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53 verbatim mandatory provisions from AO 2026-003.
Third Judicial Circuit (Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor). Check the order's own effective and rescission dates before relying on it. Procedural information only; not legal advice.
• The remaining court proceedings that must be recorded at State expense may be reported using either digital or stenographic court reporting. • It shall specifically include the digital recording and any associated notes of any electronically recorded court proceeding made by electronic equipment owned by the Third Judicial Circuit. • For all proceedings in which the Court is required to provide a record, the “official record” is the transcript, which is the written record of court proceedings as produced by an approved court reporter and filed with the Clerk of Court. • Extraneous and non-substantive conversations occurring at sidebar (i.e., personal or social banter between the parties or between the parties and the judge) shall not be considered as part of the record. • Court Administration is the official record keeper of all official recordings of court proceedings, and such official recordings shall be maintained at a specified location, designated by Court Administration, in an organized manner for efficient retrieval. • The Court does not provide court reporting services at public expense for proceedings held in the Circuit Civil Division, the County Civil Division, or the Family Division (except for certain proceedings in those divisions that the Court is required to provide a record at public expense as outlined in this Administrative Order). • As set forth in Rule 2.535(h)(l), all proceedings required by law, court rule, or administrative order to be reported shall be reported at public expense. • In accordance with Rule 2.535(i), a stenographic court reporter shall be used in all trials in which the State seeks the death penalty and in capital postconviction proceedings; the use of digital court reporters for these kinds of proceedings is prohibited. 1. • Preparation of transcripts in cases in which the State seeks the death penalty and in capital postconviction proceedings shall be given priority and all measures, including, but not limited to those listed in Rule 2.535(i) (l)-(4), shall be used to expedite these transcripts. • Unless a different timeframe is ordered by the Court, the transcript of the designated proceeding(s) shall be prepared within 30 days. 2. • Upon the imposition of the death penalty, the judge shall orally instruct the court reporter to immediately begin transcribing the penalty phase of the trial, the Spencer hearing, any other hearings held after the verdict but prior to sentencing, and the actual sentencing hearing. 4. • At the conclusion of a case management conference, Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850 or 3.851 evidentiary hearing, or any other evidentiary postconviction hearings in a case in which a death sentence has been imposed, the judge conducting the hearing shall orally instruct the court reporter to immediately begin to transcribe the hearing(s). 5. • Where immediate transcription instructions in a death penalty proceeding are required but are not given, the State Attorney's Office or defense attorney shall move for transcription of the relevant proceedings and prepare an order to transcribe for the signature of the appropriate judge. 6. • Stenographic notes in cases in which the State seeks the death penalty and in capital postconviction proceedings shall not be "loaned out." This policy ensures that the court reporter has immediate access to the notes for the production of the transcript. • In accordance with Rule 2.535(h)(6), testimony in grand jury proceedings shall be reported by an approved court reporter but shall not be transcribed unless required by order of Court. • Other parts of grand jury proceedings, including deliberations and voting, shall not be reported. • The approved court reporter's work AO 2026-003 (Court Reporting Plan) 5 product, including stenographic notes, electronic recordings, and transcripts, shall be filed with the Clerk of the Court under seal. • In accordance with Rule 2.535(j), transcription of hearings for appeals of orders in juvenile dependency and termination of parental rights cases shall be given priority, consistent with Rule 2.215(g), over transcription of all other proceedings, unless otherwise ordered by the Court based upon a demonstrated exigency. • All transcripts must comply with the form, size, spacing, and method of printing as prescribed by Rule 2.535(f). • Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, all original transcripts of a court proceeding shall be filed with the Clerk of the Court utilizing the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal. • This digital recording is not the official record, as explained above, and shall not be disseminated or otherwise disclosed outside the attorney's office nor may it be enhanced or modified so as to reveal confidential information that would otherwise be inaudible. • The Court Reporting Department shall be copied with the motion and order for transcription. • Any person may purchase a digital recording of a court proceeding, except for proceedings held under the Rules of Juvenile Procedure, Baker Act proceedings, or any other exempt proceedings that shall not be provided to non-parties without an order of the Court. • To request a copy of a digital recording of a court proceeding, the "Court Reporting Transcript and/or DVD Request Form," found on the Court Administration website (https://thirdcircuitfl.org), must be completed in its entirety AO 2026-003 (Court Reporting Plan) 6 and submitted to the Court Reporting Department with the appropriate payment in accordance with the instructions provided. • AOSC l1-22, before any digital recording is released, an "Acknowledgement" regarding the "Release of Audio/Video Recording of Court Proceeding" must be signed and accompany the request form. • Any person may purchase a transcript of a court proceeding, except for proceedings held under the Rules of Juvenile Procedure, Baker Act proceedings, or any other exempt proceedings that shall not be provided to non-parties without an order of the Court. • To request a transcript of a court proceeding, a "Court Reporting Transcript and/or DVD Request Form," found on the Court Administration website (https://thirdcircuitfl.org), must be completed in its entirety and submitted to the Court Reporting Department. • The requesting party will be informed of the estimated cost of the transcript, not to be less than $50.00, and the party must submit one half of the total cost before work will begin on the transcript. • If the proceeding is confidential and exempt from public access pursuant to law or rule of court, and the person requesting the transcript or digital recording is not an attorney, party of record, or court staff in the performance of his or her duties, the requesting party must secure an order granting the request for the transcription or digital recording of the proceeding from the Court. • Backup recordings of proceedings shall not be disclosed to persons who are not employed or contracted by the Third Judicial Circuit without a court order. • Court personnel and members of the Clerk's Offices and Court Administration shall provide notice to participants in a courtroom proceeding that electronic recording equipment is in use and that they should safeguard information that they do not want recorded. • In order to ensure an accurate record of the proceedings using electronic recording equipment, all participants must comply with the following procedures: 1. • All participants in a proceeding must identify themselves for the Court, speak clearly into the microphone in order for the system to make an accurate record, and ensure that microphones are on for all non-private communications. • Other participants in the courtroom, including clerk of court personnel, bailiffs, attorneys, and employees of the Court, shall notify the judge or judicial officer if a participant is not speaking with sufficient volume. 2. • No one shall tamper with the microphones or electronic recording equipment. • Court personnel, including bailiffs, shall ensure that no one tampers with the microphones or electronic recording equipment and, to the extent possible, shall immediately notify the judge or judicial officer when it appears that someone is tampering or has tampered with the electronic recording equipment or if the equipment is not functioning properly. 3. • Attorneys shall inform their clients of the method of recording being utilized and take precautions to protect disclosure of confidential communications in the courtroom or hearing room (including the use of the mute button on the microphones). 4. • Court reporters shall monitor equipment during a proceeding to ensure adequate operation and immediately notify the presiding judge or judicial officer of problems with the equipment. • Approved court reporters are officers of the court for all purposes while acting as court reporters and must comply with all rules and statutes that are applicable to court reporters. 2. • All approved court reporters shall produce true and accurate transcripts as required. AO 2026-003 (Court Reporting Plan) 8 3. • All approved court reporters shall certify the transcript as a true and accurate text of the court proceeding. • All official court reporters shall note in the record any pertinent information, including, but not limited to their name; the style of the case or event; the case number; the location, date, and time of the proceeding; whether the defendant is present; and, if applicable, the return of the jury after each recess. 2. • All official court reporters may not engage in private court reporting without specific approval of the Trial Court Administrator. 5. • The official court reporter may be responsible for transcription of notes after employment ends, as requested by the Court or Trial Court Administrator, and shall be paid at the lower rate provided for in the attached Fee Schedule. • Transcripts prepared after release of employment shall be delivered to Court Administration for distribution along with the notes within 45 days from the date the notes are released. • If transcripts are requested and paid for by a private party, the former court reporter shall be responsible for distribution of the transcripts, billing and collection of the funds due resulting from the preparation of the transcript. • All stenographic notes and recordings must be returned within 45 days from the date the notes are released. • Employees of the Court Reporting Department may not disclose, directly or indirectly, orally or in writing, to anyone other than a party or a party's attorney of record, information obtained through the performance of their duties unless specifically authorized by the Court. • All court personnel providing a copy of the original digital recording on electronic medium shall certify the copy to be true and accurate. • Contract court reporters shall produce all recordings (audio, stenographic, and/or paper) with submission of the invoice. • Receipt of the recordings is required prior to payment of the invoices. AO 2026-003 (Court Reporting Plan) 9 VIII. • STENOGRAPH OR DIGITAL EVENT FEE Court Order if Prepared at Public Expense Court Order Required State Attorney Public Defender Court Appointed Indigent for Costs Private APPEALS, AUDIO, TRIAL/HEARING/COURT PROCEEDINGS Original, Per Page $ 4.00 Yes Yes Yes Yes No Original, Expedited, 2-3 Days $ 6.00 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Extra Copies, Per Page, Electronic $ 0.50 No No No No No Extra Copies, Per Page, Paper $ 1.00 No No No No No Real-Time, Rough Draft, Per Page $ 2.00 No No No No No Transcript Deposit* $ 50.00 N/A N/A N/A N/A No Postage Rate Actual cost will vary N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A MEDIA DUPLICATION DVD or SharePoint Link $ 25.00 No No No No No Postage Rate for DVD $ 1.50 *A $50 deposit or half of the cost of the transcript, whichever is greater, is required before preparation of a transcript, which shall be applied to the cost of the transcript when requested by a private party. • Any balance due must be paid before the transcript will be released.
The remaining court proceedings that must be recorded at State expense may be reported using either digital or stenographic court reporting.
Reviewer note: Document sha256: ee081fbfac185afa0f7bb8e72dfbf749d04fd33ad9149b8ba9606671c9808e1e (360959 bytes). Text layer cleaned 2026-09-08 (Phase 3a): page markers removed; wording untouched. [title 2026-09-10: subject taken from the order caption / court file name (SEO/GEO Phase 3); the verbatim text is unchanged] Verbatim from the order's own text layer, harvested 2026-07-25; whitespace normalised only. No OCR. Only sentences carrying mandatory language are reproduced — the full order is in custody and is the controlling text. [moved from the text 2026-09-14]
9 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-10.
6 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-13.