2015 -12 This Order Replaces Administrative Order 07-13 RE: Unified Family Court (UFC) WHEREAS, the mission of the UPC of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit is a commitment to developing a fully integrated, comprehensive approach to handling all cases involving children and families in a prompt and efficient manner; WHEREAS, the Florida Supreme Court has adopted the following guiding principles as a foundation for defining and implementing a model family court: Children should live in safe and permanent homes; The needs and best interests of children should be the primary consideration of any family court; All persons, whether children or adults, should be treated with objectivity, sensitivity, dignity and respect; Cases involving interrelated family law issues should be consolidated or coordinated to maximize use of court resources to avoid conflicting decisions and to minimize inconvenience to the families; Family court processes should attempt to address the family's interrelated legal and non-legal problems, empower families through skills development, assist them to resolve their own disputes, provide access to appropriate services, and offer a variety of dispute resolution forums where families can resolve problems without additional emotional trauma; Whenever possible, parties and their attorneys should be empowered to select processes for addressing issues in their cases that are compatible with the family's needs, financial circumstances, and legal requirements; The Court is responsible for managing cases with due consideration of the needs of the family, the litigants, and the issues presented by the case; There should be a means of differentiating among cases so that judicial resources are conserved and cases are diverted to non-judicial and quasi-judicial personnel for resolution, when appropriate and consistent with the ends of justice; Trial courts must coordinate and maximize court resources and establish linkages with community resources; The court's role in family restructuring is to identify services and craft solutions that are appropriate for long-term stability and that minimize the need for subsequent comt action; Page 1of12 • Court services should be available to litigants at a reasonable cost and accessible without economic discrimination; and Courts should have well-trained and highly-motivated judicial and non-judicial personnel. NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the authority vested in me as the Chief Judge of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, in order to meet the requirements of the Florida Supreme Court, articulated in In re Report of the Family Court Steering Committee, 794 So. 2d 518 (Fla. 2001), and In Re: Amendments to the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, 132 So. 3d 1114 (Fla. 2014), and to better serve the needs of the citizens of the State of Florida, it is hereby ORDERED as follows: I. JURISDICTION There is hereby created a Family Division of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, which shall include the following types of cases: A. Dissolution of marriage; B. Annulment; C. Support unconnected with dissolution of marriage; D. Paternity; E. Child support; F. URESA/UIFSA; G. Custodial care of and access to children; H. Adoption; I. Name change of adults and minors; J. Declaratory judgment actions related to premarital, marital, or post-marital agreements; K. Civil domestic, repeat, dating, sexual violence, and stalking injunctions; L. Juvenile dependency; M. Termination of parental rights; N. Juvenile delinquency; 0. Emancipation of a minor; P. CINS/FINS; Q. Truancy; R. Modification and enforcement of orders entered in these above-listed cases; and S. Judicial Waiver of Parental Notification of Termination of Pregnancy. II. APPLICABILITY The provisions of this Administrative Order shall apply to all cases filed in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit on or after January 1, 2006. Administrative Order 2007 - 13 is rescinded, effective January 1, 2016. To the extent that a provision of any prior administrative order of this circuit is in conflict with a provision of this order, the provisions of this administrative order shall apply. III. ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR UNIFIED FAMILY COURT A. Case Management Page 2of12 • 1. To the extent existing staff and resources can be allocated, the Family Division shall receive case management services and support services to enable the family court judges to assess, differentiate, and monitor resources needed for handling cases, to be able to identify all collateral cases affecting the parties involved, and to monitor the movement of cases through the judicial process. 2. Case management shall include: a. Initial review and evaluation of cases, including assignment of cases to court divisions or dockets; b. Case monitoring, tracking and coordination; c. Service referral, coordination, monitoring, and tracking of court ordered programs; and d. Procedures related to time standards and Case Management are addressed in section VI (K) of this Order. B. Self Help Programs The Nineteenth Judicial Circuit shall ensure that Self Help Programs provide procedural information to persons who choose to represent themselves consistent with Rule 12.750. C. Domestic Violence and Repeat Violence The case managers throughout the Nineteenth Circuit shall work with each other, as well as the judges and the Clerks of Court throughout the circuit, to identify cases involving domestic violence, repeat violence and companion cases, and continue to develop techniques to ensure that said cases are managed in a timely and organized manner. D. Alternative Dispute Resolution 1. The Nineteenth Circuit has enacted a separate administrative order to address family cases ordered to mediation. 2. If the court determines that mediation is not appropriate as a result of domestic violence, or any other reason, as determined by the comt, the court may waive the mediation requirement. E. Guardian ad Litem The court shall utilize, where appropriate, the services of the Guardian ad Litem Program to ensure representation of the best interests of children involved in cases with allegations of abuse, abandonment and/or neglect. Page 3of12 • was by publication and there is no mailing address listed for the Respondent in the court file. The party preparing the order or judgment shall provide opposing counsel or self-represented party a copy of the proposed order or judgment five (5) days prior to submission to the court. The proposed order or judgment shall be submitted to the court in accordance with the judge's/magistrate's procedures as well as proof that it was submitted to the opposing party(ies)/counsel. 2. Every proposed order or judgment shall be submitted by the party designated by the court, for signature within ten (10) days after the decision. In the event the designated party fails to submit a proposed order within said ten (10) days, the opposing party may submit a proposed order within five (5) days after the initial ten (10) day period. Failure to comply with this procedure may result in sanctions. 3. The title of every order submitted shall contain the subject matter of the motion or pleading ruled upon and the commencement shall state the date on which the matter was heard. 4. All orders and judgments submitted to the court shall be on plain letter size paper. Any submission of an order or judgment by a party shall be accompanied by a cover letter stating that the party has read it, sent a copy, including the cover letter, to the opposing paiiy in accordance with paragraph 2 of this section, and that it is submitted in good faith in accordance with the findings and decision of the court. 5. In the event there is an objection to a proposed order or judgment, the objecting party must submit an alternative proposed order or judgment within five ( 5) days of receipt of the proposed order, and if not received within five (5) days, the Court will consider the objection withdrawn. K. Time Standards and Case Management 1. Time standards have been established for the completion of domestic relations cases, pursuant to Florida Rules of Judicial Administration 2.085( e )(1 )( c ). These standards are: Uncontested Cases- 90 days (filing to final disposition) Contested Cases - 180 days (filing to final disposition) 2. It is the policy of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit to adhere to these time standards in all family cases. L. Professional Courtesy 1. Governing Authority a. The Nineteenth Judicial Circuit hereby adopts the Standards for Professional Courtesy outlined in the Bounds of Advocacy, Goals for Family Lawyers in Page 11of12 DISCOVERY DISPUTES • B. Coordination of Related Cases 1. Pursuant to Rule 12.003, Family Law Rules of Procedure, upon discovery of. the existence of one or more pending related cases involving the same parties, or their children, in which one or more judges has been assigned, dependency, delinquency, family and domestic and repeat violence companion cases shall be assigned as follows: a. Dependency/Family: If there is an open dependency case at any time during the pendency of a dissolution of marriage or other related family law matter, the family law matter shall be transferred to the presiding dependency judge. If the dependency case is closed without any adjudication of dependency, the case shall be returned to the family court judge who heard the other matter~ in the case. If there is an adjudication of dependency as to either of the parents, then the case shall remain with the dependency judge who shall then establish an appropriate parenting plan, determine child support and resolve all other outstanding issues in the case, and enfer a Final Judgment in the Dissolution of Marriage Action or related family law matter. b. Dependency/Domestic Violence/Repeat Violence: If there is an active dependency case and a domestic violence or . repeat violence case is subsequently filed, all matters shall be heard by the presiding dependency judge. This provision shall not be interpreted to preclude another judge from entering an ex-parte/temporary injunction if the dependency judge is unavailable. c. Family/Domestic Violence/Repeat Violence: If there is an active family case and a domestic violence or repeat violence case subsequently arises involving the same parties and/or children, the domestic violence or repeat violence matter shall be assigned to the judge presiding over the family matter. 2. When the judges involved decide it is impractical to assign all of the cases to the same judge, the judges will exchange information so that each judge involved with the family is aware of the other pleadings and issues being addressed. The case manager shall continue to monitor the progress and status of related cases. V. FAMILY LAW ADVISORY GROUP Each county in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit shall establish a Family Law Advisory Group (FLAG). VI. PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS FOR FAMILY CASES The following procedural requirements shall apply to all family cases except Juvenile Dependency and/or Juvenile Delinquency cases. Page 6of12
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE NINETEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR INDIAN RIVER, MARTIN, OKEECHOBEE AND ST. LUCIE COUNTIES, FLORIDA AMENDED ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER 2015 -12 This Order Replaces Administrative Order 07-13 RE: Unified Family Court (UFC) WHEREAS, the mission of the UPC of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit is a commitment to developing a fully integrated, comprehensive approach to handling all cases involving children and families in a prompt and efficient manner; WHEREAS, the Florida Supreme Court has adopted the following guiding principles as a foundation for defining and implementing a model family court: Children should live in safe and permanent homes; The needs and best interests of children should be the primary consideration of any family court; All persons, whether children or adults, should be treated with objectivity, sensitivity, dignity and respect; Cases involving i
Reviewer note: Document sha256: e3c78d0d4a9211d81a0952e9a8fafd0e544b3f86bab3708710a900078df67dda. One rule per order rather than per topic, so an order's requirements stay together. Published during the completeness pass. | Text repaired 2026-09-05 (audit 2026-09-04 L17): soft hyphens folded into their hyphenated words. Text recomposed 2026-09-08 (Phase 3b): OCR/extractor artifacts corrected verbatim against the official print; wording unchanged. 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]
4 verbatim requirements on hearings.
2 verbatim requirements on hearing time in LAUREN N. PEFFER's division.