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40 verbatim requirements from order [unlisted file in the court's /pdf/ao/ order directory] AO 2.41 - First Amended.pdf.
20th Judicial Circuit. Procedural information only; not legal advice.
Verbatim from https://www.ca.cjis20.org/pdf/ao/AO%202.41%20-%20First%20Amended.pdf, harvested 2026-07-25; whitespace normalised only. • AOSC21- 17 , Am endment 1, over which the Chief Judge of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit has no discretion, shall govern all court proceedings within the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, regardless of whether they are re-stated within the body of this amended local Administrative Order. -- 2 of 40 -- reqwre. • The wearing of face masks3 is required for everyone entering the courthouse or court faci li ties, including, but not limited to, members of the public, attorneys, litigant s, witnesses, observers, vendors, media, law enforcement, judges, court staff, and employees of all other occupants of the courthouse or court facility, with no exceptions. • Face masks shall be worn at all times throughout the courthouses and court facilities, including inside courtrooms. b. • Judges, court staff, and court employees do not have to wear a face mask in their private chambers or office. • If they do not have a private office, and ample social distancing4 is not observed, a face ma sk shall be worn while at their desk. d. • If visitors to a courthouse do not have a face mask, one will be provided at no cost, for as long as supplies last, at all courthouse entrances. • Participants of a court proceeding may request to be physically distanced, and the judicial or quasi-judicial officer shall address such requests as appropriate under the circumstances at the time of the request. • The following trial court proceedings must be conducted in-person : • Grand Jury selection and proceedings. • Criminal Jury selection and trial proceedings, and Criminal Non - • The presiding judicial or quasi-judicial officer in all cases must consider the constitutional rights of crime victims and criminal defendants and the public 's constitutional right of access to the courts. e. • To the extent that there may be conflicting needs, th e Chief Judge shall have the discretion to determine how best to utilize available reso ur ces (including jurors and staff) and facility space. • When the suspension ends and the time periods resume, any time that accrued under the procedure for a person before the suspension began at the close of business on March 13, 2020, must be subtracted from the tin1e periods provided by the procedure. b. -- 6 of 40 -- c. • Administrative Order AOSC21 - l 7, Amendment I , the time period involv ing the speedy trial -- 7 of 40 -- business on March 13, 2020, must be subtracted from the time period provided by the procedure. • Amended) related to COVID-19, and any other related policies, has been incorporated as a supplement to the Administrative Office of the Courts' Personnel Regulations and shall remain applicable to the COVID -1 9 pandemic, as well as future pandemics, subject to revision by the • This local Administrative Order shall be effective immediately, and shall remain in effect until otherwise vacated or superseded by further order of this Court or the Supreme • Section J.B. or LC. must b e impl eme nt ed by all cou rts by August 2, 2 021. • Protocols . 3 Unless required by federal, state, or local laws, rules, or regu l ations or unless authorized by Section LC. , a court may not require the wearing of fa ce masks 4 or physical distancing in a courthouse; s however , a person in a courthouse may choose to wear a fa ce mask. • Further, during an in-person court pro cee ding: 6 (1) A face mask must be provided upon r e qu est to a participant or observ e r. • If adopted, the policy must apply consistently across all in-person court proceedings in the same courthouse. • (2) Notice of a protocol required under Section I.C.(1) must be prominently displayed on the court 's website . • When local health - 5 - -- 13 of 40 -- court must return to implementation of the applicable protocol under Section J.B. • All in-person court proceedings must be conducted in a manner consistent with • (1) The presiding judge in all cases must consider the constitutio nal rights of crime victims and criminal defendants and the public's constitutional right of access to the courts .7 (2) To maximize the availability of facility space for trial court proceedings that must be conducted in person , e ach chi ef judge of a judicial circuit should take all necessary steps to support the remote conduct of other trial court proceedings with the use of technology, in accordance with this adm ini strative order and other -- 14 of 40 -- applicable standards and guidance as may be adopted by the Chief • B (3) Participants who have the capability of participating by electronic means in remote appellate or trial court proceedings must do so.9 For purposes of this administrative order, "remote conduct," "remotely conduct," or "conducted remotely" means the conduct, in part or in whole, of a court proceeding using telephonic or other electronic means. 10 (4) All rules of procedure, court orders, and opinions applicab le to court proceedings that limit or prohibit the use of communication equipment for the remote conduct of proceedings shall remain suspended . 11 • AOSC20-109. - 8 - -- 16 of 40 -- (3) All rules of procedure, court orders , and opinions applicable to remote testimony, depositions, and other legal testimony, including the attestation of family law forms , that can be read to limit or pr ohibit the use of audio-video communication technology to administer oaths remotely or to witness the attestation of family law forms shall remain suspended. 15 (4) Notaries and other persons qualified to administer an oath in the State of Florida may swear in new attorneys to The Florida • The supervising attorney and law student must maintain a separate, confidential communication channel during the proceedings. • (2) In a law school practice program, the requirement in Rule 1 l-l.2(b) of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar that an indigent person and the supervising attorney must consent in writing to representation by a supervised law student may be satisfied by the judge receiving the consent verbally under oath. - 10 - -- 18 of 40 -- • Non-statewid e grand jury selection and proceedings , civil jury selection pro cee dings and trial proceedings, and criminal jury selection proce e dings and trial proceedings must be conducted in person, unless a r e mot e civil or criminal jury selection pro cee ding or trial proceeding is a uthori ze d under Se c tion II.E.(3) . • The cases selected for a remote jury proceeding must be based upon the case being conducive to a remote proceeding and conducted pursuant to the requirements specified in the report titled Requirements and Evaluation Criteria - Remote Civil and • Within 30 days after the remote conduct of a jury selection proceeding or trial proceeding for the first time in a judicial circuit, the circuit must present the results of the proceeding and report its findings and recommendations to the Chief Justice through the state courts administrator. • Il.E.(3)a.ii. are satisfied or, if not, must be conducted in person. 1i. • Termination of parental rights and juvenile delinquency cases may be conducted remotely if ordered by the chief judge or the presiding judge or, if not , must be conducted in person. b. • Hearings to determine whether an individual should be involuntarily committed under the Baker Act or the Marchman Act may be conducted remotely if ordered by the chief judge or presiding judge or , if not, must be conducted in person. c. • Must be conducted remotely if requested by a party unless the chief judge or presiding judge determines that the interests of justice require the proceeding to be conducted in person . ii. • Should be conducted remotely , as appropriate, to facilitate the efficient and expeditious processing of cases, except that a proceeding must be conducted in person if the chief judge or presiding judge determines - 15 - -- 23 of 40 -- with the United States or Florida Constitution, a statute, or a rule of court, a court order, or an opinion that has not been suspended by administrative order. • (5) In-Person Trial Court Proceedings. 24 It is the responsibility of the chief judge to ensure that trial court proceedings that must be in person pursuant Section II.E. • Chief judges shall have the discretion to determine how best to utiliz e available trial court resources and facility space to conduct in-person proceedings , but before making such determination should consider the following priorities listed from highest to lowest: a . • Must dir ec t all judges within their circuits to stric tly co mply with Florid a Rul e of G eneral Pr ac ti ce and Judi c ial • Communicate to the local Bar that lawyers must strictly comply with Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial • Florida Small Claims Rul e 7.090(d) (providing that the trial in a small claims action must be set not more than 60 days from the date of the pretrial conference except as otherwise ..._,,, t rn R 1 «- r specified); • Upon such designation, the action must proceed as provided in the rule.
AOSC21- 17 , Am endment 1, over which the Chief Judge of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit has no discretion, shall govern all court proceedings within the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, regardless of whether they are re-stated within the body of this amended local Administrative Order. -- 2 of 40 -- reqwre.
Reviewer note: Order PDF sha256: c1f48100712242aed651645b5d2ca9f8e304eec4fa30ad80648869868daec4e9. Extracted from the order's own text layer.
Judge Bell caps motions and responses at 5 pages for UMC hearings and 12 pages for special-set hearings.
Judge Alijewicz requires every motion for attorney's fees and/or costs to attach a document detailing time records — no records, no fee award.
Judge Corlew bars informal contact: every communication with the Court must be in writing, filed with the Clerk, with copies furnished to all parties — and no calls to the JA to schedule or cancel UMC.