2019-2020

FLORIDA STATE COURTS

Annual Report Founded in 1845, the Florida Supreme Court Library is one of the oldest of Florida’s state- supported libraries. Originally established for use by the supreme court and the attorneys who practice before it, the library now serves the entire state courts system. Library staff also provide assistance to other law libraries, law firms, and state agencies, and the library is open to the public. (Due to the COVID health emergency and social distancing requirements, access to the library is currently limited until further notice.) The Supreme Court of Florida

Florida State Courts Annual Report July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020

Charles T. Canady Chief Justice

Ricky Polston Jorge Labarga C. Alan Lawson Barbara Lagoa Robert J. Luck Carlos G. Muñiz Justices

Lisa H. Kiel State Courts Administrator The 2019 – 2020 Florida State Courts Annual Report is published by The Office of the State Courts Administrator 500 South Duval Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1900

Under the direction of Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles T. Canady State Courts Administrator Lisa H. Kiel Innovations and Outreach Chief Tina White Written/edited by Beth C. Schwartz, Court Publications Writer

© 2021, Office of the State Courts Administrator, Florida. All rights reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS

Message from the Chief Justice...... 1 July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020: The Year in Review Long-Range Issue #1: Deliver Justice Effectively, Efficiently, and Fairly...... 10 Keeping the Courts Open during the COVID Pandemic...... 11 State Courts System Funding...... 16 Judicial Management Council...... 18 Performance and Accountability...... 24 Fairness and Diversity Awareness...... 28 Long-Range Issue #2: Enhance Access to Justice and Court Services...... 30 Access to Civil Justice...... 31 Court interpreting Services...... 33 Family Court...... 37 Problem-Solving Courts...... 41 Alternative Dispute Resolution...... 43 Long-Range Issue #3: Improve Understanding of the Judicial Process...... 47 Branch-Wide Court Communication Plan...... 47 Education and Outreach...... 49 Long-Range Issue #4: Modernize the Administration of Justice and Operation of Court Facilities...... 56 Court Technology...... 57 Emergency Preparedness...... 61 Long-Range Issue #5: Maintain a Professional, Ethical, and Skilled Judiciary and Workforce...... 64 Education for Judges, Quasi-Judicial Officers, and Court Personnel...... 64 Florida’s Court Structure...... 69 Map of Florida’s Court Jurisdictions...... 71 Court Administration...... 72 Court Committees...... 73 Judicial Certification Table...... 77 Florida’s Budget, FY 2019 - 2020 and FY 2020 - 2021...... 78 State Courts System Appropriations, FY 2019 - 2020 and FY 2020 - 2021...... 79 Filings, FY 2009 - 2010 to FY 2018 - 2019, Florida’s Trial and Appellate Courts...... 80 Filings, FY 2018 - 2019, District Courts of Appeal, Circuit Courts, and County Courts...... 84 Court Contacts for 2021...... 89

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 2019-2020 FLORIDA JUDICIAL BRANCH

Mission

The mission of the judicial branch is to protect rights and liberties, uphold and interpret the law, and provide for the peaceful resolution of disputes.

Vision

Justice in Florida will be accessible, fair, effective, responsive, and accountable.

To be accessible, the Florida justice system will be convenient, understandable, timely, and affordable to everyone.

To be fair, the Florida justice system will respect the dignity of every person, regardless of race, class, gender or other characteristic, apply the law appropriately to the circumstances of individual cases, and include judges and court staff who reflect the community’s diversity.

To be effective, the Florida justice system will uphold the law and apply rules and procedures consistently and in a timely manner, resolve cases with finality, and provide enforceable decisions.

To be responsive, the Florida justice system will anticipate and respond to the needs of all members of society, and provide a variety of dispute resolution methods.

To be accountable, the Florida justice system will use public resources efficiently and in a way that the public can understand.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 2019-2020 MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF JUSTICE

We have all been braving an uncommonly difficult time since I wrote last year’s message. I know that some of us have personally suffered from COVID-19. And some of us, sadly, have lost people dear to us. Our work lives, as well as our home lives, have been disrupted utterly. We will not soon forget the challenges we have been facing. With the publication of the Florida State Courts Annual Report, however, we turn to reflect on what we have achieved, despite—or, in some ways, because of—these challenges. The adversities posed by the pandemic have been great, but Florida’s courts system and its partners continue to meet them in creative ways.

We understand that protecting the liberty and the prosperity of our people depends on a healthy, functioning courts system and that the goal of equal justice for everyone—which would be meaningless without courts and lawyers—is at the very heart of our constitution and the promise of America. Accordingly, in early March, the Florida judiciary jumped into action to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. In a matter of days and weeks, all around the state, we introduced adaptations that many participants in the justice system thought they would never see in their lifetimes—and these modifications brought about sweeping changes in the way we all do our jobs. To enable court proceedings to be conducted remotely, we had to establish new procedures and adopt new technologies. Court staff worked to procure, install, and implement videoconferencing licenses for every judge in the state as well as many staff (more than 1,700 Zoom licenses were installed). Swiftly, Florida’s courts and lawyers began to pivot to the use of video and telephone conferences to deal with matters that could be addressed through those means. Everyone acclimated to the changed environment with admirable speed.

Due to the constraints posed by the pandemic, we have been able to conduct only a very small number of trials, and a daunting number of trial court cases has been stacking up. Even so, much of the work of justice has continued during this time, and cases have been moving forward: between March and December 2020, more than 400,000 Zoom hearings and other events were held by judges and court personnel, involving 2.6 million participants. Largely through remote proceedings, trial courts in Florida are on track to dispose of a projected 2.8 million cases in fiscal year 2020 – 2021. The appellate courts adjusted as well, using videoconferencing technology to dispose of cases in much the same manner as they did before the emergency. Remote technology has fundamentally changed the way courts in Florida administer justice.

I believe our success has three sources. First, right after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we established branch- wide policies and procedures for preparing for and managing threats and emergencies that can disrupt court operations. The two foundational policy goals that we developed in 2001—protect the lives and health of everyone at the court and keep the courts open to ensure justice for the people—shaped our response to COVID-19.

Second, over time, we have embraced numerous technology innovations that have proven invaluable during the pandemic. Thanks to electronic filing, which we introduced in 2011, lawyers and litigants are submitting court documents to the clerks of court, and lower tribunals are submitting court documents to the appellate courts, without anyone jeopardizing their health. And in 2014, we began using video remote interpreting, which

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 1 2019-2020 MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF JUSTICE

17 of our 20 judicial circuits are now using; this critical access-to-justice tool enables our courts to minimize in- person contact while continuing to serve the needs of those with limited English proficiency. In addition, our case management systems are enabling judges and court personnel to manage their workloads from home and are supporting efforts to conduct proceedings remotely during the pandemic. I should also mention that, in 2009, the supreme court introduced the use of social media to communicate better with the public we serve, and, since the 2016 release of the branch-wide communication plan, Florida courts at all levels have implemented social media policies and developed social media accounts to communicate quickly and efficiently with internal and external audiences—which has been extraordinarily helpful during the pandemic.

Finally, our success would certainly not have been possible without the dedication, resourcefulness, and flexibility of a great many people in the justice system. Our chief judges have provided energetic leadership in adapting to the difficulties presented by the pandemic, and our judges have been working hard to carry on judicial business to the maximum extent possible under pandemic circumstances. Our Workgroup on the Continuity of Court Operations and Proceedings During and After COVID-19 has made an extraordinary contribution to the efforts of the judicial branch to meet the challenges posed by the pandemic. Our court staff have tirelessly provided essential support, enabling judges to do their jobs. And, of course, our justice system partners—clerks, counties, sheriffs, state attorneys, public defenders, and the lawyers who come before our courts—have all been playing a critical role in continuing the work of justice. I deeply appreciate all these efforts to ensure that the courts can serve the people of Florida in the face of the pandemic.

Our response to the pandemic will forever change the way Florida’s courts operate. This experience has taught us a great deal that will benefit our courts system long after we are beyond the limitations that COVID-19 has thrust on us. I imagine that, in future years, when we look back on this difficult time, we will see that we planted seeds that helped our courts become more accessible, efficient, and responsive. For instance, although traditional, in-person proceedings will remain central to the work of our courts, we have discovered that much work can be done through remote proceedings, which can significantly reduce the cost and burdens of litigation. Our new ways of doing things have been welcomed by attorneys and are very popular with many of those who come to the courts. Many challenges await us in the courts. But the same strengths I have seen in our response to the coronavirus outbreak will serve us well as we recover and resume.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 2 2019-2020 FLORIDA’S SUPREME COURT JUSTICES

Charles T. Canady Chief Justice

Justice Canady was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court in August 2008. He served as chief justice from 2010 – 2012 and, since July 1, 2018, has been serving as chief for a second time.

Born in Lakeland, Florida, Justice Canady has the unusual distinction of having served in all three branches of government. Returning to Lakeland after receiving his BA from Haverford College and his JD from Yale Law School, he went into private practice, concentrating on real estate law. In 1984, he successfully ran for a seat in the Florida House and served for three terms. Then in 1993, he was elected to the US House, serving until 2001. Throughout his tenure in Congress, he was a member of the House Judiciary Committee, which sparked his interest in appellate work; he chaired the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution from 1995 to 2001. After leaving Washington, DC, he returned to Florida and settled in Tallahassee, where he served as the governor’s general counsel. In 2002, he was appointed to the Second District Court of Appeal, where he remained until his appointment to the Florida Supreme Court.

Justice Canady and his wife, Jennifer Houghton, have two children.

Ricky Polston Justice

Justice Polston was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court in October 2008, and he served as chief justice from 2012 – 2014.

A native of Graceville, Florida, Justice Polston grew up on a farm that raised peanuts, watermelon, and cattle. He began his professional life as a certified public accountant: he received his BS in accounting from Florida State University in 1977 and developed a thriving career (in fact, he is still a licensed CPA). Nine years later, he received his law degree, also from Florida State University. He then went into private practice, where he handled cases in state, federal, and appellate court. He remained in private practice until his appointment to the First District Court of Appeal in 2001, where he served until he was appointed to the Supreme Court.

Justice Polston and his wife, Deborah Ehler Polston, are the parents of ten children: in addition to their four biological children, they are raising a sibling group of six children whom they adopted from the state’s foster care system.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 3 2019-2020 FLORIDA’S SUPREME COURT JUSTICES

Jorge Labarga Justice

Justice Labarga was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court in January 2009; he is the second Hispanic to sit on the court. He is the court’s fifty-sixth chief justice of Florida and served as chief justice from 2014 – 2018.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Justice Labarga was a young boy when he ventured to Pahokee, Florida, with his family. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in 1976, and, three years later, he earned his law degree, also from the University of Florida. He spent three years as an assistant public defender (from 1979 – 1982), five years as an assistant state attorney (from 1982 – 1987), and nine years in private practice, all in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit. In 1996, he was appointed a circuit judge in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, where he served in the family, civil, and criminal divisions and as the administrative judge of the civil division. Then in December 2008, he was appointed to the Fourth District Court of Appeal. However, Justice Labarga was on the appellate bench only one day before the governor selected him to serve on the Florida Supreme Court.

Justice Labarga and his wife Zulma have two children.

C. Alan Lawson Justice

Justice Lawson was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court in December 2016.

A native of Lakeland, Florida, Justice Lawson received his AA from Tallahassee Community College, his BS from Clemson University, and his JD from Florida State University. After nine years in private practice and four years as an assistant county attorney for Orange County, Florida, he was appointed a circuit judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit, where he served from 2002 – 2005. Then in 2006, he was appointed to the Fifth District Court of Appeal; his colleagues selected him to be the court’s chief judge in 2015, and he served in that capacity until his appointment to the supreme court.

In addition to his volunteer work for various civic organizations, Justice Lawson has been involved in numerous bar and extrajudicial activities over the years: among them, he taught for the Florida Judicial College and served on the Florida DCA Budget Commission and the Florida Courts Technology Commission, and he was a member of the Florida Bar’s Appellate Practice Section, the Rules of Criminal Procedure Committee, and the Code and Rules of Evidence Committee.

Justice Lawson and his wife, Julie Carlton Lawson, have two children.

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Barbara Lagoa Justice

Justice Lagoa was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court on January 9, 2019.

Born in Miami, Justice Lagoa is the first Cuban-American woman to serve on the court. She received her BA in English from Florida International University and her JD from Columbia University. Before joining the bench, she practiced law both in the civil and criminal arenas. Then in 2003, she joined the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida; as an assistant US attorney, she worked in the Civil, Major Crimes, and Appellate Sections. In 2006, she was appointed to the Third District Court of Appeal, where she served until her appointment to the supreme court.

Justice Lagoa’s civic and community activities include service on the Board of Directors for the YWCA of Greater Miami and Dade County, the Film Society of Miami, Kristi House, and the Florida International University Alumni Association. She is a member of the Eugene P. Spellman and William Hoeveler Chapter of the American Inns of Court.

Justice Lagoa and her husband, Paul C. Huck, Jr., an attorney, have three children. She left the court in December 2019, when she was appointed to the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Robert J. Luck Justice

Justice Luck was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court on January 14, 2019.

Born and raised in Miami-Dade County, Justice Luck received his BA in Economics from the University of Florida and his JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Prior to his service on the bench, he was a legislative correspondent for two US senators, a law clerk and staff attorney at the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and in private practice. He was also an assistant US attorney for the Southern District of Florida, assigned to the Appeals, Major Crimes, and Economic Crimes Sections.

In 2013, he was appointed a circuit judge in Florida’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit, where he presided in the Criminal, Civil, and Appellate Divisions. Then in 2017, he was appointed to the Third District Court of Appeal, where he served until his appointment to the supreme court.

Justice Luck and his wife Jennifer have two children. He served on the court until November 2019, when he was appointed to the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 5 2019-2020 FLORIDA’S SUPREME COURT JUSTICES

Carlos G. Muñiz Justice

Justice Muñiz was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court on January 22, 2019.

Justice Muñiz received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and his JD from Yale Law School. After graduating, he clerked at the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and at the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

He first moved to Florida in 2001 to serve as a deputy general counsel in the Governor’s Office; subsequently, he served as deputy chief of staff and counsel in the Office of the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and as general counsel of the Florida Department of Financial Services. He also served as the deputy attorney general and chief of staff to the Florida Attorney General, where he managed a 400-lawyer staff and oversaw duties that included enforcement and litigation, legislative affairs, and communications. Most recently, he led the Office of the General Counsel for the US Department of Education, providing legal and policy advice to the US Secretary of Education and other senior department officials.

Justice Muñiz and his wife Katie have three children.

This link goes to additional information about the current Florida Supreme Court justices.

For bio-sketches of all the supreme court justices, 1846 – present, take this link.

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Justices of the Florida Supreme Court. Seated (l – r) are Justice Polston, Chief Justice Canady, and Justice Labarga; standing (l – r) are Justice Luck, Justice Lawson, Justice Lagoa, and Justice Muñiz.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 7 2019-2020 FLORIDA’S NEWEST JUSTICES

Below, read about the justices who were selected to replace Justice Luck (who served on the supreme court until November 2019, when he was appointed to the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit) and Justice Lagoa (who served on the supreme court until December 2019, when she was appointed to the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit).

John D. Couriel Justice Justice Couriel was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court on May 26, 2020. Born and raised in Miami, Justice Couriel, the son of Cuban immigrants, received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and his JD from Harvard Law School. After graduating, he clerked at the US District Court for the District of Columbia from 2003 – 2004. Following his clerkship, and following nearly five years in private practice, Justice Couriel turned to public service. As an assistant US attorney for the Southern District of Florida from 2009 – 2012, he prosecuted a range of federal offenses, among them, identity theft, firearms trafficking, narcotics importation, and migrant trafficking. In 2013, Justice Couriel, a native Spanish speaker who is also fluent in business and legal Spanish, returned to private practice at a Miami law office that was seeking to develop its Latin American presence; he remained there until his appointment to the supreme court. Justice Couriel and his wife, Dr. Rebecca Toonkel, have two children, Jonas and Eden.

Jamie R. Grosshans Justice Justice Grosshans was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court on September 14, 2020. While attending the University of Mississippi School of Law, Justice Grosshans clerked for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi. Following admittance to the Florida Bar, she served as an assistant state attorney for Orange County, Florida, in the misdemeanor and felony divisions. She later entered private practice and founded her own law firm, focusing on family law and criminal defense matters for nearly ten years. In 2017, she was appointed a county court judge in Orange County. Then in 2018, she was appointed to the Fifth District Court of Appeal, where she served until her appointment to the supreme court. Justice Grosshans is an active member of the Orange County Bar Association, the Orlando Christian Legal Society, the Central Florida Association of Women Lawyers, and the George C. Young Inns of Court. She regularly speaks to lawyers and law students on topics such as challenges in the practice of law, the role of judges, criminal law, and family law. Justice Grosshans and her husband have three children.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 8 2019-2020 FLORIDA’S NEWEST JUSTICES

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 9 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Deliver Justice Effectively, Efficiently, and Fairly

July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020: The Year in Review

Studies regularly find that when people have an understanding of the US justice system and the role of the courts within it, they experience greater confidence in and support for their courts. Bolstering public understanding of the courts has become even more pressing in this time of deep polarization, when distrust in most government institutions has been rising—a dynamic exacerbated by the stresses and uncertainties wrought by the coronavirus. Thus, across the country, judicial branches have been working to strengthen their credibility as trustworthy sources of information about their operations and services. And since March, when the global pandemic began to flare in earnest, in Florida, and chief judges began limiting in-person proceedings to reduce opportunities for COVID-19 exposure, Florida’s courts have been embracing innovative strategies for reaching out to and engaging the public and for effectively communicating how, even in the throes of this public health crisis, the judicial branch is committed to ensuring access to justice for the people of Florida.

Through its development of publications, informational materials, live and virtual learning programs, live and virtual court tours, enhanced web content, mobile apps, social media networks, videos, podcasts, and other education and outreach mechanisms, Florida’s judicial branch has been creating a multifaceted menu of options for people of all ages to learn about the roles, functions, processes, and accomplishments of their courts. The Florida State Courts Annual Report is one of the many resources the branch produces to share this kind of information with the public.

This section of the annual report is organized around the five long-range issues identified in the Long-Range Strategic Plan for the Florida Judicial Branch: 2016 – 2021. Long-range issues are defined as the high-priority areas that the branch, in seeking to fulfill its mission and to aspire toward its vision, must address over the long term. The five long-range issues are as follows:

• Deliver justice effectively, efficiently, and fairly; • Enhance access to justice and court services; • Improve understanding of the judicial process; • Modernize the administration of justice and operation of court facilities; and • Maintain a professional, ethical, and skilled judiciary and workforce.

With these long-range issues as its frame of reference, the annual report aims “to increase public awareness about court programs, services, and performance” and “to educate the public about the purposes, roles, responsibilities, and decisions of the judicial branch by improving outreach efforts” (Delivering Our Message: Court Communication Plan for the Judicial Branch of Florida, goals 1.2 and 1.5). In providing readers with a chance to heighten their knowledge and understanding of the third branch of government, this report endeavors to foster people’s trust and confidence in their courts. Long-Range Issue #1: Deliver Justice Effectively, Efficiently, and Fairly

Florida’s people depend on their court system to make fair, reliable, and prompt case decisions. The administration of justice requires deliberate attention to each case, a well-defined process to minimize delay, and the appropriate use of limited resources. It is important that the Florida judicial branch continue to implement practices which utilize resources effectively, efficiently, and in an accountable manner while continuing its commitment to fairness and impartiality.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 10 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Deliver Justice Effectively, Efficiently, and Fairly

In its vision statement, the Florida judicial branch embodies its commitment to being accessible, fair, effective, responsive, and accountable. These aspirations are especially weighty in this age of increasingly complex workloads and constrained resources—at the same time courts are facing a growing need to provide additional assistance to and services for self-represented litigants and other court users. Add to these the unique challenges that Florida’s courts, like courts across the nation, have been addressing since the early months of 2020, when the novel coronavirus began to sweep through the state, summoning the judicial branch to devise innovative ways to “continue the work of justice,” as Chief Justice Canady phrased it.

To meet the ongoing as well as the pandemic-driven challenges of delivering justice, branch leaders have worked tirelessly to develop recommendations on the safe continuation of court operations and proceedings statewide, to secure sufficient and stable funding for the judiciary, to strengthen the governance and policy development structures of the branch, and to eliminate biased behavior from court operations.

Long-Range Issue #1 Topics: • Keeping the Courts Open during the COVID Pandemic • Performance and Accountability • State Courts System Funding • Fairness and Diversity Awareness • Judicial Management Council

Keeping the Courts Open during the COVID Pandemic

Within two months of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Florida’s judicial branch began to deliberate branch-wide policies and procedures for preparing for and managing threats and emergencies that can disrupt court operations. The Work Group on Emergency Preparedness, established by then Chief Justice Charles Wells on November 8, 2001, was directed to “develop a plan for the State Courts System to better respond to emergency situations.” The workgroup was guided by two policy goals: protect the lives and health of everyone at the court and keep the courts open to ensure justice for the people. These same policy goals have shaped the judicial branch’s response to COVID-19.

After a public health emergency was declared in Florida, preparations for the pandemic became the immediate priority for the state courts system. On March 11, Chief Justice Canady directed the chief judges of the trial and district courts to take necessary measures to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on the courts and court participants while keeping the facilities open to the fullest extent consistent with public safety (see AOSC20-12, issued 3/11/20). Two days later, he ordered the suspension of all grand jury proceedings, jury selection proceedings, and criminal and civil jury trials (see AOSC20-13, issued 3/13/20). And four days after that, he required circuit and county courts to fulfill their responsibility to conduct essential proceedings and proceedings critical to the state of emergency or the public health emergency, while suspending other proceedings as necessary to mitigate the potential effects of COVID-19 exposure—unless the chief judge determined that other proceedings or events could be effectively conducted remotely, without the necessity of in-person court appearances (see AOSC20-15, issued 3/17/20). Given that state court operations have relied largely on in-person proceedings in the 175 years since Florida became a state, this move toward remote hearings introduced a seismic shift, both historically and operationally. (View all the supreme court’s COVID-19 emergency orders and advisories.)

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 11 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Deliver Justice Effectively, Efficiently, and Fairly

Since March 2020, the judicial branch has been working to temper the pandemic’s effects on court operations, balancing efforts to keep the courts open with measures to protect the health and safety of everyone inside court facilities. Pictured here, judges of the Eighth Judicial Circuit are holding hearings remotely to mitigate the possibility of COVID exposure.

Since the coronavirus began to upend nearly all aspects of life in Florida, the judicial branch has been working to temper the pandemic’s effects on court operations, balancing efforts to keep the courts open with measures to protect the health and safety of everyone inside court facilities. For essential and critical matters, for instance, work in Florida’s courts continues to go forward in ways that minimize health risk. And to advance other cases, courts have made substantial progress via telephone, videoconference, and, more recently, in- person jury trials that comply with standards that protect public health.

Moving forward in the face of the pandemic would have been impossible without the commitment, resourcefulness, and collaborative efforts of Florida’s judicial officers, court staff, and justice system partners— including the clerks of court, The Florida Bar and legal services providers, law enforcement agencies, treatment providers, and governmental, community-based, and private service agencies. Described throughout this annual report are many of the strategies developed to ensure that the work of the judicial branch could continue through this uncharted epoch. The focus below is on what the branch has been doing to ensure safe court operations since the state of emergency was declared and how it has been managing operating dollars.

Ensuring Safe Court Operations during the Pandemic In April 2020, the supreme court established the Workgroup on the Continuity of Court Operations and Proceedings During and After COVID-19 (Continuity Workgroup) to recommend guidelines for a safe, staged return to court operations. Among its charges, the workgroup was directed to identify proceedings that are amenable to using remote technology; propose solutions for issues associated with the use of remote technology; propose guidance for the safe return of people to court facilities; identify metrics to monitor case

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 12 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Deliver Justice Effectively, Efficiently, and Fairly

backlog and performance; and identify whether certain proceedings should continue to be conducted remotely even after COVID-19. Since its initial establishment, the workgroup’s term has been extended through June 30, 2021.

The workgroup has already made significant advances. Among them, the workgroup created several best practice guides, including guides on managing evidence in remote hearings and on assisting self-represented litigants with the use of remote technology; identified court processes that readily lend themselves to being In August, Judge Paige Gillman, Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, held a special eviction court in the cafeteria of the Main Courthouse to address conducted remotely and recommended that eviction cases that have been on hold because of COVID-19. During courts statewide be required to conduct these the proceeding, cases that qualified were redirected to Legal Aid and proceedings virtually; proposed requirements, Florida Rural Legal Services for settlement using CARES Act funds, benchmarks, and guidelines to govern court acquired by the Palm Beach County for this purpose; other cases were transitions to Phase 2 (when limited in-person sent to mediation, facilitated by attorneys from Legal Aid and Florida Rural Legal Services. At this successful event, 50 cases were set before contact in the courthouse is authorized for Judge Gillman. certain purposes but requires the use of protective measures) and Phase 3 (when an effective vaccine is adequately available and in use and in-person contact in the courthouse is more broadly authorized); developed a framework and requirements for five circuits to participate in a remote civil jury trial pilot program, and, following the pilot, recommended that authority to conduct remote civil jury trials under certain circumstances be extended statewide; developed legislative proposals to authorize fingerprinting outside of the courtroom for certain criminal plea proceedings and to extend the length of a postponement of jury service during a public health emergency declared by the state health officer and a state of emergency declared by the governor; and recommended updates to the state courts system’s pandemic guidance materials.

The workgroup’s recommendations have been implemented via administrative orders issued by Chief Justice Canady (see AOSC20-23 and AOSC20-32).

Currently, the workgroup is considering matters referred to it by the chief justice on an as-needed basis and examining proposed rule changes to operationalize workgroup recommendations. (Find background information on the Continuity Workgroup; to learn more about the workgroup’s charges, see AOSC20-28, AOSC20-51,and AOSC20-110.)

Managing Operating Dollars during the Pandemic The Trial Court Budget Commission (TCBC) oversees the preparation and implementation of the trial court component of the judicial branch budget; it is directly responsible for recommending budgeting and funding policies and procedures for the trial court budgets in order to support a trial court system that will effectively carry out the administration of justice. Because the TCBC also manages statewide-level funds reserved for emergencies and end-of-year targeted spending for the trial courts, it was able to deploy emergency-related funds quickly to the circuits.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 13 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Deliver Justice Effectively, Efficiently, and Fairly

Eleven days after Florida’s governor declared a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the TCBC began providing emergency funding to the trial courts to help mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on the courts, court participants, and the general public. Funds were allocated to the trial courts to provide direct and flexible support to ensure the courts system operates in the safest possible manner, while ensuring that litigants’ due process rights Throughout the pandemic, anyone who enters Florida’s courthouses is required to wear a are met. In the first three and a face mask and practice social distancing; pictured here are case manager Synthia Dubose half months of the pandemic, the and Lee County Sheriffs Office Deputy Morales, Twentieth Judicial Circuit. TCBC Executive Committee met 14 times in order to allocate a total of $4.2 million in emergency funds to the circuits, including an immediate distribution of $80,000 to each judicial circuit for COVID-related resources, such as personal protective equipment and technology to support remote appearance and teleworking.

The District Court of Appeal Budget Commission (DCABC) oversees the preparation and implementation of the district court component of the judicial branch budget; it is directly responsible for recommending budgeting and funding policies and procedures for the district court budgets so that the funding requirements of each of the DCAs can be adequately addressed while promoting statewide operational consistency.

While the trial courts have programs and activities that introduce uncertainty into recurring operating expenditures, that is not the case for the DCAs. Ninety percent of the DCA appropriation is for salary dollars, and the DCABC is responsible for monitoring the salary budget and imposing restrictions necessary to cover payroll costs. The DCABC allocates all operating dollars to the district courts at the beginning of each fiscal year; if a district requires an additional budget allocation to meet an unexpected need, the marshals of the other courts are usually able to make internal adjustments to meet the need. Unlike the trial courts, in other words, the DCAs do not have Seventh Circuit Judge Jim Clayton (far left) and Chief Judge Raul statewide-level reserve funding. Zambrano (far right) pose for a photo with some of the nurses from Halifax Health, who come to the courthouse to take temperatures and conduct health screenings of courthouse visitors.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 14 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Deliver Justice Effectively, Efficiently, and Fairly

After the state of emergency was declared in March, the DCAs and the supreme court utilized a Court Improvement Allocation from the Appellate Court Technology Commission to purchase annual Zoom subscriptions for remote teleconferencing and video meetings. But all other pandemic response costs are being borne by each DCA: each court has been using its existing allocations to make the expenditures necessary to support remote work for nearly all district court employees and to procure the necessary personal Twelfth Circuit Judge David Denkin, Sarasota County, presides over a Community Care protective equipment and cleaning Court graduation on the lawn of the Silvertooth Judicial Center on May 6; the event was supplies for those who returned to held outside due to social distancing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. work on site.

Looking Ahead The judicial branch has been innovative and proactive in adapting court operations in response to the pandemic (e.g., by using technology to conduct proceedings remotely). As a result, the trial courts will have disposed of an estimated 2.5 million cases in the 2020 – 2021 fiscal year. But even with all the local and branch-wide efforts to continue providing justice to the people of Florida, court operations have been hampered by the coronavirus, and a significant workload increase is anticipated as the courts return to normal operations.

On July 1, 2021, an estimated one million cases beyond what would otherwise be anticipated will be pending. The additional caseload is attributed to the following: delayed proceedings (proceedings in existing cases that were suspended to protect public safety); delayed filings (cases for which—due to the onset of the pandemic—filing was delayed but is now anticipated by the courts); and pandemic- generated cases (cases related to the public health emergency and declining economic conditions).

Using remote technology, Judge Robin Lemonidis, Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, conducts Brevard County’s first Arthur Hearing since the pandemic began.

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To address this workload, the courts have requested $12.5 million in non-recurring general revenue for temporary adjudicatory and case support resources for each of the next three years. Taking an approach similar to the one it took with great success in addressing the foreclosure crisis, the branch will use this funding to pay for senior judges, general magistrates, case managers, staff attorneys, and mediation services to help work through the backlogs. These temporary resources will best position the trial courts to address an unprecedented workload, which, in turn, will assist in Florida’s economic recovery.

State Courts System Funding

Historically, Florida’s courts receive less than one percent of the state’s total budget each year. Using their resources prudently, judges and court staff are always looking for innovative ways to achieve greater efficiency and enhanced performance through technology and other time- and cost-saving measures.

Despite this frugality, the need for adequate and reliable funding of Florida’s courts is unremitting. When courts have ongoing, critical funding needs, not only are the judges, staff, and courtrooms affected. So are the entities the courts serve—the individuals, families, and businesses that depend on the courts to resolve their disputes. A lack of sufficient and stable funding for staff, buildings, technology, and other resources can contribute to delays in processing cases that bear upon the lives of individuals and the livelihood of businesses. Also at risk are Florida’s aging courthouses, many of which are troubled by safety or security issues that can put people in harm’s way (the state has responsibility for the appellate courthouses, and the counties are responsible for the trial court courthouses). In addition, funding deficiencies can jeopardize opportunities to modernize and enhance court operations—opportunities that maximize taxpayers’ investment in their justice system.

Only with adequate and dependable funding are courts well-positioned to ensure that court users can achieve justice and resolve disputes “without sale, denial or delay” (Art I, s. 21, Fla. Const.) when they come through the courthouse doors, whether in person or via remote technology—as hundreds of thousands do each year. Therefore, branch leaders regularly encourage the state to invest in the people, places, and resources needed to operate the courts system effectively and efficiently for the benefit of those the judiciary serves.

Funding for the 2019 – 2020 Fiscal Year Despite the modest surplus lawmakers were working with for the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year budget cycle, and despite the small surplus anticipated for fiscal year 2020 – 2021 (an anticipation that was seeded long before the global pandemic struck, of course), deficits were projected for the two following fiscal years. Consequentially, before the legislature met for its 2019 legislative session, state economists recommended that lawmakers budget the 2019 – 2020 surplus with caution, especially given the high costs associated with the recovery from Hurricane Michael (2018) and the possibility of a recession, among other issues.

For the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, the legislature passed a $91.1 billion spending plan, of which the governor vetoed $131.3 million. The judicial branch was appropriated $554.7 million. (Note: this figured included $24 million for pass through/legislative project funding.)

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The budget fully funded one of the courts system’s top priorities: $10.3 million in recurring salary dollars to address recruitment, retention, and equity salary issues affecting non-judge court employees. The budget specified that the funding was for position classification salary adjustments to encourage retention; to equalize salaries between the judicial branch and other public and private sector employers for similar positions and duties; and to remedy recurring recruitment and retention problems for specific position classifications. Based on recommendations from the Trial Court Budget Commission, the District Court of Appeal Budget Commission, and the state courts administrator, Chief Justice Canady submitted a plan to the Legislative Budget Commission, which was approved and implemented in October 2019. Judges cannot do the work they are called on to do without appropriate staff support, the chief justice frequently points out, saying that branch leaders were “very grateful to the legislature for making this funding available to us.”

In addition to the $10.3 million, the judicial branch received appropriations for several other budget requests, including funding for a docking station for a standby generator at the supreme court building; a storm window upgrade for the Fifth District Court of Appeal (to address substantial water intrusion damage resulting from Hurricane Irma, which struck in September 2017, causing destruction in every part of the state); operational and technical support for the Access to Justice – Do It Yourself Florida project (an initiative designed to meet the needs of underserved self-represented litigants); a range of emergency management, disaster recovery, and information technology security issues; and enhancements to a problem-solving court case management system.

The budget also funded four new judgeships—two circuit and two county—along with funding for associated staff support. (See the December 2018 supreme court opinion, Certification of Need for Additional Judges.)

Lawmakers also funded various projects that the courts system had not included in its legislative budget request. For instance, funding was appropriated for senior judge support; information technology support (to provide text alerts for court appearance and fee reminders); the Jackson County Courthouse (for Hurricane Michael repairs) and the Liberty County Courthouse (for an electrical upgrade); and problem-solving courts.

Funding for the 2020 – 2021 Fiscal Year In mid-March 2020, the legislature brought the year’s session to a close, passing a $93.2 billion state budget for the 2020 – 2021 fiscal year. When the governor signed the budget into law on June 29, however, he noted that, because the coronavirus pandemic had changed the projection of the economy and budget balances, he had to veto projects he would have supported otherwise. He vetoed a total of $1 billion.

Among the vetoes were two items included in the courts system’s legislative budget request: funding for the first phase of construction of a new courthouse for the Second District Court of and for 10 judgeships and associated staff support (recognizing the Florida Supreme Court’s certification of need for these additional judgeships, however, the governor chose to sign statutory language to reflect the increase, thus allowing the positions to be funded as the state budget outlook improves). Also vetoed were several court-related items that were not part of the judicial branch’s budget request. Even so, the judicial branch portion of the approved budget, $579.9 million, supported and funded many of the branch’s high-priority issues. (Note: this figure includes $25.6 million for pass through/legislative project funding.) FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 17 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Deliver Justice Effectively, Efficiently, and Fairly

Of the issues included in the branch’s budget request, lawmakers funded the following: appellate headquarters and subsistence/travel reimbursement (authorizing district court of appeal judges who live more than 50 miles from the courthouse to designate alternate headquarters and receive subsistence and travel reimbursement for traveling to the courthouse for court business); appellate court security; full-time positions for court interpreter services, problem-solving courts, family courts, and efforts to address timely resolution of cases; furnishing and equipment for non-public areas; access to the Florida Criminal Justice Network; and online legal research.

Numerous projects that the courts system had not included in its legislative budget request also received funding: an alternative to incarceration program, a juvenile drug court in Seminole County, a community court in Fort Lauderdale, and 20 full-time positions providing state-level support of early childhood court programs. In addition, the governor retained a three percent across-the-board pay increase for state employees and public officers, including judges.

Looking Ahead As the Revenue Estimating Conference (Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research) observed in August, “The US economy contracted at its greatest rate in postwar history during the second quarter as unprecedented shutdowns closed businesses and left millions of Americans out of work during the pandemic…. As a result of the pandemic-induced economic contraction, General Revenue collections for FY 2019-20 ended with a loss from the estimate for the General Revenue Fund of nearly $1.9 billion, down 5.7 percent from the expectations held in January 2020 when the last forecast was made.” Accordingly, the conference significantly revised anticipated state revenues downward for fiscal year 2020 – 2021 and fiscal year 2021 – 2022 from prior estimates.

However, improvements to General Revenue collections led the conference to make “sizable adjustments” to the August forecast in December 2020. Anticipated revenues were revised upward by nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2020 – 2021 and by $623 million in fiscal year 2021 – 2022, representing a two-year combined increase of $2.1 billion. The adjustments restored 39 percent of the $5.4 billion reduction the conference adopted in August. (Read the Executive Summary of the December 2020 Conference; for more information, see Florida: The Long-Range Financial Outlook, September 2020.)

Notwithstanding the improvement, the conference noted that continuing risk to the forecast remains high as a result of pandemic-generated effects on Florida’s tourism-sensitive economy. Thus, it remains likely that the legislature may need to reduce spending, if not in the current fiscal year, then in upcoming ones. No specific proposals have yet been made, but lawmakers are expected to discuss options when committee meetings begin in January 2021. In anticipation of legislative action, judicial branch leaders have been taking steps to analyze and mitigate any budget impacts.​

Judicial Management Council

Florida’s Judicial Management Councils (JMCs), regarded as high-level management consultants to the supreme court, have been offering guidance and recommendations to the judicial branch since 1953. The current JMC—the council’s fifth iteration—was established in November 2012 as a “focused advisory body to assist the Chief Justice and this Court in identifying trends, potential crisis situations, and means to address

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them.” It was envisioned as becoming “part of a loop that will assist the Court with forward-looking vision, while the Court gets feedback from the trial and district courts, the chief judges, and the conferences.” Before establishing a committee to address a significant new issue or concern that implicates branch policy, the supreme court considers referring it to the JMC (see Florida Rules of Judicial Administration 2.225; In Re: Implementation of Judicial Branch Governance Study Group Recommendations, pp. 10 – 11; and Florida’s Judicial Councils: A History, pp. 5 – 9). Members of the Judicial Management Council gather at the Duval County Courthouse in the Fourth Circuit for their September 2019 meeting; here, Judge Jonathan Gerber, Fourth DCA (on left), gives an update on the judicial branch long-range plan. The JMC is an agile body designed to respond quickly and resourcefully to challenges facing the branch. This deftness is achieved through the creation of workgroups that are charged with specific tasks and are dissolved once the tasks are completed.

The JMC recently completed its fourth two-year term. Of the workgroups established in the council’s prior three terms, five completed their tasks and were discharged. The Performance Workgroup reviewed filings and disposition trends by case type and level of work and made recommendations to the court about how to meet future branch needs for uniform and consistent data reporting and analysis in some crucial performance areas. The Education and Outreach Workgroup updated the branch-wide communication plan, Delivering Our Message: Court Communication Plan for the Judicial Branch of Florida, which was approved by the court and began to be implemented in January 2016. The Long-Range Strategic Planning Workgroup revised the Long-Range Strategic Plan for the Florida Judicial Branch, 2016 – 2021; the court approved it, and implementation began in January 2016. The Trial Court Security Workgroup drafted a final report, which included 17 recommendations to promote safety and security in Florida’s trial courts; implementation began after the report was approved by the court in September 2018. And the Guardianship Workgroup offered 25 recommendations to address guardianship and guardianship advocacy issues in its final report; the recommendations were submitted to the court in June 2018 for consideration and referral, where appropriate, to responsible stakeholders.

Below is information about the six JMC workgroups that were active during the council’s 2018 – 2020 term.

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Workgroup on County Court Jurisdiction The Workgroup on County Court Jurisdiction was established in August 2018 to review the county court and small claims jurisdictional limits and to examine the operational issues that would be affected if those limits were adjusted (see AOSC18-39).

In its final report to the supreme court, submitted in November 2018, the workgroup, noting that jurisdictional limits in county court and small claims had not changed since the mid-1990s, recommended raising the small claims jurisdictional limit and supported an increase in the county court jurisdictional limit. Small claims jurisdictional limits are governed by court rule; in December 2018, the supreme court approved pursuing a jurisdictional increase of small claims from $5,000 to $8,000 as part of the recommendations from the workgroup. County court jurisdictional limits, on the other hand, are governed by statute; in May 2019, the governor approved House Bill 337, which, in part, increased the county court threshold to $30,000 on January 1, 2020, and will increase the threshold to $50,000 on January 1, 2023. The bill also requires the Office of the State Courts Administrator (OSCA) to submit a report to the legislature and governor by February 2021, making recommendations regarding the adjustment of county court jurisdiction. An implementation team has been examining all possible impacts associated with the jurisdictional change, including impacts on facilities, staffing, case types, docket management, time standards, mediation, judicial education, justice stakeholders, access to courts, and information technology.

Workgroup on Appellate Review of County Court Decisions The Workgroup on Appellate Review of County Court Decisions was established in January 2019 to study whether circuit courts should be uniformly required to hear appeals from the county courts in panels and to determine whether other changes in the processes for the review of county court decisions would be desirable (see AOSC19-3).

Before the workgroup was established, the legal community and the business community expressed concern about the lack of circuit en banc processes and about inconsistent publication of circuit court appellate decisions. In response, the Florida Bar Appellate Rules Committee proposed several amendments that would have required circuit courts to hear appeals in panels of three judges, as is done in the district courts of appeal (DCAs). While the supreme court recognized that recommended changes would result in increased workload for the circuit courts and would especially burden less populous circuits, which have fewer judges, it found merit in the argument that appeals to the circuit court should be handled more uniformly across the state. The court established the Workgroup on Appellate Review of County Court Decisions to review circuit and DCA jurisdiction, including a study of intra- and inter-circuit conflicts in appellate court decisions.

Following extensive deliberations, the workgroup ultimately considered two options: fix the circuit court appellate process, addressing specific challenges related to circuit court appellate practices; or transfer the circuit courts’ appellate and related extraordinary writ authority to the DCAs. After considering both options, the workgroup recommended that statutory amendments be proposed to implement the second option, providing for the transfer; the supreme court approved this recommendation, including it in its legislative agenda.

Senate Bill 1392, which the governor signed into law in June 2020 and which becomes effective January 1, 2021, eliminates the authority of the circuit courts to hear appeals from county courts in criminal and most civil cases, resulting in the DCAs having jurisdiction in those appeals. However, circuit courts will retain jurisdiction to hear appeals from final administrative orders of local code enforcement boards and to hear appeals and review other matters as expressly provided by law. FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 20 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Deliver Justice Effectively, Efficiently, and Fairly

Access Workgroup Established in April 2014, the Access Workgroup has focused on facilitating access to justice for self- represented litigants through the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Florida project. DIY Florida functions much like tax preparation software: it guides self-represented litigants and others through a series of questions, called “interviews,” that culminate in the production of a court document that can be reviewed, edited, and filed through the E-Filing Portal.

The interviews and document assembly templates are drafted and programed by the DIY Florida staff, who then upload them to a quality assurance site on the e-portal. The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers provide technical assistance and test the technology within the quality assurance site. The interviews are then moved to a test site within the portal for a 15-day test phase.

Landlord/tenant interviews have been available for more than a year, Do-It-Yourself Florida functions much like tax preparation and small claims interviews have software: it guides self-represented litigants and others recently become available. Nine through a series of questions, called “interviews,” that interpersonal violence interviews culminate in the production of a court document that can be and three simplified dissolution of reviewed, edited, and filed through the E-Filing Portal. As work continues on the project, it is anticipated that marriage interviews are ready to litigants will be able to create documents for more than 110 move into the test phase. In addition, different pleadings in 24 proceedings altogether. nine interviews related to the dissolution of marriage with children, including interviews for child support guidelines and three different parenting plans, have been completed. As work continues on the project, it is anticipated that litigants will be able to create documents for more than 110 different pleadings in 24 proceedings altogether.

To support this initiative, lawmakers, during the 2019 legislative session, provided funding for two full- time positions within OSCA—an attorney and an information systems analyst—whose full-time focus is to implement, support, and enhance DIY Florida. Recognizing that the DIY project has become a well-developed program with a staffing complement now in place, the supreme court determined it was appropriate to transfer DIY Florida from the JMC’s purview to OSCA’s oversight and maintenance.

Workgroup on Remote Appearance The Workgroup on Remote Appearance was established in January 2019 to consider how the courts system might employ remote appearance technologies to enhance efficiencies and cost effectiveness for courts and court users (see AOSC19-2).

The workgroup found that the rapid growth of networking infrastructure in the US (primarily internet and cellular) has significantly reduced the user cost of reliable, two-way audio and video communication between courts and parties, witnesses, and other participants; using and exchanging electronic documents have also become easier and less costly. This burgeoning of the IT infrastructure enhances people’s access to civil justice, for when services can be secured without courthouse visits, litigants and the organizations that serve them can save time and money, while minimizing inconvenience. At the same time, however, the workgroup also identified possible complications, including the variability in remote appearance solutions and disparate local jurisdictional capabilities and funding.

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In its March 2020 report to the JMC, the workgroup recommended expanding the use of remote appearance and clarifying and modernizing Florida’s rules of court addressing remote appearance and communication technology. Its primary recommendation was to develop a comprehensive remote appearance policy in rules of court procedure in order to reduce the uncertainty that often inhibits the use of remote appearance technology.

The workgroup’s report and its The COVID-induced experience of remotely conducting most recommendations were formalized court proceedings in this state, together with a Remote just before the declaration of the Civil Jury Trial Pilot Program established in May 2020, is COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing informing deliberations about appropriately employing rapid, statewide deployment and use remote technology to enhance efficiencies and cost effectiveness both for courts and court users. of remote appearance technology to continue the work of the courts. While the workgroup’s recommendations were not formally considered by the JMC, the court—as a result of the pandemic—adopted emergency provisions governing remote appearance, and permanent changes through proposed rule amendments are under consideration by The Florida Bar and the Workgroup on the Continuity of Court Operations and Proceedings During and After COVID-19. In addition, the COVID-induced experience of remotely conducting most court proceedings in this state, together with a Remote Civil Jury Trial Pilot Program established in May 2020 (see AOSC20-31), is informing deliberations about appropriately employing remote technology to enhance efficiencies and cost effectiveness both for courts and court users.

Workgroup on Court Costs and Fines Established in December 2018, the Workgroup on Court Costs and Fines is charged with reviewing court costs and fines in Florida as well as making recommendations, if warranted, for processes ensuring that the imposition of such assessments does not disproportionately impact low-income individuals (see AOSC18-77).

During its review, the workgroup heard from public defenders, a police chief, clerks, the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, and others on the issue of court costs and fines. It also considered numerous reports and findings from other states throughout the country addressing court costs and fines.

In its final report, submitted to the supreme court on June 30, 2020, the workgroup advanced 15 recommendations, which included recommending the creation of an inter-agency group to address issues affecting the court system, clerks of court, legislature, and other entities; the development of an electronic system for assessing court costs and fines; the amendment of statutes to provide greater authorization for courts to modify payment plans, to allow the conversion of financial obligations to civil judgments based on ability to pay and other circumstances, and to reduce the maximum allowable amount for outside collection agency surcharges; and the development of a judicial education plan that will promote uniformity in the imposition of court costs and fines.

As the workgroup recognized, the complex statutory and operational structure for assessing and collecting court costs and fines involves entities from the judicial and executive branches of government, as well as the clerks of the circuit court. Further, the reform topics considered by the workgroup contain policy issues under the jurisdiction of the legislature. The supreme court approved sharing the report with the legislature and recommending that the legislature create an inter-agency workgroup, with representation from all involved

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entities, to explore the report’s ideas from many perspectives. In the interim, the court will direct the Florida Court Education Council to develop a curriculum to enhance judicial awareness of the current complex structure.

Workgroup on Improved Resolution of Civil Cases The Workgroup on Improved Resolution of Civil Cases was established in October 2019 to examine Florida’s laws, rules of court, and practices relating to civil procedure and case management to determine whether changes can be made to improve the resolution of civil cases (seeAOSC19-73 ).

Throughout the nation, efforts to improve and expedite the handling of civil cases have focused on the fair, timely, and cost-effective resolution of civil cases in state courts. Many of these efforts have been driven by the 13 recommendations included in the 2016 Call to Action: Achieving Civil Justice for All, endorsed by the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators; those recommendations are rooted in the proposition that courts must be responsible for managing civil cases from filing through disposition. The workgroup examined multiple efforts in other states to improve the resolution of civil cases. It also examined the federal judicial system and its approach to effectively managing civil cases. The workgroup was especially encouraged by the report from Florida’s Eleventh Circuit Civil Justice Initiative Pilot Project, which focused on differentiated case management and civil case management teams.

The workgroup’s deliberations are ongoing. A final report is due from the workgroup by November 2021.

Long-Range Strategic Plan Among its various charges, the JMC is also responsible for developing and monitoring progress relating to long- range planning for the judicial branch. A leadership and management tool, the branch’s long-range strategic plan assists the supreme court and the chief justice in effectively administering the state courts system and provides overall guidance and direction to the judicial branch. Among its various charges, the Judicial Management The Long-Range Strategic Plan for the Council is also responsible for developing and monitoring Florida Judicial Branch: 2016-2021 progress relating to long-range planning for the judicial branch. A leadership and management tool, the branch’s expires December 31, 2021. This long-range strategic plan assists the supreme court and plan was developed with extensive the chief justice in effectively administering the state courts input from the general public, legal system and provides overall guidance and direction to the professionals, advocates, a variety of judicial branch. justice system partners, judges, and court system staff throughout Florida. The JMC determined that, with some modifications, the current plan may still meet the needs of the branch. To help define the scope of the long-range plan revisions, the JMC identified environmental scan topics (under the categories of population, political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal) for further research to determine the future impact to the branch. With the information from the updated environmental scan, and after a comprehensive review of the existing plan’s goals, the JMC will determine the outreach efforts that need to be taken to update the current plan. Work on the development of the branch’s long-range strategic plan will continue in the new term.

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Performance and Accountability

The Commission on District Court of Appeal Performance and Accountability (DCAP&A) and the Commission on Trial Court Performance and Accountability (TCP&A) were established in the late 1990s to enhance the performance of Florida’s courts and to ensure they use public resources efficiently and transparently (initially, they were created as committees under the branch’s Judicial Management Council).

Through the development of comprehensive resource management, performance measurement, and accountability programs, these commissions propose policies and procedures on matters related to the capable and effective functioning of Florida’s courts. Their responsibilities support numerous goals identified in the long-range plan, among them, bolstering branch efforts to Judge Melanie May, Fourth “utilize caseload and other workload information to manage resources and DCA, chairs the Commission promote accountability” (goal 1.3); to “ensure the fair and timely resolution of all on District Court of Appeal cases through effective case management” (goal 1.2); and to “encourage the use Performance and Accountability. of consistent practices, procedures, and forms statewide” (goal 1.5).

Commission on District Court of Appeal Performance and Accountability

Via supreme court administrative order, the DCAP&A is re-established every two years and directed to work on specific issues and projects (see the administrative order governing the DCAP&A’s 2018 – 2020 term). During the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, the commission, currently chaired by Judge Melanie G. May, Fourth DCA, completed development of an online instrument for displaying district court caseload data, began its cyclic review of judicial case weights, and developed recommendations for implementing a new law that includes added provisions for protecting the rights of victims and the accused.

Online Dashboard for Conveying Caseload Information Trial court statistics and supreme court caseload data are readily available online. To make DCA caseload information accessible, the DCAP&A developed an online performance indicator dashboard that conveys district court performance across all districts in a meaningful The online dashboard will enable the five district courts to assess case volume within their jurisdictions and to compare their information with data from the other district courts. way. This online dashboard—

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which will be located on each DCA’s website—enables the five district courts to assess case volume within their jurisdictions and to compare their information with data from the other DCAs. From the public-facing component of the dashboard, viewers can access information about caseloads, filings, and dispositions in a user-friendly format. With the addition of this dashboard, the state courts system presents a more complete and transparent picture of judicial branch performance.

After the DCAP&A finalized the performance indicators to be displayed on the dashboard, the Office of Information Technology (under the Office of the State Courts Administrator) identified technical requirements for supplying data to the dashboard and developed a process for enabling the data to populate automatically. Then they worked with a consultant to build a sample dashboard, which the DCAP&A approved. Working with the Appellate Court Technology Commission, the DCAP&A secured funding to turn the vision into a reality. The dashboard went live in February 2021.

Review of Judicial Case Weights The supreme court has used a weighted caseload system to evaluate the need for new trial court judgeships since 1999, and for new DCA judges, since 2006. With the weighted caseload system, Florida’s caseload statistics are analyzed according to complexity: cases that are complex receive a higher weight, while cases that are less complex receive a lower weight. These weights are then applied to case filing statistics to determine the need for increasing or decreasing the number of judges in each court.

On a four-year cycle, the DCAP&A is required to review the workload trends of the DCAs and consider adjustments in the relative case weights and the weighted case disposition threshold. For its 2018 – 2020 term, the supreme court directed the DCAP&A to begin the next cycle review of the judicial case weights. Although the commission planned to address this task in the 2020 – 2022 term, it began the initial work in April 2020 by reviewing the current weights, case groupings, case types, and filing information from the previous fiscal year. Based on this review, it suggested expanding the list of case types currently captured in the appellate courts’ case management system (eFACTS) to improve the accuracy of the case weights. It also suggested reevaluating the case groupings during the next relative case weight study.

Now in its 2020 – 2022 term, the commission is building on that work by considering adjustments in the relative case weights and the weighted case disposition threshold. Recommendations will be presented to the court by June 2022.

Implementation of Marsy’s Law In November 2018, Florida voters approved Marsy’s Law, an amendment to the state constitution that includes additional provisions protecting the rights of the accused and of victims. Marsy’s Law states that all state-level appeals and collateral attacks on any judgment must be complete within two years from the date of appeal in non-capital cases and within five years from the date of appeal in capital cases, unless a court enters an order with specific findings explaining why the court was unable to comply and what circumstances were causing the delay. Additionally, the supreme court must report annually to the legislature all cases for which a court entered an order regarding inability to comply.

In March 2019, the supreme court directed the DCAP&A to create the Workgroup on Appellate Court Reporting Requirements to review the matter and make recommendations on how to implement these new requirements. Specifically, the workgroup was asked to address the following: determine whether standard definitions are necessary; explore the feasibility and desirability of developing a shared order template to be utilized by the appellate courts when a case exceeds the established timeframes and an order is required; and FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 25 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Deliver Justice Effectively, Efficiently, and Fairly

explore the feasibility and desirability of developing a report template for the annual reporting requirement. Based on the workgroup’s recommendations, the supreme court, via administrative order, established standard definitions and an annual reporting process (see AOSC19-76).

Commission on Trial Court Performance and Accountability

Every two years via supreme court administrative order, the TCP&A is re-established and directed to work on particular issues and projects (see the administrative order governing the TCP&A’s 2018 – 2020 term). The commission is currently chaired by Judge Diana L. Moreland, Twelfth Circuit, and, during the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, the TCP&A worked on four major technology undertakings: the Trial Court Data Quality Initiatives, Virtual Remote Interpreting, the Online Dispute Resolution Pilot project, and the Uniform Case Reporting project.

Trial Court Data Quality Initiatives The TCP&A continues to focus on strategies for improving the trial courts’ capacity for measuring their performance and applying the results to make procedural refinements. To accurately measure and assess court performance and manage resources that support organizational goals, reliable data are essential. In 2018, the commission’s Performance Management Workgroup released Recommendations to Improve Performance Management in Florida’s Trial Courts, which offered Judge Diana Moreland, recommendations for advancing the statewide collection and use of performance Twentieth Circuit, chairs measurement data. These recommendations included the establishment of a data the Commission on Trial quality workgroup dedicated to addressing the accuracy of court data. Created by Court Performance and Judge Moreland and chaired by Judge Jennifer Bailey, Eleventh Circuit, the Data Accountability. Quality Workgroup began meeting in March 2019.

In its efforts to improve confidence in court data, the workgroup first sought to better understand current caseloads and to ascertain the status of those cases. The workgroup sampled cases from three main data sources: the Uniform Case Reporting System, the Foreclosure and Economic Recovery Case Tracking System, and the Offender Based Transaction System. Finding significant discrepancies in case statuses across the three systems, the workgroup concluded that many problems with court data relate to the improper application of case status and inaccuracies regarding the opening and closing of cases.

The workgroup’s final report, currently under review by the supreme court, makes recommendations on data quality improvements that would affect all three data systems currently in use. Additionally, the workgroup recommends a renewed focus on data quality controls at the local level through the creation of a staff role dedicated to data quality. These recommendations are driven by the TCP&A’s focus on the development of robust data quality practices for trial court data, which will become the basis for building a Trial Court Performance Management Framework.

Virtual Remote Interpreting For people whose English language skills are limited, court interpreting services are essential in ensuring their constitutional right of access to justice. Indeed, providing qualified interpreters is a critical due process responsibility of the trial courts. A technology-based solution called Virtual Remote Interpreting (VRI) is helping Florida’s courts meet the growing need for quality interpreting services. VRI implementation is being

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overseen by the TCP&A’s Shared Remote Interpreting Governance Committee, chaired by Judge Elizabeth Metzger, Nineteenth Circuit.

VRI technology enables interpreters to render services in the simultaneous and consecutive modes of interpreting, both of which are called for in a typical court proceeding. By using both video and audio components, VRI allows remote interpreters to provide service as if they were physically present in the courtroom. Unlike telephonic interpreting, which has certain limitations, VRI presents no degradation of service. This technology provides value both for the circuits that have no qualified interpreters residing within their boundaries as well as those with an ample supply of interpreters. Utilizing the Zoom platform as a form of video remote interpreting, which is being employed extensively by the Eleventh Judicial Circuit during the Florida’s courts have optimized court pandemic,​ certified court interpreters such as Olivia Abreu, pictured interpreting resources using VRI and made here, may work from a centralized location and be dispatched virtually to considerable progress in expanding remote courtrooms throughout the circuit as needed. Video remote interpreting interpreting services across the state. Since enables courts to limit in-person contact significantly while continuing to serve the access needs of people with limited English proficiency. ​ the concept was initially piloted in five judicial circuits in 2014, the use of VRI has expanded to 17 of the 20 circuits and now includes 230 courtroom setups (including 35 jail courtrooms and 11 hearing rooms), 57 interpreter workstations, and six call manager appliances statewide. Several circuits have joined the shared resource (inter-circuit) model, while others have implemented intra-circuit systems. The governance committee continues to focus efforts towards resolving technical issues related to the existing VRI infrastructure.

Online Dispute Resolution Pilot Project Online dispute resolution (ODR) involves litigants and, in some instances, court personnel in resolving disputes using a web-based platform designed to lead participants through a series of steps toward the goal of case resolution. The steps include posing standardized questions, providing an opportunity for response, allowing parties to make and accept case negotiation offers with or without the assistance of a third-party neutral, and, in some instances, automatic generation of a settlement agreement. For more than 30 years, Florida’s courts system has utilized a variety of alternative dispute resolution processes that provide litigants with the opportunity to resolve their conflicts without judicial intervention. The evolution to providing these services to court users remotely is a natural progression in ensuring people’s access to court services.

In May 2018, the supreme court directed the TCP&A, in conjunction with the Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution Rules and Policy, to review online dispute resolution solutions and their anticipated impact on court-connected alternative dispute resolution services. Conducted by the ODR Workgroup, chaired by Judge William F. Stone, First Circuit, the review culminated in the report Online Dispute Resolution in Florida’s Trial Courts, which included the following recommendations: 1) Authorize a pilot to study the application of FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 27 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Deliver Justice Effectively, Efficiently, and Fairly

ODR in Florida’s trial court small claims cases; 2) Communicate to the trial court chief judges and clerks of court the scope and intent of the ODR pilot and emphasize the need for continued compliance with existing court rules and statutes governing court-connected mediation; and 3) Direct a legal analysis of ODR as a method of dispute resolution for court-connected cases. The supreme court approved the report as well as the workgroup’s plan to oversee establishment of one or more pilot projects to study the application of ODR for a variety of case types, including, but not limited to, small claims, family, and civil traffic infractions. The workgroup secured vendors, developed appropriate caseflows for each respective case type, and designed the online platforms for each pilot site.

The ODR pilot included six circuits and took place between April and November 2020. The workgroup is now developing an analysis and recommendations for future applications of ODR in Florida’s trial courts and will report its findings to the court no later than January 30, 2021.

Uniform Case Reporting Project Overseen by the TCP&A’s Court Statistics and Workload Committee, chaired by Judge Paul Alessandroni, Charlotte County, the Uniform Case Reporting (UCR) project is a near-real time, event-driven data exchange system designed to capture the case activity data considered essential to the operation of the judicial branch. UCR is designed to provide detailed information about specific events within a case such as case initiation, judicial assignment, case status, and case closure—information that is used for workload and resource allocation and process improvement.

UCR represents a much-needed modernization of the judicial branch’s data exchange systems. Current data collection systems were developed in the 1980s and provide only case level information. They do not provide the level of case activity detail required for today’s courts system to operate effectively. With UCR, case activity is broken down into a series of events, presenting a more accurate and flexible picture of court operations. This more nuanced picture will help the courts system better manage its cases, measure and monitor operations, and be more responsive to changing circumstances.

Development of UCR is in progress. All clerks of court are expected to complete full transition to case activity reporting no later than December 31, 2021 (seeAOSC20-30 ). More detailed information about the UCR project, including the complete Data Collection Specification and clerk of court transition progress, may be found at www.flcourts.org/jdms.

Fairness and Diversity Awareness

The Florida courts system’s commitment to the principles of fairness and unbiased justice inheres in the judicial branch vision statement, which says, “To be fair, the Florida justice system will respect the dignity of every person, regardless of race, class, gender or other characteristic, apply the law appropriately to the circumstances of individual cases, and include judges and court staff who reflect the community’s diversity.” This commitment is also promulgated in the first high-priority area of branch’s long-range plan—“Deliver

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justice effectively, efficiently, and fairly”—and in the long-range plan’s first stated goal, which is to “Perform judicial duties and administer justice without bias or prejudice.”

Since the 1980s, the branch, with the help of numerous supreme court- appointed committees, has endeavored to realize these objectives, working to create court settings that are free of preconceptions and to shape environments in which judges, court personnel, attorneys, and litigants treat each other with courtesy, dignity, and consideration. (From this link, access information about the branch’s various fairness and diversity work products and initiatives.)

For the last 16 years, the courts system’s fairness initiatives have been guided by the Standing Committee on Fairness and Diversity, established by the supreme court in 2004 to “advance the State Courts System’s efforts to eliminate from court operations bias that is based on race, gender, ethnicity, age, disability, financial status, or any characteristic that is without legal Judge Peter F. Estrada, Tenth Circuit, relevance.” This committee is re-authorized every two years via administrative chairs the Standing Committee on Fairness and Diversity. order, which identifies the particular issues that members are directed to address during that term. Currently chaired by Judge Peter F. Estrada, Tenth Circuit, the 18-member body—which includes judges, attorneys, a trial court clerk, and representatives from The Florida Bar, law enforcement, Florida universities, and an office of equal opportunity—continued to explore funding opportunities for fairness and diversity education programs; expanded its diversity education campaign for judges and court staff; built on its outreach efforts to advance fairness and diversity initiatives in the Florida justice system; created a diversity speakers list; and developed a training resources library (this link goes to the administrative order governing the 2018 – 2020 term).

During the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, the committee secured a yearly grant that will go toward providing educational materials and speakers for fairness and diversity education programs for judges and court personnel throughout the state. The committee also maintained its education campaign, providing educational resources and programs on fairness and diversity awareness for the county and circuit conferences as well as resources and materials on implicit bias for various judicial circuits.

In addition, the committee continued to coordinate and collaborate with The Florida Bar, local bar associations, community organizations, Florida law schools, and other partners to offer diversity trainings and to advance fairness and diversity initiatives in the justice system. For example, committee members gave presentations at fairness and diversity programs in the Fifth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Thirteenth Circuits as well as at circuit court education programs and Florida Bar conferences. The committee also helped the Fifth Circuit organize a full-day fairness and diversity program called To Be Fair: Addressing Bias in the Justice System, which was attended by 40 judges from across the state. And the committee visited the Ava Maria, Florida State, Judge Andrea Teves Smith, Second and University of Florida law schools, meeting with faculty and students to DCA, is the vice chair of the Standing Committee on Fairness discuss the committee’s work and conducting question and answer sessions and Diversity. with the students on fairness and diversity issues. FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 29 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Enhance Access to Justice and Court Services

Finally, the committee created a diversity speakers list and developed a training resources library. The speakers list includes judges, attorneys, and law professors who are willing to deliver diversity training after having completed a set of required courses (the Sentencing Bias Train-the-Trainer Program and the Diversity and Implicit Bias Training Program). Courts, bar associations, law schools, and other organizations seeking a diversity speaker for events are encouraged to contact the committee for a speaker recommendation. And to provide judges and court staff with materials and information to assist with diversity training, the committee created a training resources library. The library includes fairness and diversity interactive activities, speakers lists, presentation slides on various fairness and diversity topics, sample fairness and diversity program agendas, fairness and diversity-related case law, and updated state and national judicial ethics complaints regarding fairness and diversity. The committee is working to determine where best to post these two resources online.

Currently, the committee is continuing to enhance the resource library, to develop and update the speakers list, and to build upon its outreach efforts for advancing fairness and diversity initiatives within the justice system. The committee is also developing virtual judicial education programs focused on COVID-19-related implicit bias issues.

Long-Range Issue #2: Enhance Access to Justice and Court Services

Florida’s courts are committed to equal access to justice for all. However, litigation costs, communication barriers, lack of information, complexity, biases, and physical obstructions can create difficulties for those seeking to access the courts to obtain relief. The judicial branch must strive to identify and remove real or perceived barriers to better provide meaningful access to the courts.

Public access to the courts is a cornerstone of the justice system: “The courts shall be open to every person for redress of any injury and justice shall be administered without sale, denial or delay,” the Florida Constitution affirms (Art 1, s. 21). The reality, however, is that, in seeking access to the courts, people may still face obstacles—economic limitations, cultural or attitudinal hurdles, language or communication barriers, or physical or electronic impediments.

The judiciary is committed to identifying and reducing these obstacles. Through its endeavors to improve access to civil justice, to respond thoughtfully and effectively to the legal needs and best interests of Florida’s most vulnerable populations (e.g., children, people with disabilities, people with limited English proficiency), and to promote the use of innovative family courts, problem-solving courts, and alternative dispute resolution processes, the branch works to ensure that everyone who enters the courts, whether literally or virtually, has meaningful access to justice and court services.

Long-Range Issue #2 Topics: • Access to Civil Justice • Problem-Solving Courts • Court Interpreting Services • Alternative Dispute Resolution • Family Court

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Access to Civil Justice

In November 2014, citing the challenges faced by disadvantaged, low-income, and moderate-income Floridians when seeking meaningful and informed access to the civil justice system, then Chief Justice Jorge Labarga signed an administrative order establishing the Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice. Bringing together the three branches of government, The Florida Bar, The Florida Bar Foundation, civil legal aid providers, the business community, and other well-known stakeholders, the commission, chaired by Justice Labarga, is embarked on a coordinated effort to identify and address the unmet civil legal needs of these populations. Among its notable accomplishments during the 2019 – 20 fiscal year, the commission worked with a consultant to identify additional ways to assist self-represented litigants facing civil legal access challenges; produced animated videos to help self-represented litigants equip themselves for their day in court; updated the Florida Courts Help App; and worked with business and community groups to increase awareness of access to justice issues their employees or neighbors may be facing.

In 2019, the Access Commission, through The Florida Bar (which also provides staff assistance to the commission), was awarded $30,000 in grant funding by the national Justice for All Initiative, which supports state efforts to include all civil justice community stakeholders in a partnership that works to better understand, adopt, and move toward meaningful access to justice for all. The grant subsidized work on two commission objectives: to conduct outreach to non-traditional access to civil justice stakeholders with the goal of enhancing access and promoting a “no wrong door” approach; and to develop a process to directly engage self-represented litigants and determine court procedures, policies, forms, and communications in need of improvement, allowing for a positive user experience with the courts system while preserving substantive and procedural fairness and due process rights. The Florida Bar contracted with a nationally recognized consultant to assist with Justice for All research and outreach efforts. To better understand the challenges faced by self- represented litigants, the consultant, through 2019, arranged focus groups, conducted interviews with self- represented litigants, and engaged non-traditional stakeholders.

The consultant’s final report,Voices in the Civil Justice System: Learning from Self-Represented Litigants and Their Trusted Intermediaries, includes the following recommendations: establish full-service self-help centers in each county, and establish statewide standards for the operation of those self-help centers; publish a standard, statewide glossary of legal terms in plain language; design a branding strategy for trusted resources of the courts, clerks, legal aid, and private bar, and publish plain language self-help content that can be used by any stakeholder; increase the number of non-lawyer legal helpers in the field, and publish a statewide training protocol to distinguish between legal information and legal advice; and continue to collect self-represented litigant feedback through various means. The commission is now considering FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 31 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Enhance Access to Justice and Court Services

which recommendations and initiatives may most closely align with its strategic direction and provide the most value for those facing civil legal access challenges.

Also during the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, the commission, in collaboration with The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division and staff from the Office of the State Courts Administrator, released two short videos that provide plain-language tips and information for self-represented litigants. Designed for viewers who have never appeared in Justice Jorge Labarga (second from right) addresses members of the Florida Commission on court before, Preparing for Your Access to Civil Justice. (Photo courtesy of Pensacola News Journal) Day in Civil Court emphasizes the importance of consulting with a lawyer, if possible; directs viewers to court, clerk, and Florida Bar resources for additional assistance; explains the process of filing documents with the clerk’s office; encourages litigants to organize their documents and remember key dates; outlines expectations for security screening; and lists items litigants may want to have available when attending court. The second video, File or Answer a Civil Complaint, clarifies county and circuit court jurisdiction and thresholds; details important information to include in a complaint; explains service of process; defines an “answer” and describes its important elements; and points to other helpful online resources. These videos—which are accessible through the Florida Courts Help website, the Florida Courts Help App, and the Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice website—are the first in what is anticipated to be a library of helpful and informative videos created to assist people who are representing themselves in court.

Moreover, under the direction of the commission, OSCA staff completed version 2.0 of the Florida Courts Help App. According to the Pew Research Center, “The share of Americans that own smartphones is now 81%, up from just 35% in Pew Research Center’s first survey of smartphone ownership conducted in 2011.” This ever-increasing use of mobile devices, rather than desktops, points to the need to improve or enhance court websites to function properly on mobile devices; develop

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mobile device-friendly websites and mobile applications to improve access to information and services; and adapt to new technologies and web services to meet growing customer expectations. The Florida Courts Help App, which works on Apple and Android phones and tablets, is a direct, mobile-friendly pathway to Florida’s most requested court information and forms. It offers, in one place, information for people seeking a divorce, adoption, orders of protection, name change, and help with other family law issues (e.g., access to 186 supreme court-approved family law forms that can be filled out on one’s device; links to and contact information for help centers statewide; plain-language instructions and descriptions of initial steps and next actions; contact information for a full range of legal help).

Version 2.0 of the app has several new and enhanced features, including a veterans icon linking to a resource page containing state and national resources intended specifically for veterans and their civil legal issues; a feedback button for end users to report their experience with the app (the feedback button takes users to a survey to complete; on that same page is a streamlined help form to address technical challenges with using the app); and simplified categories to facilitate app use and navigation. Since the release of the Florida Courts Help App in December 2017, just under 9,000 court users have already installed it.

Finally, one of the commission’s responsibilities is to increase awareness of access to civil justice issues and provide resources to those who may be facing challenges. To help educate businesses and community groups on the legal hardships that their employees or neighbors may be experiencing, the commission developed a 15-minute presentation that provides an overview of the civil legal justice gap in Florida and its ramifications. This informative presentation also provides resources to help people find the legal help they need. Soon after commission members began giving this presentation, unfortunately, the initiative had to be put on hold due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Court interpreting Services

The US Census Bureau estimates that more than 20 percent of Florida’s 21.5 million residents are foreign-born. In part due to its geographic location, Florida has more residents with limited English proficiency than most other states (it has the fourth largest population of inhabitants with limited English proficiency). According to the Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey, 30.3 percent of Floridians older than age five—that is, more than six million Floridians—speak a language other than English at home, with 39.7 percent of them saying they “speak English less than very well.” If this trend continues, by 2030, Florida’s Office of Economic

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and Demographic Research reported, more than 6.8 million Floridians age five or older will speak a language other than English at home—approximately 2.8 million of whom will speak English less than very well.

Each year, thousands of court cases in Florida require spoken language interpreters or assistance for people with hearing loss. In developing the long-range plan, branch leaders were mindful that the ability to communicate effectively in court, the ability both to understand and be understood, is a basic right of all people in the US—and that language hurdles can limit access to the courts and court services. Thus, among its goals, the plan underlines the need to “reduce communication and language barriers to facilitate participation in court proceedings” (goal 2.5 of the long-range plan). Judge J. Kevin Abdoney, Tenth Circuit, chairs the Court Interpreter Certification Board. To ensure that all people have meaningful access to the courts—regardless of their ability to communicate effectively in English—the branch continues working to improve the overall quality of, and to expand the reach of, court interpreting services, both for face-to-face events and for those utilizing remote technology. Spoken language interpreters participate in several hundred thousand court events in Florida each year. These trained and regulated professionals support branch efforts to meet three primary objectives: they place those who use court interpreting services on an equal footing with those who do not require these services; they protect due process rights and fundamental interests; and they ensure that Florida’s courts comply with state law and with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and other federal laws.

To register, designate, regulate, and discipline court interpreters (as set forth in the Florida Rules for Certification and Regulation of Spoken Language Court Interpreters), the supreme court established the Court Interpreter Certification Board in 2006; the board is currently chaired by Judge J. Kevin Abdoney, Tenth Circuit. Working hand and hand with the board is the Court Interpreter Certification and Regulation Program (CICRP); housed in the Office of the State Courts Administrator, the CICRP provides staff support for the board and administers the qualification, certification, and regulation processes for spoken language interpreters.

During the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, in addition to developing some new resources for the trial courts, the CICRP expanded and fine-tuned its online registries of spoken language court interpreters. In addition, Florida’s trial courts continued expanding During the pandemic, the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit has been using Zoom for proceedings requiring court interpreters. the use of video remote interpreting services across the state.

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Trial Court Resource Initiatives The CICRP, at the direction of the Court Interpreter Certification Board, undertook several language access projects during the fiscal year. First was the development of an “I Speak” flyer, which was designed to give literate court users with limited English proficiency a mechanism for quickly identifying the language in which they need services. When presented with the flyer, court users point to their language, enabling court staff to proceed with securing services in that language. Disseminated electronically to the trial courts in July 2020, the flyer comprises “I speak” translations for 31 languages, including Florida’s top 10 language demands. The CICRP also prepared a pamphlet and a brochure about court interpreting for circuits to disseminate to court users. The pamphlet, Spoken Language Court Interpreters in the Florida Courts, answers a range of FAQs, including what a court interpreter does and what an interpreter is not permitted to do. And the brochure— called Do You Need a Court Interpreter?—explains why a court interpreter might be advisable, what an interpreter does and does not do, in what instances an interpreter is appointed by the court, how to request one, and how to find one if one is not provided by the court. These documents will be available in English and Spanish initially and translated into other languages over time.

Definition of Tiers for Spoken Language Court Interpreter Registries The CICRP maintains online registries, by language, of the three official, state-level tiers of spoken language interpreter—certified, language skilled, and provisionally approved—as well as a registry of registered interpreters (registration is an initial step towards official state-level designation and includes interpreters who have satisfied general prerequisites).

During the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, the CICRP added definitions to clarify each interpreter tier and also added the requirements for registration status—another project aimed at enhancing language access services. Posted in July 2020, these expanded, centralized listings identify interpreters who have fulfilled requisite training, testing, and background check criteria and are in active standing with the CICRP. Using these registries, one can quickly locate court interpreters, by tier and language, who have met the requisite rule criteria and are authorized to work in the state courts system. The registries are designed to help the public retain—and to help court interpreter services coordinators select, appoint, or staff—the most qualified spoken language court interpreters for their language access needs. (See the registries of spoken language court interpreters.)

Expanding the Reach of Video Remote Interpreting Virtual Remote Interpreting (VRI), whose implementation in courts across Florida is being overseen by the Commission on Trial Court Performance and Accountability (see above), is helping Florida’s courts meet the growing need for quality interpreting services. Currently, VRI is being utilized in 17 of Florida’s 20 circuits and includes 230 courtroom setups (including 35 jail courtrooms and 11 hearing rooms), 57 interpreter workstations, and six call manager appliances statewide. Below, read about the VRI successes in Florida’s Eleventh and Ninth Judicial Circuits.

The Eleventh Judicial Circuit (Miami-Dade County) The Eleventh Circuit is a multicultural and diverse community. Ensuring the availability of certified court interpreters is one of the many ways this circuit is committed to providing access to, and participation in, the justice system process for all residents who have business before the court, regardless of the language spoken.

In response to the growing need for interpreter services, in February 2019, branch court facilities throughout Miami-Dade County installed VRI technology to ensure interpreter services for defendants, respondents,

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victims, witnesses, plaintiffs, and attorneys. Since then, certified court interpreters work from a centralized location with the capability to be dispatched to courtrooms virtually throughout the county as needed. This process provides a different method of ‘in-person’ interpreters to the courtroom with the same level of excellent service. With the use of the VRI system, coordination of interpreter services has been maximized throughout the circuit: by December 2019, six out of the seven branch courts were VRI operational.

By April 2020, it was clear that COVID-19 was going to influence and disrupt typical court operations for a longer period than previously anticipated. To better serve the community, the Eleventh Circuit, following the directive from the supreme court and the Office of the Virtual Remote Interpreting provides a service similar to telecommunications software application products like State Courts Administrator, set up virtual courtrooms Skype and Facetime. Using audio and video components, VRI using a video conferencing platform (Zoom). Through enables the interpreter and the defendant to communicate video conferencing meetings and trainings, certified simultaneously while the defendant is before the judge. court interpreters quickly learned how to use the Zoom platform, providing valuable feedback about how to simplify the process and how to tweak the platform to maximize its versatility for use by the judiciary, court personnel, and people with limited English proficiency. The Zoom platform also has a feature that enables people with limited English proficiency to hear the interpretation in real time (simultaneous), in their language, as opposed to aloud after every sentence (consecutively), a functionality that assists in minimizing lags, increasing the case flow, and reducing delays.

The circuit’s Interpretation and Translation Department created guides and offered online virtual training sessions to judges, judicial staff, and court personnel. In addition, to ensure that the technology is utilized as effectively and efficiently as possible, at the beginning of each hearing, interpreters provide brief instructions on system use to court users. In extensively utilizing VRI during the pandemic, the Eleventh Circuit has been able to significantly limit in-person contact while continuing to serve the access needs of the community.

The Ninth Judicial Circuit (Orange County and Osceola County) The Ninth Judicial Circuit is one of the largest and most diverse circuits in Florida; on any given day, one may hear conversations in more than 160 languages. For many of this circuit’s court users, equal access to justice relies upon access to interpreters.

Initially, the Ninth Circuit provided interpreting services through traditional means—which meant that, due to the size of the circuit, interpreters would typically spend more time traveling to and waiting for hearings than actually interpreting at hearings. Looking to improve upon the traditional model, the Ninth Circuit began using virtual technology to deliver simultaneous interpreting services in 2007. At first, however, even though interpreters were delivering interpreting services remotely, judges were still using the same scheduling business model they used for traditional, in-person interpreting services. So while the early VRI system streamlined court processes, the scheduling delivery model did not eliminate substantive time delays. The circuit took the technology back to the drawing board, making VRI on-demand as a first option, which created a seismic shift in the provision of mission-critical, due-process services to the courts.

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On-Demand VRI instantaneously eliminates the time-delay issues that plagued interpreting services for decades. Without having the delays inherent in scheduling and rescheduling interpreters, judges can hear and rule on proceedings in less time, and interpreters can cover more hearings—across multiple locations—directly from their workstation.

The Ninth Circuit launched On-Demand VRI as the first option for Spanish language services in March 2018. Twenty-four courtrooms and eight interpreter workstations were fitted with the full VRI technology. Altogether, 24 of the 65 judges in the circuit had access to the system at the bench. Since 2018, an additional 14 courtrooms have been fitted with On-Demand VRI technology, bringing the total to 38. The remaining 24 courtrooms will have access to the technology in the last quarter of 2020.

Staff interpreters are now able to provide simultaneous, on-demand interpreting from their homes, including the ability to cover two neighboring circuits (the Eighteenth and the Nineteenth). On-Demand VRI has proven to be a critical access-to-justice tool--especially during the pandemic. (Read more about the circuit’s On- Demand VRI in the 2020 Trends in State Courts, pp. 8 – 13, produced by the National Center for State Courts.)

Family Court

Some of the most complex, unsettling, and private family issues end up being decided in the courts—matters like separation and divorce, child support, termination of parental rights, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, family violence, child neglect and abuse, substance abuse, and mental illness. Seeking to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and families, the judicial branch, since introducing the first family court initiative in 1991, has been working closely with community, state, and federal partners to develop comprehensive, integrated approaches to handling these sensitive cases.

Judge Christopher S. Ferebee, Seventh Judicial Circuit, conducts dependency court via Zoom.

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Many of the branch’s innovative family court programs and practices are proposed by the supreme court’s Steering Committee on Families and Children in the Court (FCC), which was established in 1994 as the Family Court Steering Committee. The FCC provides direction, guidance, and support to courts around the state, helping to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of family court operations. Also offering assistance to the courts are the Dependency Court Improvement Panel, the Domestic Violence Advisory Group, and the Delinquency Advisory Group, all of which report to the FCC. Another important family court resource is the Office of Court Improvement, a unit of the Office of the State Courts Administrator that, in addition to staffing the above entities, develops a wide range of family court trainings, publications, and other materials for family court judges, court personnel, and court users. Through implementing the innovations developed by these resources, the judicial branch works to resolve family court cases in a fair, timely, efficient, and cost-effective manner. Below, read about some of their recent accomplishments.

Judge Jack Helinger, Sixth Judicial Circuit, listens to a woman seeking a domestic violence injunction against her husband during the first mass hearing docket of its kind at the County Justice Center in Clearwater in April 2020. Because the justice center contains the largest courtroom in the county and, as such, is best suited for maintaining social distancing, all petitions for violence injunctions filed in Pinellas County are being heard there during the pandemic.

Steering Committee on Families and Children in the Court Every two years, the supreme court re-authorizes the FCC by administrative order, directing it to work on specific issues and projects (view the administrative order governing the 2018 – 20 term of the FCC). Comprising judges, court administrators, and justice system partners, the FCC was chaired by Judge Christine Greider, Twentieth Circuit, until her retirement in January 2020; Judge Jack Helinger, Sixth Circuit, was named chair through the remainder of the committee’s 2018 – 2020 term.

To replace the current Fundamentals for Family Court Judges online course, during the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, the FCC developed a draft Handling Family Cases course curriculum that comprehensively addresses the requirement of Recommendation #6(c) of In Re: Report of the Family Court Steering Committee [May 3, 2001]: “Judges who are assigned to the family division for the first time, or who have not served in the family division

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for two years, should receive mandatory training in the fundamentals of family law, domestic violence, juvenile dependency, and juvenile delinquency before assuming the assignment or within 60 days after assuming the assignment.” The Handling Family Cases curriculum comprises current family court learning opportunities and also suggests materials to be added in the future, including intermediate courses, online benchbook presentations, and regional trainings. The course will enable judges to select from a variety of blended learning opportunities to complete a specified number of hours of course content.

To develop this new curriculum, in 2018, the FCC convened five workgroups to create new eLearning modules in dependency, delinquency, dissolution of marriage, domestic violence, and the one family, one judge model. The workgroups drafted curricula, created videos, and provided additional resource materials for the modules. These modules, which will be regularly maintained and updated, will serve both as an introductory course for judges new to the family court bench and as a refresher course for judges returning to that bench.

A prototype of the domestic violence module was presented to the FCC at its March 2020 meeting, and committee member feedback is currently being incorporated. The Handling During the pandemic, Judge Diego Madrigal, III, Ninth Judicial Circuit, via Microsoft Teams, Family Cases course is performed the adoption ceremony of little Galit Batya, who appeared remotely from scheduled for release in July Tampa. Family members were able to share in the joyous occasion from as far away as Michigan. 2021.

Dependency Court Improvement Panel Established in 2009 by then Chief Justice Peggy Quince, the multidisciplinary Dependency Court Improvement Panel, currently chaired by Judge Hope Bristol, Seventeenth Circuit, addresses ways to improve practices and decision-making in dependency cases. During the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, the panel completed, and the supreme court approved, the Florida Early Childhood Court Best Practice Standards.

In the 1990s, a Miami judge pioneered the concept of working with a child psychologist and an early childhood expert to collaborate on behalf of young children in the dependency court system. Building on this concept, the national organization ZERO TO THREE developed the “Safe Babies Court Team approach” and has been implementing this approach across the US. Predicated on empirical evidence, the Safe Babies Court Team approach offers an effective method to altering the trajectory for maltreated children and their families. Jurisdictions throughout Florida began using this approach in 2014, referring to it as Early Childhood Court (ECC). Since then, Florida’s ECCs have grown from three to 27 sites. FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 39 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Enhance Access to Justice and Court Services

Members of the Steering Committee on Families and Children in the Court have continued to meet regularly via Zoom.

ECC encompasses child welfare cases involving children under the age of three. Like other problem-solving courts, ECC addresses the root causes of justice system involvement through the use of specialized dockets, multidisciplinary teams, a non-adversarial approach, and differentiated case management principles (i.e., judicial system resources are allotted based on the complexity and needs of individual cases, ensuring the most efficient use of court resources as well as the most effective solutions for promoting long-term stability for litigants). Offering evidence-based treatment, judicial supervision, and accountability, ECC seeks to improve child safety and well-being, heal trauma and repair the parent/child relationship, promote timely permanency, and stop the intergenerational cycle of maltreatment. Compared to traditional dependency court, ECCs in Florida, as in other states, have demonstrated more timely permanency outcomes and a reduction of re-abuse.

The Florida Early Childhood Court Best Practice Standards aims to bring the professionalism and fidelity of the national Safe Babies Court Team approach to ECCs throughout Florida. When practical, these standards were developed to mirror the Florida Adult Drug Court Standards, which were approved by the Florida Supreme Court in 2017. The ECC standards are based largely on research and analysis conducted on Safe Babies Court Team sites in other states as well as on research and analysis of specific early childhood evidence-based interventions. The standards were approved by the Florida Supreme Court in November 2019.

Domestic Violence Advisory Group During the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, with funding from a federal STOP Violence Against Women Grant, Office of Court Improvement staff, at the direction of the Domestic Violence Advisory Group, updated the Domestic Violence Benchbook; created three new online e-training modules; convened two judicial regional training programs and one online training for court staff; facilitated two judicial webinars; provided three webinars on strangulation prevention; provided scholarships for judges to attend national conferences and for judges

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and court staff to attend an online certification course on trauma; updated thedomestic violence pages of the flcourts.org website; and prepared monthly caselaw updates and legislative analyses.

Delinquency Advisory Group During the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, Office of Court Improvement staff, at the direction of the Delinquency Advisory Group, worked in conjunction with the Department of Juvenile Justice to provide two regional trainings for judges who handle delinquency cases; these trainings enhance judges’ ability to address these cases effectively and consistently throughout the state. Staff also completed monthly caselaw updates and legislative analyses; updated the delinquency pages of the flcourts.org website; and provided support to the FCC.

Problem-Solving Courts

Problem-solving courts have shown great promise in helping people who have underlying treatment needs that traditional dockets do not, or cannot adequately, address. They aim to reach the root causes of justice system involvement through specialized dockets, multidisciplinary teams, and a non-adversarial approach. Their core elements include evidence-based treatment services designed to identify and meet the unique needs of each participant; judicial authority and supervision; and graduated, individualized, and coordinated responses (both for incentives and sanctions) to promote public safety and participant success.

The earliest problem-solving court was established in Judge Steven Leifman, Miami-Dade County, chairs the Florida in 1989, when then Judge Herbert Klein, Miami- Steering Committee on Problem-Solving Courts. Dade County, launched the world’s first drug court. Since then, other kinds of problem-solving dockets have been implemented using the drug court model. The most prevalent problem-solving dockets in Florida are drug court, mental health court, veterans court, and early childhood court. Currently, Florida has 56 adult drug courts; 20 juvenile drug courts; 13 dependency drug courts; four DUI courts; 33 mental health courts; 31 veterans courts; and 27 early childhood courts. (Learn more about Florida’s problem-solving courts).

In July 2018, the supreme court created the Steering Committee on Problem-Solving Courts to address the needs of court-engaged individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders using differentiated case management principles and other evidence-based and emerging best practices. Chaired by Judge Steve Leifman, Miami-Dade County, this committee has been tasked with developing best practice standards for problem-solving courts and with creating a problem-solving court certification program, with the goals of providing guidance on practices that are proven to be effective through science and of helping problem-solving courts operate with fidelity to the standards. (See AOSC18-32, the administrative order governing the steering committee’s 2018 – 2020 term.)

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Efforts to develop standards began in 2014, when the steering committee’s predecessor, the Task Force on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues in the Courts, was directed to “Recommend a strategy for ensuring that drug courts are operating with fidelity to the ten key components enumerated in section 397.334(4), Florida Statutes” (AOSC14-46). In 2017, the task force submitted, and the supreme court approved, Florida Adult Drug Court Best Practice Standards (which were based on the National Association of Drug Court Professionals’ Adult Drug Court Best Practice Standards—the culmination of 25 years of empirical study on addiction, pharmacology, behavioral health, and criminal justice). And in 2019, the Steering Committee on Families and Children in the Court submitted, and the court approved, the Florida Early Childhood Court Best Practice Standards.

Again using the Florida Adult Drug Court Best Practice Standards as its model, the Steering Committee on Problem-Solving Courts next turned its attention to developing best practice standards for dependency drug court, mental health court, veterans court, juvenile drug court, and driving under the influence court. In June 2020, Since the arrival of COVID-19, the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit has been using Zoom to conduct its relatively the steering committee approved best practice standards new veterans treatment court; pictured here (l to r), at for dependency drug courts and best practice guidelines its very first graduation (July 2020), are graduate Jeffrey for mental health courts and veterans courts (note: due to Matthews; program director Shonta Covington; Chief Judge the lack of sufficient research to support the development Chris Patterson; case manager Adrian Cook; and graduate of standards for mental health court and veterans court, Herbert Monnin. guidelines, rather than standards, are recommended for these two problem-solving courts). Staff in the Office of Court Improvement (OCI, under the Office of the State Courts Administrator) are in the process of conducting a comprehensive review of the standards and guidelines to ensure consistency in content and format, where appropriate. Once the review is finalized, the standards and guidelines will be submitted to the supreme court for approval.

Judge George G. Angeliadis, one of the Fifth Judicial Circuit’s problem-solving court judges, is In addition, in June 2020, conducting drug court via a virtual platform. the steering committee

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finalized the problem-solving court certification program, including developing necessary protocols, forms, and tools and determining the resources needed to implement the program. Once approved by the supreme court, this voluntary program will recognize problem-solving courts for operating with fidelity to and in accordance with best practice standards or guidelines.

Finally, through federal grant and state funding, the OCI has been working to provide problem-solving court team members with comprehensive, in-state training and education opportunities to assist courts with implementing best practices to facilitate positive outcomes for the participants being served and with preparing to apply for certification. In June 2019, the OCI utilized federal funds to convene a statewide early childhood court all-sites meeting to provide training and opportunities for strategic planning on the implementation of best practices. In November 2019, with a portion of the federal dollars, the OCI Random urinalysis is an important component of a facilitated a statewide conference for adult drug court team drug court client’s recovery and treatment plan, so the members. In August and September 2020, eight virtual Sixteenth Circuit was diligent about enacting procedures that would enable its lab to provide urinalyses in an workshops were held under the Florida Courts Opioid appropriate manner during the pandemic. Here, Lab Initiative with content on best practices in drug courts and Technician Sanat Baratov and Lab Manager Samantha other problem-solving courts. And in September 2020, Vazquez pose for a photo with the circuit’s chemical dependency drug court teams participated in a statewide, analyzer. virtual all-sites meeting to hear from state and national experts on best practices concerning substance use disorder and child maltreatment. Similar training has been planned for mental health court and veterans court team members, utilizing state funding allocated during the 2020 legislative session (owing to the current budget climate, however, that funding is being held in reserve). Due to the pandemic, all the in-person trainings planned for fiscal year 2020—2021 had to be postponed, but alternative options for providing this training are currently being considered.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

For more than four decades, Florida’s courts have been promoting mediation and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes, which give litigants the chance to resolve their conflicts without judicial intervention. The first Florida citizen dispute settlement center was established in 1975, in Dade County. Soon after, the state’s first county court mediation program was founded in Broward County. Then in 1988, based on the recommendations of a legislative study, mediation and arbitration were brought under the auspices of the Florida courts system. Since then, Florida has developed one of the most comprehensive court-connected mediation programs in the country. Currently, more than 5,400 certified mediators support judicial branch efforts to serve the people of Florida. (Learn more about ADR and mediation.)

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In January 2020, 18 county mediators in Panama City enjoyed an in-person county mediation training taught by Dispute Resolution Center staff.

To assist the courts in developing ADR programs and to conduct education and research on ADR, then Chief Justice Joseph Boyd and Mr. Talbot “Sandy” D’Alemberte, who was then the dean of the Florida State University College of Law, established the Florida Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) in the mid-1980s. Housed in the supreme court building, the DRC certifies mediators and mediation training programs in five areas (county, family, circuit, dependency, and appellate); oversees the grievance procedure against mediators and parenting coordinators; sponsors an annual conference for mediators and arbitrators and regularly provides basic and advanced mediation trainings; and publishes a newsletterThe ( Neutral) as well as the annual ADR Resource Handbook. (Link to DRC publications.)

In addition, the DRC staffs five supreme court committees: the Committee on ADR Rules and Policy; the Mediator Qualifications and Discipline Review Board; the Mediator Ethics Advisory Committee; the Mediation Training Review Board; and the Parenting Coordinator Review Board. (Read about the supreme court committees the DRC staffs.) The DRC is also responsible for overseeing the discipline of certified and court- appointed mediators and of qualified and court-appointed parenting coordinators. (Find out more about discipline proceedings and sanctions.)

Notable ADR accomplishments during the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year include the offering of a full menu of education and outreach events, despite pandemic-induced curtailments; the submission of several important petitions to the Florida Supreme Court; and swift, successful efforts to ensure the continuity of ADR operations during the pandemic.

Education and Outreach Certified mediators are required to earn at least 16 hours of continuing mediator education every two years (including instruction in mediator ethics, interpersonal violence education, and diversity/cultural awareness). To ensure they have opportunities to achieve the highest standards of professionalism and ethical behavior, the DRC facilitates numerous learning events annually, including a conference that offers education in mediation, arbitration, and collaborative processes; county mediation training programs; advanced mediator ethics and professionalism programs; and an annual Mediation Week celebration in collaboration with local schools. FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 44 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Enhance Access to Justice and Court Services

Attended by approximately 1,000 conflict resolution practitioners across the state, the annual DRC conferences offer ADR professionals an opportunity to sharpen their skills, earn continuing mediator education credits, and network with their colleagues. Conference activities include one and a half days of plenaries and workshops and an optional, four-hour pre-conference workshop. Between live attendance and recorded sessions, more than 100 hours of learning are available, making this conference the premier mediator education event of the year. Nearly 1,000 conflict resolution practitioners attended the DRC’s twenty-seventh annual conference in August 2019. And the twenty-eighth annual conference, which took place in August 2020 and had to transition fairly quickly from an in-person to a remote event, boasted more than 1,200 participants (to accommodate a virtual program, the conference design had to be modified somewhat, resulting in shorter workshops, with fewer per session; between virtual attendance and recorded sessions, about 40 hours of learning were available this year).

DRC staff also offer free county mediation trainings and advanced mediator ethics trainings to support those who work in the trial court ADR programs. Their 20-hour certified county mediation training program is designed for court-sponsored individuals who are preparing to work in the county court mediation programs; many are volunteers assisting in their local small claims court on a weekly or monthly basis (10 of the 20 judicial circuits utilize volunteer mediators in their small claims courts). In fiscal year 2019 – 2020, the DRC conducted county mediation trainings in Sarasota and Panama City (the final program of the year, scheduled for April in Gainesville, had to be cancelled due to COVID-19). The DRC’s advanced mediator ethics trainings are for certified county, family, and dependency mediators working in the courts system. In fiscal year 2019 – 2020, the DRC conducted these trainings in person for the First, Fifth and Fourteenth Circuits and via Zoom for the Twelfth, Fifteenth, and Dispute Resolution Center staff conducted a training for certified family mediators on Seventeenth Circuits. DRC staff contract with the First Judicial Circuit in December 2019. also conducted trainings for area school students studying conflict resolution skills. In October 2019, to mark Mediation Week, the DRC invited 27 elementary school students from Florida State University School to the supreme court to learn more about peaceful methods of dispute resolution. For the October 2020 event, the DRC created a remote program: 22 of Florida’s youngest peacemakers enjoyed a virtual supreme court building tour, education program, and mediation training.

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Petitions to the Florida Supreme Court The Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution Rules and Policy, chaired by Judge Michael S. Orfinger, Seventh Circuit, assists the supreme court in exercising its power and performing its duties to establish rules of practice and procedure for court-ordered mediation and arbitration. During the 2019 – 20 fiscal year, the committee submitted two noteworthy petitions to the supreme court.

In June 2020, the committee filed a petition in response to the supreme court’s November 2019 request to the committee that all procedures relating to the qualification, disqualification, and training of parenting coordinators be contained in the Rules for Qualified and Court-Appointed Parenting Coordinators. The petition proposes new rules regarding rostering, qualification, and disqualification of parenting coordinators by Florida’s trial courts and a new qualification renewal system for parenting coordinators, including the requirement that, every two years, qualified parenting coordinators take 16 hours of mandatory continuing parenting coordination education to enhance their professionalism and competence. The amendments will merge an existing administrative order and current rules to offer practitioners one central location for all requirements and authorities related to parenting coordination qualification, renewal, disqualification, training, standards of conduct, and discipline. (See SC20-942.)

And in April 2020, the committee submitted a petition designed to remedy two shortcomings in the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, Florida Small Claims Rules, Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure, and Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure. The petition recommends the addition of identical language to these rules, requiring that all mediators who mediate actions filed and pending in any Florida court be subject to Part II, Standards of Professional Conduct, and Part III, Discipline, of the Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators, regardless of whether a court order of referral has been issued. (See SC20-565.)

ADR Operations During COVID-19 Soon after the public health emergency was declared in Florida, the DRC requested that the supreme court enter an administrative order modifying ADR requirements affected by the pandemic. In April 2020, the court released AOSC 20- 24, granting relief in the following areas: mediator certification training (including physical attendance, renewal of primary and assistant At the Dispute Resolution Center’s annual conference, held virtually in August 2020, trainer status, and certified Mr. George Knox, a mediator, facilitator, and peacemaker with a focus on relationship- mediator training programs); building negotiation techniques, gave a plenary session on The Mediator’s Dilemma: mediator certification (including Joint Session, or No Joint Session? time for filing application, time for filing items to complete application, and criminal background screening); renewal of mediator certification (including live continuing mediator education and late fees and timeframes); parenting coordination (physical attendance at training); and arbitration (physical attendance at training). (Learn more about ADR educational and certification requirements during COVID-19 in the July 2020 issue of The Neutral.)

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Long-Range Issue #3: Improve Understanding of the Judicial Process

The judicial branch’s legal authority is a grant by the people, and public trust and confidence in the judicial branch is at the heart of maintaining a democratic society. Promoting public trust and confidence in the courts enhances the effectiveness of court actions, strengthens judicial impartiality, and improves the ability of courts to fulfill their mission. Improved communication, collaboration, and education efforts will better inform the public about the judicial branch’s role, mission, and vision.

People who have some understanding of the American justice system tend to have a greater respect, trust, and support for the courts, studies have found. To deepen people’s knowledge of the justice system, Florida’s courts continue working to meet the goals of the branch-wide communication plan, which provides a framework for coordinating and organizing communication activities, and to provide a bounty of education and outreach events and activities, which offer people opportunities to learn about the roles, functions, responsibilities, and accomplishments of their judicial branch. In striving to establish diverse lines of communication with their various audiences and to develop learning initiatives for “students” of all ages, Florida’s courts aim to deliver timely, consistent, useful, and inspiring information both to its internal audiences—judges and court personnel—and to its external audiences—the public, court users, branch partners and stakeholders, government entities, the media, and education, business, and civic organizations.

Long-Range Issue #3 Topics: • Branch-Wide Court Communication Plan • Education and Outreach Initiatives

Branch-Wide Court Communication Plan

In 2015, while the Judicial Management Council was revising the branch’s long-range plan, members simultaneously pondered strategies for advancing the communication-related goals that the plan was about to announce. Hewed in response to feedback from judges, court public information officers, other court staff, and experts from the private sector, the branch-wide communication plan, Delivering Our Message: Court Communication Plan for the Judicial Branch of Florida 2016, is designed to help the courts enhance relationships with justice system partners, strengthen public understanding of and support for the branch, speak clearly and purposefully about the branch, support open lines of communication both internally and externally, and communicate effectively using coordinated, strategic efforts.

When implementation of the communication plan began in January 2016, then Chief Justice Jorge Labarga charged the branch’s designated public information officers (PIOs) with putting the plan into effect in their respective courts, promoting methods and activities that best respond to local needs and resources. Representing the 20 judicial circuits, the five district courts of appeal, the Florida Supreme Court, and the Office of the State Courts Administrator, the court PIOs are members of a statewide nonprofit professional association, the Florida Court Public Information Officers (FCPIO), organized in 2007 “to advance FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 47 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Improve Understanding of the Judicial Process

the ongoing dialogue among courts, media, and the public.” To foster the communications goals outlined in the plan, the PIOs hold monthly Zoom meetings; most years, they also meet in person for an education program to consider, among other timely topics, ideas for implementing the plan. During the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, PIOs were especially focused on enhancing their courts’ social media presence—particularly after the pandemic began to pervade Florida and more traditional means of communicating were upended.

Long before COVID-19, Florida’s court PIOs understood and began availing themselves of the extraordinary popularity of social media—communication channels that 72 percent of Americans now use regularly to connect with one another, access news content, ferret out or share information, and entertain themselves (Pew Research Center). Florida courts are in good company: the National Center for State Courts, which has been tracking the growth of social media use in state courts, notes that as more and more Americans rely on social media as their primary source of news and information, many courts have responded with their own social media presence (all but 12 state courts and one US territory have at least one social media account; Twitter is the most popular, used by 33 states). And the National Center firmly encourages courts to embrace social media, stressing that, “Public discourse today happens on social media. Failing to include social media in the court’s communication strategy can only widen the gap between what the public expects and what the court delivers.”

Since the 2016 release of the branch-wide communication plan, Florida courts at all levels have implemented social media policies and developed their own social media accounts, which they use for Twitter is used by 93 percent of Florida’s courts and the Office communicating information about services provided, of the State Courts Administrator; 48 percent of Florida’s courts and the Office of the State Courts Administrator use for pushing case-related postings and high-profile case Facebook; and some Florida courts also utilize YouTube, information, for increasing public trust and confidence Instagram, LinkedIn, and podcasts.​ in the judiciary by improving understanding of the judicial process, and for communicating during crisis situations. Florida’s courts widely use Twitter, or at least have a Twitter account to use in an emergency, such as an unexpected court closure (93 percent of the courts use Twitter accounts: 18 trial courts, all five district courts, the supreme court, and the Office of the State Courts Administrator). Next in popularity is Facebook (48 percent of the courts—nine trial courts, two district courts, and the supreme court and OSCA—have Facebook accounts). The courts also make limited use of YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and podcasts. These accounts proved their value during several major hurricane events over the last few years and gave court PIOs critical experience in using social media specifically for crisis communications. So when the global pandemic struck, because they already had a variety of active social media platforms in place, the PIOs were well- positioned to communicate quickly and efficiently both with internal and external audiences. (Link to the branch’s social media accounts by court.)

Mr. Craig Waters, director of the Florida Supreme Court Public Information Office, observed, “In the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, social media like Twitter and Facebook proved to be the single most important component of crisis communications for many courts”—a finding based on research by a rapid response

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team for communications established by the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators, spring 2020, and confirmed in a summer 2020 nationwide survey of court judges and staff conducted by the same entity. The survey results established that, when the pandemic hit, crisis messaging was managed far more effectively by courts that had previously approved social media accounts run by trained, experienced staff. “Social media fit in well with the new regime of ‘social distancing’ suddenly thrust upon courts by public health guidelines,” Mr. Waters explained, adding, “The most commonly used social media platforms cited in survey results were Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube—all of them in use in Florida long before the pandemic.” And he noted that “The Florida State Courts’ approach to the crisis under their 2016 Communications Plan has become a national model because of its early and carefully planned use of social media even before the first COVID-19 cases were reported.”

During the coronavirus pandemic, social media have proven to be the single most important component of crisis communications for many Florida courts. In addition to using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to communicate with internal and external audiences, the Ninth Circuit has produced numerous podcasts to provide helpful information to justice partners, court users, and the public.

Education and Outreach

The judicial branch develops an abundance of resources and opportunities for Floridians to learn about their courts. Every circuit and appellate court in the state has created programs and activities that inform the public about the courts system—initiatives such as courthouse tours, citizen guides, school outreach programs, teen courts, Law Day and Constitution Day activities, moot court competitions, Take Your Child to Work Days, juror appreciation events, “meet your judge” and “inside the court” types of programs, adoption events, speakers bureaus, citizen advisory committees, and media outreach efforts. Even during the pandemic, many courts have found ways to continue these programs, albeit remotely. Through these initiatives, the judicial branch

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seeks to educate people from all walks of life about their courts system, to encourage vibrant court-community relationships, to enhance people’s trust and confidence in their justice system, and to help foster a more engaged, informed, responsible citizenry generally.

Because of the pandemic, students participated virtually in the 2020 Florida State University College of Law Moot Court Final Four Competition before the justices of the Florida Supreme Court.

The Short History of Florida State Courts System Processes, Programs, and Initiatives was designed to deepen public understanding of the third branch, and it includes a chronicle of endeavors to strengthen trust and confidence in Florida’s courts. The Education and Outreach tab on the Florida Courts website offers a host of resources for boosting viewers’ knowledge of Florida’s courts system. And the Florida Supreme Court’s About the Court tab provides information about supreme court justices, supreme court history, Florida law, Florida courts structure, the supreme court seal, the portrait gallery, art in the court, the architecture of the building, and the various supreme court departments. In addition, nearly all the state courts in Florida (and the Office of the State Courts Administrator) utilize various social media platforms—including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, podcasts, LinkedIn, and videos—to inform audiences both external and internal about the work of the courts. Described below are some of the other ways the branch strives to provide Floridians with positive, meaningful interactions with their courts.

Judicial Campaign Conduct Forums Instituted in 1998, Judicial Campaign Conduct Forums are generally offered in the spring of election years for circuits in which a contested judicial election will be taking place. These 90-minute forums focus on the need for integrity and professionalism among candidates for judicial office, the impact of campaign conduct on public trust and confidence in the justice system, and the serious consequences of violating Canon 7 of the Code of Judicial Conduct, which governs political conduct by judges and judicial candidates. The forums are organized by the supreme court and The Florida Bar Board of Governors, in conjunction with the trial court chief judges and the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee. All judicial candidates seeking contested seats or facing active opposition for merit retention are encouraged to attend. The forums are also open to campaign managers and their staff, local political party chairs, presidents of local bar associations, the media, and the FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 50 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Improve Understanding of the Judicial Process

public. The 2020 forums, which took place in early May, were offered exclusively by remote access on video conference webinars. (To learn more about the standards of ethical behavior governing judicial candidates, see An Aid to Understanding Canon 7, prepared by the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee.)

Annual Reporters Workshop Recognizing the importance of playing a proactive role in heightening reporters’ understanding of the courts system, the supreme court has hosted an Annual Reporters Workshop since 1989. Presented by The Florida Bar Media and Communications Law Committee and subsidized by The Florida Bar Foundation, these two-day events are designed to teach the basics of legal reporting to reporters who are new to the legal/courts beat, providing them with a helpful introduction to covering justice system issues. The sessions— conducted by jurists, attorneys, professors, and veteran reporters—vary each year, but they generally focus on matters like effective techniques The Florida Supreme Court held several dry-run tests in April 2020 to prepare for its history-making transition to virtual oral arguments on May 6, 2020. The session for reporting high-profile cases, merit pictured here includes the five sitting justices and clerk staff and is one of several retention in Florida, public records and practice sessions involving justices, court staff, attorneys, and the court’s broadcast how to obtain the ones you need, libel partner, all of whom worked together to prepare for a seamless transition from law and defamation, lawyer regulation, in-person to remote technology proceedings. and journalism in the world of social media. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 workshop was cancelled.

Florida Supreme Court Teacher Institute Initially conceived in response to a national study documenting the public’s lack of, and need for, court- related information, the Florida Supreme Court Teacher Institute (formerly known as the Justice Teaching Institute) was first offered in 1997, when then Chief Justice Gerald Kogan launched it as part of the Florida Supreme Court’s Sesquicentennial Celebration. Since then, each year, from 20 to 25 secondary school teachers from across the state are selected to participate in this comprehensive, five-day education initiative on the fundamentals of the judicial branch. Funded by The Florida Bar, the program is coordinated and hosted by the supreme court.

The institute introduces the teachers to the structure and functions of the state courts system, the state versus the federal courts systems, the criminal court process, the Florida constitution, the case study method, legal research skills, and the constitutional issues underlying a case that is about to be argued before the court. The highlight of the program is the teachers’ own mock oral argument on the very case for which the justices themselves are preparing. The Court Teacher Institute is one of the judicial branch’s most successful strategies for supporting teachers’ efforts to introduce their students to the vital role courts play in our society. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 institute was cancelled.

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Visiting the Supreme Court: Oral Arguments, Education Tours, and Education Programs Visitors to the state capital have a variety of options for learning about the history and functions of Florida’s highest court. One of the most engaging ways to learn about the inner workings of the supreme court is to attend an oral argument—a “conversation” between the justices and attorneys, during which the attorneys clarify the legal reasons for their position and respond to questions posed by the justices. Held August through June, oral arguments are typically scheduled during the first full week of each month and are open to the public. Although oral arguments have been held remotely since May, they can be viewed in real time on Facebook Live (an option that has been available since February 2018). Viewers can also watch archived arguments online, via WFSU’s Gavel to Gavel (the archives go back to 1997). Information about high-profile supreme court cases, both current and archived, is also available online.

Visitors can also tour the public areas of the Florida Supreme Court Building. Groups of 10 or more adults who are interested in a guided tour experience can schedule a 45-minute Educational The Florida Supreme Court has been closed to visitors since March 2020, but school groups, civic organizations, and leadership groups have been able to take virtual tours Program/Building Tour and learn of the building. In addition to learning about Florida’s judicial branch, the different interesting details about the levels of courts in Florida, and how the supreme court operates, viewers are introduced supreme court building and the to the public areas of the building. Here, Ms Emilie Rietow, the supreme court’s personalities who have given life to education and information administrator, shows visitors the portrait gallery. the court over the years; the tour includes the rotunda, courtroom, lawyer’s lounge, library, and rare book room. Smaller groups, or those who prefer to furnish themselves with informational brochures and set off at their own pace, can take a self-guided tour. Even those who are not likely to venture to Tallahassee—or who would prefer to “visit” the court from the comfort of their homes—can take a brief, online Self-Guided Tour of the Supreme Court of Florida.

Student groups are also encouraged to visit the supreme court. Teachers can schedule their classes for the Educational Program, a 45-minute curriculum that includes a building tour and a teaching component (students learn about the branch, Florida’s courts system, and some supreme court history). Or student groups can be scheduled for a Mock Oral Argument Program, a 90-minute activity conducted by a staff attorney or knowledgeable volunteer that culminates in the enactment—in the courtroom of the supreme court—of an oral argument using a hypothetical case. Especially during the 60-day legislative session, from all across the state, teachers bring their students to the supreme court to learn about the third branch of government.

Even though the Florida Supreme Court has been closed to visitors since March 2020, school groups, civic organizations, and leadership groups have been able to take virtual tours of the building. During the 45-60-minute tour, viewers learn about Florida’s judicial branch, the different levels of courts in Florida, and how the supreme court operates. The tour also introduces participants to the public areas of the building—

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including the courtroom, the lawyer’s lounge, the rotunda, the library, and the rare book room; often, a justice is available to join the tour virtually and answer questions.

According to Ms Emilie Rietow, the supreme court’s education and information administrator, these Zoom tours have some unanticipated perks: they seem to lead to higher levels of engagement than in-person tours, she observed, for participants seem more comfortable with the process, ask more questions, and exhibit more interest and animation. She also noted that shy people and people with disabilities or learning disabilities are particularly “at home” taking the virtual tours; they especially appreciate the chat feature because they can “ask” their questions unselfconsciously and at their own pace. Another benefit of virtual tours is that they can reach multiple classrooms at once—and up to 300 people can be present on a given tour. Finally, virtual tours enable everyone to visit the court, even those who are never likely to find themselves in Tallahassee. For these reasons, the supreme court is considering continuing the virtual tour program even after it becomes safe to open the building to visitors again. (This link goes to additional information about tours and education programs at the supreme court.) To boost awareness of mediation and to celebrate the peaceful resolution of conflicts, for the last 24 Judicial Learning Center years, the Florida Dispute Resolution Center has In 2020, Chief Justice Charles Canady approved the creation of partnered with area schools to provide interactive the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Learning Center (JLC)—an training to students who are studying peer mediation innovative learning environment that will provide an interactive in school. In 2020, Mediation Week was celebrated virtually with a tour of the supreme court building, educational experience designed to engage and inspire visitors an education program, and, for the older students, a of every age, with a special focus on virtual learning and mediation training. outreach. Virtual visitors and those who come to the court building will learn about the state’s judicial branch and its critical role in the lives of Florida’s citizens.

Once the fallout of the pandemic subsides, the learning center, as envisioned, will include interactive, hands- on exhibits and will develop infographics, videoclips, and other learning tools for use in schools and in adult and professional education. Exhibits, programs, and tours will address many statewide standards in social studies, civics, and government. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, however, the initial focus will be on outreach conducted by remote means.

Each year, the Florida Supreme Court welcomes more than 10,000 visitors. The learning center will enhance the many yearly school tours and be open to all Floridians and visitors from around the world, both in person and online, who want to learn more about the Florida courts system and significant cases and issues in Florida’s legal history. A collaborative effort between the Florida Supreme Court Law Library and Public Information Office, with support from the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society, The Florida Bar, and the Florida Court Public Information Officers, the JLC is a part of the Florida judiciary’s effort to build and maintain public trust and confidence in the courts and implement effective communications with the public. FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 53 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Improve Understanding of the Judicial Process

Court News Florida A collaborative effort of the Florida Supreme Court, the Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator, and the Florida Court Public Information Officers, Court News Florida (CNF) aggregates court news and information from all levels of the state’s judicial branch from a single, convenient source. Launched in January 2021 and available at CourtNewsFlorida.org, this site is the culmination of five years of activities delineated byDelivering Our Message: Court Communication Plan for the Judicial Branch of Florida 2016, which the court public information officers are charged with implementing. CNF was designed in response to the communication plan’s directive to make better use of technology to communicate with the public, including better websites, social media, podcasting, and phone app development. CNF also supports branch efforts to meet the goals detailed in Issue #3 of the 2016 – 2021 Long-Range Strategic Plan for the Florida Judicial Branch, which focus on improving understanding of the judicial process. ​

Court Publications To familiarize people with the judicial branch and to enhance communication between the courts and other justice system entities, the legislature, and the executive branch, OSCA’s Innovations and Outreach Unit, under the direction of the supreme court, produces the Florida State Courts Annual Report each year. In addition, several times a year, the unit publishes the Full Court Press, the official newsletter of the state courts system, which aims to share information about local and statewide court-based initiatives and programs, to promote communication among Florida’s state courts, and to serve as a kind of “meeting place” for all the members of the state courts family, both immediate and extended.

Florida Supreme Court Library and Archives The Florida Supreme Court Library, founded in 1845, is one of the oldest of Florida’s state-supported libraries. It was originally established for use by the supreme court and the attorneys who practice before it. Although that continues to be its primary purpose, it now serves the entire state courts system as well. Library staff also provide assistance to other law libraries, law firms, and state agencies, and the library is open to the public: people can do legal or historical research there, and school, family, and adult groups are invited to learn about the treasures in its rare book room.

While the supreme court has been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as an alternative to in-person legal research assistance for patrons, the law library launched a Live Chat feature on the Florida Supreme Court website in August 2020. Available Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon During the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, this color print of the ET, Live Chat is a two-way chat feature that offers a exterior of the Florida Supreme Court Building, created by fast, convenient way for patrons to reach library staff. artist Anni Moller in 1985, was donated by former Justice Harry Although staff cannot answer legal questions, they can Anstead to the attorneys of Central Staff, who kindly donated it to the Florida Supreme Court Archives.

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answer questions about the library and its collection, explain how to locate and use online legal resources, help people find law-related materials using specific citations, and refer them to appropriate agencies during this time of limited in-person access. (Access Live Chat here.)

The library also hosts the supreme court archives, which contain primary documents of Florida Supreme Court history related to the court and its justices. In 1982, the supreme court librarian at the time had the notion of engaging the assistance of some of the dignitaries of the legal community to seek out, collect, preserve, and make publicly available the important historical documents of the members of Florida’s highest court. His idea galvanized the creation of the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society; together, the librarian and the historical society began the process of building the collection—and the archives came into being.

Thanks to the steadfast partnership between the historical society and the library, the archives continue to thrive. During the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, two donations to the archives were accepted: a color print of the exterior of the Florida Supreme Court Building, created in 1985 by artist Anni Moller (the print was a gift from former Justice Harry Anstead to the attorneys of Central Staff, who kindly donated it to the archives); and 37 supreme court-related images donated by Mr. Mark Foley, long- time official photographer of the Florida legislature. In addition, former Justices Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince donated copious papers—office files, travel files, opinion files, speeches, and correspondence—to the archives in 2019, and the archivist, Ms Emilie Rietow, the supreme court’s education and information administrator, introduces supreme Mr. Erik Robinson, has been inventorying these papers; the court’s virtual visitors to the Florida Supreme Court Pariente papers are now more than half completed. Seal, officially adopted in 1950 and set into the floor immediately beneath the court rotunda. Here, Ms Also during the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, library displays in the Rietow is explaining the official motto, the Latin rotunda included a revised version of the Evolution of Justice phrase Sat Cito Si Recte, meaning “Soon enough if done rightly,” which emphasizes the importance of exhibit, showcasing highlights from the rare book and archival taking the time necessary to achieve true justice. collections. Materials related to justice during the Depression and World War II Era (1926 – 1945) were featured, including the election campaign material from former Justice Elwyn Thomas, who served on the bench from 1938 – 1969.

Finally, the Office of Public Information continues expanding its outreach to the public with regular posts of a historical nature on Facebook and other social media. The library’s archives staff and the library director have contributed numerous historic court photos and historical information to this effort, helping the library to extend its outreach as well.

Election 2000 Memory Project The Election 2000 Memory Project commemorates the twentieth anniversary of the Bush v. Gore presidential election cases at the Florida Supreme Court, capturing memories and reflections of court life in November— December 2000. The Supreme Court Library and Archives, the Public Information Office, and the Florida FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 55 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Modernize the Administration of Justice and Operation of Court Facilities

Supreme Court Historical Society collaborated to develop this project, which was designed to provide historical documentation for a permanent archive of election-related events.

Essential to this process was capturing the memories of court staff in addition to recollections from justices. The memories of staff attorneys, court employees, clerk staff, security personnel, and others who lived the day-to-day events alongside the justices present a complete picture of court life and provide valuable historical insights. Before long, submissions included memories of angry phone calls, bulletproof vests, website crashes, and broken copy machines. Over the summer, interest in the project grew, and others with court-related memories added their recollections. Submissions from judges and court staff from trial courts, lawyers, teachers, local law enforcement, and journalists were added to the archive. The message was clear: memories of the 2000 presidential election are diverse and compelling from all perspectives.

The supreme court compiled the stories for print and web publications. Excerpts will be used in educational materials, social media posts, and exhibits in the new Florida Supreme Court Judicial Learning Center. (See the Election 2000 Memory Project.)

Long-Range Issue #4: Modernize the Administration of Justice and Operation of Court Facilities

The administration of a state court system serving millions of people each year is a complex undertaking. Managing the court system resources and personnel is further complicated by growing customer expectations, ever more complex legal issues and cases, and rapidly changing technology. The judicial branch’s ability to assess its environment and respond appropriately will enhance the broad range of court services and technology solutions designed to meet the needs of court users.

People expect their courts to be effective, efficient, and convenient; they trust that due process will be followed, that disputes will be resolved fairly and in a timely manner, and that useful information will be available to them readily and without undue cost. To meet these expectations, Florida’s courts system, which disposed of more than 3.2 million cases on average over each of the last five years, is always working to improve the processes it uses to accomplish its constitutional mission. In general—but particularly during the pandemic—breakthroughs in the uses of technology prove to be essential in ensuring the efficiency, effectiveness, timeliness, and security of court processes.

While safeguarding the security of court data and technology systems is a fundamental concern, so too is the safeguarding of judges, court personnel, and court users—as well as of the court facilities themselves. The branch takes seriously its responsibility to keep the physical and virtual doors of the courthouse open, while protecting everyone who works in or has business with the courts from emergencies or threats that could endanger them, disrupt court operations, or delay justice.

Long-Range Issue #4 Topics: • Court Technology • Emergency Preparedness

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Court Technology

Technology has utterly transformed the way the branch meets the needs of judges, court personnel, justice system partners, court users, and the public. Technology has become fundamental to the ways the judicial branch does business, underpinning court procedures, operations, services, and programs. In recent years, Florida’s judicial branch has made significant advances in deploying technology to facilitate the effective, efficient, fair, and timely resolution of cases: it continues to make strides with innovations like electronic filing (eFiling); data collection, data management, and case management systems; technology solutions designed to expand access to justice (e.g., remote court interpreting services, online dispute resolution, the Do-It-Yourself Florida project); the automation of numerous court-related processes; services for the mobile environment; and cybersecurity services.

Information about court technology projects is ubiquitous and can be found in various sections of this annual report as well as throughout the Florida First Judicial Circuit IT staff John Gustafson and Michael Badon set Courts website: up the public Zoom room monitor for remote county arraignments in Escambia County. • To read about the Online Performance Indicator Dashboard for the district courts, the Trial Court Data Quality Initiative, Virtual Remote Interpreting, Online Dispute Resolution, and the Uniform Case Reporting—projects spearheaded by the supreme court’s performance and accountability commissions—see the article on Performance and Accountability above;

• For information on the Do-It-Yourself Florida project, designed to help self-represented litigants create electronic documents suitable for filing, go to the article on the Judicial Management Council above;

• To learn about the Florida Courts Help App, a mobile-friendly pathway to the most requested court information and forms, view the Access to Civil Justice article above;

• Read about the courts system’s distance learning initiatives—a venture that burgeoned during the pandemic, which forced the cancellation of all in-person programing—in the article below on Education for Judges, Quasi-Judicial Officers, and Court Personnel;

• On the Florida Courts website, see the annual report of the Florida Courts Technology Commission, which oversees, manages, and directs the development and use of technology within the branch; coordinates and reviews recommendations concerning court policy matters that involve the use of technology; and establishes the technology policies and standards by which all court committees and workgroups must abide; FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 57 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Modernize the Administration of Justice and Operation of Court Facilities

• Also on the Florida Courts website, under Court Technology, find descriptions of other current court technology projects.

Below are particulars about some of the other technology initiatives of the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year.

e-Notify, Florida’s Court Event Notification System Electronic notifications—which include communications like text and email alert reminders and information—have been Judge Frederick L. Pollack, Sixth Judicial Circuit, was the first judge in the shown to spur more people to show up circuit to use Zoom for court proceedings. Judge Pollack was part of a pilot for court when they are required to do so, program that the circuit’s Court Technology Office set up to see what issues helping them avoid potential difficulties might arise when judges began using the videoconferencing tool en masse. (for example, being charged with “failure to appear,” a separate criminal offence in Florida, carrying its own penalties)—and saving the state time and money (rescheduling cases is expensive and inefficient). With a $750,000 appropriation from lawmakers for the 2018 – 19 fiscal year, Office of the State Courts Administrator (OSCA) staff worked with the Florida clerks of court to develop an information technology platform that supports sending reminders and information to court participants about court events. The workgroup established an advisory group of judges and clerks of court; developed policy and other requirements and technical specifications for the platform; developed and conducted a competitive procurement; oversaw the work of the selected vendor in developing the platform; and collaborated on the development of web services to connect the platform to the Comprehensive Case Information System (a secured, single point of search for statewide court case information offered by the clerks of court).

From mid-October 2019 through mid-January 2020, a pilot Nineteenth Circuit Judge Nicole Menz, Indian River County, of the program was conducted in Okaloosa, Orange, and conducts criminal court by videoconference. Nassau counties. During this time, the vendor and OSCA staff refined processes, adjusted platform functionality, and developed initial training and frequently asked questions. In late January 2020, e-Notify was rolled out statewide for criminal case notifications, and in its first six months, more than 7,000 court users signed up for notifications: over 10,000 text and 13,000 email court event reminders were delivered by e-Notify. OSCA staff are now working with judges, court staff, and clerks to determine the civil and county case types to which e-Notify will next expand. OSCA staff are also developing methodologies to track e-Notify’s potential impact on failure to appear rates and court scheduling statistics.

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Disaster Recovery Project “Disaster recovery” signifies an organization’s strategies for reestablishing IT access and functionality after something goes wrong (e.g., a natural calamity, a server failure, a power failure, a building issue, or a cyberattack or any other human-induced disaster). The goal of the Disaster Recovery Project, spearheaded by OSCA’s Office of Information Technology (OIT), was to create a disaster recovery location for Florida’s appellate courts, thereby ensuring the ongoing business of court processes. With the establishment of this strategic disaster recovery site, the appellate courts will be able to function even if their buildings become unavailable for any reason.

Currently, the OIT is working on recovery for email, network, domain, and other systems. Application support currently exists for eFACTS (the appellate courts’ case management system) and is being expanded to include all major court applications. The goal is to have all major systems available by spring 2021.

IT Security/Risk Assessment Initiative Protecting courts systems, data, and infrastructure is paramount in the digital age—and it is particularly true these days, given the unprecedented number of cyberattacks on state and local governments recently. With courts relying increasingly on technology for all their business processes, managing security risks has become a dynamic challenge that must be addressed continuously. The IT Security/Risk Assessment Initiative involved having an outside entity assess the courts system’s information technology Tenth Circuit IT staff set up and test a public virtual court station at one of the risks, both in physical setups and branch courthouses. daily practices, to determine the data systems’ vulnerability to outside attack as well as to internal mistakes. This project supports OIT efforts to better protect court data and to strengthen court defenses against attempts to gather data by malicious entities, whether by brute force attacks or by manipulating court users to provide unauthorized access to court data systems. The assessment is complete, and OIT is now working on remediating issues that were discovered.

Redesign of the Florida State Courts Website During the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, a team of OSCA and supreme court staff worked together to refresh the design, user experience, and functionality of the Florida State Courts website,flcourts.org , which last underwent a redesign in 2014. The team focused on improving the aesthetics and the user-experience generally, paying particular attention to the website’s most frequently sought content (for example, site analytics revealed that family law forms are the most sought-after content on the website; those forms are now featured prominently on the site). Along with a sleek, modern look and a clean layout, the new website offers enhanced search capabilities, including live search using AI technology; a family law forms table structure that allows for easier access to search and sort forms by name, number, and date updated; and

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enhanced mobile device support. In addition to being the web presence for OSCA, flcourts.org is often the first or only place the public interacts with the state courts system; this new website, which went live in September 2020, was fashioned to help people quickly find the information they need and to give them easy entry to all the court-related resources OSCA makes available.

Remote Teleworking Initiative When COVID-19 struck, every business, service provider, and government entity across the globe had to reconceptualize how to work, manage day-to-day demands, and remain viable, productive, and relevant. To keep the Florida courts functioning during the pandemic, the transition to teleworking for judges, quasi-judicial officers, and court staff was essential.

The near-seamless passage to teleworking would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of the OIT and of local IT staff in courts across the state. Among their many achievements, IT staff procured and set up the equipment everyone needed to work remotely, making sure the infrastructure was in place to enable success; they rapidly procured Zoom videoconferencing software, determining license needs from all the state courts and negotiating a statewide contract; they identified and addressed IT environmental issues that were affecting Zoom meetings, Remote Desktop, and IT performance (bandwidth limitation, security device configurations, server configurations, application routing, etc.); they offered Remote Essentials Website/ Microsoft Teams Trainings to help teleworkers learn how to work efficiently in their new media; they continue providing telecommuting remote desktop support, even working in shifts to ensure support services are available for people working unconventional hours; they continue providing reliable Helpdesk support for all end users, whether working remotely or onsite; they began providing support for online learning initiatives when it became apparent that in- person education programs and events would not be possible for an extended period of time; they have worked vigorously to elevate the courts’ cybersecurity posture, keeping a watchful eye over court information systems so that they remain secure, even while people work from home; and they remain dogged in their efforts to heighten cybersecurity awareness, ensuring everyone understands the potential risks of working remotely. A virtual courtroom in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit.

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Emergency Preparedness

Within two months of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in November 2001, then Chief Justice Charles T. Wells established the Workgroup on Emergency Preparedness, assigning it two charges: develop action plans for the supreme court for a variety of emergency situations, “including natural disasters, terrorism, and extended information systems outages”; and develop statewide emergency preparedness guidance for the entire judicial branch. He urged the workgroup to build its recommendations on two statewide branch policies: protect the lives and provide for the safety of judges, other constitutional officers, staff, and visitors to the court; and keep the courts open to ensure justice for the people. For he recognized that the security of court facilities and of everyone on their premises is central to the branch’s constitutional mandate to ensure that justice is administered without delay.

Emergency preparedness comprises preparation for unavoidable natural disasters such as pandemics, tornadoes, floods, tropical storms, and, of course, hurricanes (Florida is the nation’s most hurricane-prone state). It also includes preparing for human-made disasters and threats—calamities like oil spills, biohazards, protracted information systems outages, cyberattacks, and military or terrorist attack- related incidents. Preparing for hazards and menaces of all sorts is an ongoing responsibility, and the judicial branch takes a multi- Deputy marshals at the entrance to the Florida Supreme Court. pronged approach to meeting it: each court has a preparedness plan and a continuity of operations plan, and each court designates a court emergency management team, an emergency coordinating officer, and a public information officer. In addition, the supreme court’s Court Emergency Management Group (CEMG) recommends policy for, prepares for, and responds to emergencies in the supreme court building and in state courts across Florida.

Preparing for, Responding to, and Recovering from Emergencies Typically, Florida’s most treacherous nature-induced disasters are hurricane-related. Florida enjoyed a much- needed break from major hurricane impacts in 2019 and was largely spared from most of the aggressive damage of the 2020 season—which memorably saw 30 named storms and 13 US strikes. In August 2020, Tropical Storm Isaias threatened the east coast of Florida; storm impacts were relatively light, although courts did have to close in the Seventh and Seventeenth Circuits. Florida’s most severe storm struck in September: Hurricane Sally’s slow assault on the western Panhandle brought destructive winds and massive storm surge, extreme rainfall, and far-reaching inland flooding; courts were closed in the First, Second, and Fourteenth Circuits. Then in November, after battering Nicaragua as a category 4 storm, Hurricane Eta brushed through the Florida Keys and South Florida as a tropical storm, headed north as a hurricane again, and then weakened

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once again into a tropical storm, making landfall on the west central Florida coast; Eta caused court closures in the Seventh, Eleventh, Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Twentieth Circuits.

The branch’s emergency coordinators are always especially vigilant during hurricane season, but throughout 2020, the primary focus of the CEMG, along with the local emergency coordinating officers and emergency management teams, was to ensure that the work of justice could continue during the COVID-19 pandemic. As explained by Mr. Steven Hall, the branch’s statewide emergency coordinating officer, “Over a matter of months, the courts system moved from preparing for an emergency (the pandemic), to emergency operations (the immediate impacts, protective measures, closures, etc.), to operating in an emergency.” As early as January, before experts could know how widely the virus had already spread in the US, Florida’s health and emergency management communities recognized the potential for a pandemic and began to prepare. By February, when it was evident that COVID-19 would become a global pandemic, Mr. Hall began holding regular meetings of the CEMG and initiated routine communications with the courts’ emergency coordinating officers and branch leaders.

Fortunately, the CEMG already had a considerable inventory of resources for use in the event of a pandemic influenza (the type of pandemic most often predicted): soon after the 2002 – 2003 SARS outbreak, the CEMG recognized that the branch needed to be prepared for influenza pandemics and spearheaded the development of a Strategy for Pandemic Influenza, a Pandemic Influenza Benchguide, a Pandemic Staffing Guide, pandemic influenza planning templates, and a pandemic preparedness flyer. Because When it became evident that COVID-19 would become a global pandemic, courts it was clear that the coronavirus would began purchasing personal protective equipment, disinfection supplies, and other be different from a pandemic influenza, goods and services necessary to allow for safe working conditions.

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each of these resources had to be updated and redistributed. (Many of these resources are available online.) Meanwhile, the CEMG continued to research the coronavirus and to reach out regularly to the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, the Florida Department of Health, the National Center for State Courts, and other experts for information, guidance, and updates. By March, the first coronavirus cases were reported in Florida.

In early March, Chief Justice Canady issued the first COVID-related administrative order, which spotlighted monitoring the virus and planning in response to COVID-19; in quick succession came orders curtailing work- related travel, providing guidance on self-quarantining after personal travel, setting essential and critical proceedings, and authorizing flexibility to operate remotely. (See the statewide orders, rules, and advisories.) The emergency coordinating officers, trial court administrators, marshals, and others in branch leadership positions braced themselves to react to rapidly changing environments. To mitigate the impact of COVID-19 while keeping the courts open to the fullest extent consistent with public safety, court access had to be limited; public areas had to be reconfigured; and systems, processes, and policies had to be redesigned to allow for working, hearing case events, and processing administrative and other matters remotely. Additional licenses and equipment had to be procured (e.g., laptops, webcams, microphones, licenses/upgrades for videoconferencing systems), as did personal protective equipment, disinfection supplies, and other goods and services necessary to allow for safe working conditions.

On April 21, the chief justice established the Workgroup on the Continuity of Court Operations and Proceedings During and After COVID-19 to propose guidance—based on the advice of public health experts, medical professionals, or others with expertise in the management of a pandemic and the latest health advisories and safety guidelines—for protective measures that will allow the progressive and safe return of judges, personnel, parties, counsel, jurors, and the public to court facilities. Once approved, workgroup recommendations are implemented via administrative orders, and courts are directed to follow them. For example, each court was required to develop an operational plan that outlines how it will handle various aspects of its operations for each of the four anticipated phases of the pandemic; as it becomes possible for each court to expand its operations, it must monitor and adjust its operational plan and associated policies, processes, and systems to meet its Reminders to practice social distancing are posted changing demands and needs while operating in the pandemic. throughout Florida’s courthouses. All Florida courts are currently in Phase 2, which means that in-person contact is authorized for certain purposes but requires the use of protective measures. Emergency coordinating officers continue managing operations as courts proceed into the various phases, and the Office of the State Courts Administrator continues to provide guidance and support to the courts throughout pandemic.

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Long-Range Issue #5: Maintain a Professional, Ethical, and Skilled Judiciary and Workforce

Justice depends on the competence and quality of judges and court employees. These professionals handle complex legal issues and court procedures, address difficult legal and ethical issues, and face increased expectations from court users. Providing advanced levels of education and development will enable those who work within the courts system to effectively perform the challenging work of the courts and meet the needs of those whom they serve.

To meet the demands of justice in the twenty-first century—and to foster the public’s trust and confidence in the justice system—judicial officers and court staff must have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to serve and perform at the highest levels of expertise. Recognizing this imperative, the long-range plan for the judicial branch recommends that the branch “provide timely education and training to judges and court employees to ensure high-level performance” and to maintain “high standards of professionalism and ethical behavior.”

Long-Range Issue #5 Topics: • Education for Judges and Quasi-Judicial Officers • Publications, Distance Learning, and Other Self- • Education for Court Personnel Learning Resources • Judicial Branch Education Strategic Plan

Education for Judges, Quasi-Judicial Officers, and Court Personnel

Numerous groups within the judicial branch develop high-quality education and training opportunities, both in person and virtual, for the people who work in Florida’s courts, making efficient and effective use of limited funding and staff resources. These groups include the many trial and appellate courts that design education programs for select categories of their own, and often neighboring, court personnel (e.g., court interpreters, staff attorneys, managers). In addition, members of the Standing Committee on Fairness and Diversity regularly offer diversity education and training events for judges and court personnel, both locally and regionally. And The Florida Judicial College is a three-phase program that provides mandatory bedrock training various entities within the for those who are new to the bench (as well as training for veteran judges who are switching to Office of the State Courts a new division). Pictured here, Judge Angela Cowden, Tenth Circuit; Judge Cory Ciklin, Fourth Administrator (OSCA)—most DCA; and Judge Robert W. Lee, Broward County teach a workshop on Trial Skills.

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notably, the Office of Court Education, the Office of Court Improvement, the Florida Dispute Resolution Center, the Innovations and Outreach Unit, the Court Services Unit, the General Services Unit, the statewide ADA coordinator, and the statewide emergency coordinating officer—commonly conduct or facilitate trainings for judicial officers and court employees. Readers can learn about this bounty of instructional offerings elsewhere in this annual report.

This section of the report focuses largely on the education programs and resources supported by the Florida Court Education Council (FCEC), established by the supreme court in 1978 to coordinate and oversee the creation and maintenance of a comprehensive education program for judges and some court personnel groups and to manage the budget that sustains these ventures. Chaired by Justice Jorge Labarga, the council, with the support of the Office of Court Education, provides continuing education through live programs, both statewide and local—and through publications, distance learning events, and other self- learning resources, which have become particularly imperative since the pandemic outbreak impelled the cancellation of all live education programs beginning in early April 2020.

Education for Judges and Quasi-Judicial Officers In 1988, with the implementation of an opinion authored by former Justice Ben Overton, continuing judicial education became mandatory for all Florida judges. They are required to earn a minimum of 30 approved credit hours of continuing judicial education every three years, and new judges must satisfy additional requirements. The FCEC regularly works closely with the leaders of the judicial conferences and the judicial colleges to ensure that judges have opportunities to meet their professional obligations.

Every year, each of the three judicial conferences coordinates an annual education program designed, in large part, to help sitting judges remain in compliance with the Rules of Judicial Administration and to keep them abreast of changes in the law, providing for a more professional and knowledgeable judiciary. During the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, an annual education program was offered by the Conference of County Court Judges of Florida (just shy of 300 county judges received training) and the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges (approximately 500 circuit judges received training). The September 2019 program of the Florida Conference of District Court of Appeal Judges had to be cancelled due to Hurricane Dorian.

Also during the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, the FCEC sponsored a DUI Adjudication Lab (67 participants); three Judicial Faculty Trainings, a two-day program that teaches judges how to be more effective teachers of other judges (52 participants); and a Handling Capital Cases Program, required of all judges prior to sitting on capital cases (53 participants). Typically, each of the two judicial colleges also offers a judicial education event every year. Approximately 111 judges, magistrates, and child support hearing officers attended the Florida Judicial College, a three-phase program that provides mandatory, bedrock training for those who are new to the bench and also provides training for veteran judges who are switching to a new division (Phase I is a pre-bench program that includes a series of orientation sessions and a trial skills workshop; Phase II focuses on more substantive and procedural matters and includes a “Fundamentals” portion for judges who are preparing to rotate to a new division; and Phase III consists of a year-long mentoring program for new judges). However, the Florida College of Advanced Judicial Studies, a comprehensive program designed to help judges become proficient in advanced subject matters with which a judge may come in contact, had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.

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Education for Court Personnel The long-range plan for the judicial branch emphasizes that, like judges, court employees should receive timely education and training to ensure high-level performance. To meet this goal, the FCEC, through its Florida Court Personnel Foundation, takes a creative approach to promoting access to and support for training for employees who work in the courts system: a decentralized delivery system, the foundation model has been providing resources to local courts since 2008, enabling them to develop educational opportunities for their own employees based on their most pressing education and training needs.

Because of the uniqueness of the work of appellate court judges, all new appointees, whether they come directly from the practice of law or from the trial court bench, benefit from assistance with transitioning to judicial service on the appellate bench. The New Appellate Judges Program seeks to provide this assistance. Pictured here, Judge Lori Rowe, First DCA, conducts a Zoom session on Judicial Writing and Style.

The foundation did not disseminate funds for local training programs during the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, opting, instead, to sponsor an especially ambitious Florida Court Personnel Institute, the annual statewide program that provides concrete job skills training on a variety of subjects useful to court employees. The February 2020 program, in which 266 court employees participated, offered seven tracks: Accountability and Court Performance; Purposes and Responsibilities of Courts; two Administrative Staff Program tracks; two Judicial Assistant Program tracks; and a Florida Court Personnel Faculty Training, which teaches court employees how to be more effective teachers of other court staff (earlier in the fiscal year, another faculty training was held, attended by 23 court employees). Also in the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year, the FCEC supported a Trial Court Administrators Education Program (43 participants).

Publications, Distance Learning, and Other Self-Learning Resources To supplement the scope of training and education offerings for judges and court personnel, the judicial branch’s long-range plan recommends that the branch “develop technology-based approaches to complement existing education programs for judges and court employees.” To help the courts system achieve this goal, FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 66 2019-2020 YEAR IN REVIEW Maintain a Professional, Ethical, and Skilled Judiciary and Workforce

the FCEC supports judicial and staff efforts to develop new court education publications, update existing ones, and devise or facilitate distance learning events.

Since the pandemic-induced cancellation of live education and training programs in spring 2020, OSCA’s Office of Court Education staff have been working studiously to ensure the availability of remote trainings geared toward enhancing the knowledge and expertise of judges and court personnel. The Court Education Calendar—which provides links to virtual programs sponsored by the National Center for State Courts, the National Judicial College, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, OSCA’s Office of Court Improvement, and OSCA’s Office of Court Education—has included webinars on a broad menu of topics, including Protecting the Judicial Branch from Cyberthreats; Opioids and the Florida Courts (a five-part series); County Court Legislative Update; Animal Cruelty and Child Abuse; Canvassing Board: Law and Procedure; Faculty Development (a 10- part series); Essential Steps to Tackling Backlog and Preparing for a Surge in New Cases; COVID-19 – Insurance Coverage Litigation (a five-part series); and Families First: Coronavirus Response Act.

Finally, the FCEC’s Publications Committee, with the assistance of OSCA’s Office of Court Education, worked diligently to update its repository of online publications during the fiscal year. Among those updated were An Aid to Understanding Canon 7 (updated twice); Bar Referee Manual and course outline; Civil Jury Trial Benchbook; Florida Small Claims Rules Annotated; Florida Traffic-Related Appellate Opinion Summaries (updated three times);Fundamentals for Traffic Hearing Officers Manual; Interpersonal Violence Case Law Summaries – Civil and Criminal (both updated four times); Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee Opinions Topical Index (updated twice); Judicial Ethics Benchguide; and Residential Foreclosure Bench Book.

Judge Orlando Prescott, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, conducts a session on Detention and Shelter Hearings for the Florida Judicial College.

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Judicial Branch Education Strategic Plan In 2016, via AOSC16-42, the supreme court directed the FCEC to “Begin a long-range strategic planning process for the Council to consider the overall delivery system; the educational needs of judges and court staff; and the mission, vision, and goals for judicial branch education in order to determine where judicial branch education should be in the next five to six years.” And in AOSC18-26, the FCEC was tasked with finalizing the plan by the end of its 2018 – 2020 term. To launch the process, the council’s Strategic Planning Sub-Committee, chaired by Judge Donna Padar, Twelfth Circuit, worked with a consultant to conduct extensive outreach to judicial officers and court personnel across the state (via a survey and focus group sessions). Sub-committee members then analyzed trends, completed a program assessment, identified long-range issues, and developed goals and objectives (i.e., strategies) for making improvements and advancing judicial branch education over the next five years. These efforts were designed to complement the mission, vision, and goals delineated in the judicial branch’s long-range strategic plan.

The 2020 – 2025 Strategic Plan – Planning for the Future of Judicial Branch Education in Florida comprises three long-range issues: quality and responsive educational content; expanded access to education programs and resources; and sufficient and effective use of resources. The FCEC has begun implementation of the plan, giving priority to integrating distance and blended learning into the overall educational delivery system and to assessing the educational needs of judges and court staff.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 68 2019-2020 FLORIDA’S COURT STRUCTURE

FLORIDA’S COURT STRUCTURE

Florida’s court system consists of the following entities: two appellate-level courts (the supreme Supreme Court court and five district courts of appeal) and two trial- 7 justices level courts (20 circuit courts and 67 county courts). The chief justice (who may serve successive two-year 5 District terms, not to exceed a total of eight years) presides as Courts of Appeal the chief administrative officer of the judicial branch. 64 judges

On July 1, 1972, the Office of the State Courts Administrator (OSCA) was created with initial 20 Circuit Courts emphasis on developing a uniform case reporting 605 judges* system in order to provide information about activities of the judiciary. Additional responsibilities include preparing the operating budget for the 67 County Courts judicial branch, projecting the need for new judges, 330 judges* and serving as the liaison between the court system and the auxiliary agencies of the court, national court research and planning agencies, the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the public, business community, and media.

Appellate Courts Trial Courts

Supreme Court Circuit Courts

Seven justices, six-year terms 605 judges, six-year terms* Sits in Tallahassee 20 judicial circuits Five justices constitute a quorum Number of judges in each circuit based on caseload Judges preside individually, not on panels District Courts of Appeal

64 judges, six-year terms County Courts Five districts: First District: Tallahassee, 15 judges 330 judges, six-year terms* Second District: Lakeland, 16 judges At least one judge in each of the 67 counties Third District: Miami, 10 judges Judges preside individually, not on panels Fourth District: West Palm Beach, 12 judges Fifth District: Daytona Beach, 11 judges * In 2020, lawmakers funded 10 new judgeships—four Cases generally reviewed by three-judge panels circuit and six county. Due to losses in state revenues resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, however, the governor vetoed the funding. Nonetheless, recognizing the Florida Supreme Court’s certification of need, he chose to sign the statutory language in the event funding becomes available. The numbers above reflect those additional judgeships.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 69 2019-2020 FLORIDA’S COURT STRUCTURE

Supreme Court of Florida The supreme court is the highest court in Florida. To DCA Circuits constitute a quorum to conduct business, five of the seven justices must be present, and four justices must agree on First District: circuits 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 14 a decision in each case. Mandatory jurisdiction includes Second District: circuits 6, 10, 12, 13, 20 death penalty cases, district court decisions declaring a Third District: circuits 11, 16 state statute or provision of the state constitution invalid, Fourth District: circuits 15, 17, 19 bond validations, rules of court procedure, and statewide Fifth District: circuits 5, 7, 9, 18 agency actions relating to public utilities. The court also has exclusive authority to regulate the admission and discipline of lawyers in Florida as well as the authority to Circuit Counties discipline and remove judges. 1st Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, District Courts of Appeal Walton counties The majority of trial court decisions that are appealed are 2nd Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, reviewed by three-judge panels of the district courts of Leon, Liberty, Wakulla counties appeal (DCAs). The DCAs decide most appeals from circuit d3r Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, court cases and many administrative law appeals from Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, actions by the executive branch. In addition, the DCAs must review county court decisions invalidating a provision Taylor counties of Florida’s constitution or statutes, may review decisions 4th Clay, Duval, Nassau counties of a county court that are certified by the county court to 5th Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, be of great public importance, and, as of January 1, 2020, Sumter counties reviews appeals of county court decisions when the amount 6th Pasco, Pinellas counties in controversy exceeds $15,000. Effective January 1, 2021, 7th Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, jurisdiction over criminal and most civil appeals from county court decisions will rest with the DCAs. Volusia counties 8th Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Circuit Courts Gilchrist, Levy, Union counties The majority of jury trials in Florida take place before 9th Orange, Osceola counties circuit court judges. The circuit courts are referred to as 10th Hardee, Highlands, Polk counties the courts of general jurisdiction. Circuit courts hear all 11th Miami-Dade County criminal and civil matters not within the jurisdiction of 12th DeSoto, Manatee, Sarasota county courts, including family law, juvenile delinquency and dependency, mental health, probate, guardianship, counties and civil matters exceeding $30,000 (threshold increased 13th Hillsborough County from “over $15,000” on January 1, 2020). They also hear 14th Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, some appeals from county court decisions for cases with Jackson, Washington counties an amount in controversy up to and including $15,000 15th Palm Beach County and from administrative action if provided by general law (however, as noted above, effective January 1, 2021, the 16th Monroe County DCAs will have jurisdiction over county court criminal and 17th Broward County most civil appeals from county court decisions). Finally, 18th Brevard, Seminole counties they have the power to issue extraordinary writs necessary 19th Indian River, Martin, to the complete exercise of their jurisdiction. Okeechobee, St. Lucie counties 20th Charlotte, Collier, Glades, County Courts Hendry, Lee counties Each of Florida’s 67 counties has at least one county court judge. The number of judges in each county court varies with the population and caseload of the county. County courts are courts of limited jurisdiction, which is established by statute. The county courts are sometimes referred to as “the people’s courts” because a large part and monetary disputes up to and including $30,000 of their work involves citizen disputes such as violations (threshold increased from “up to and including $15,000” of municipal and county ordinances, traffic offenses, on January 1, 2020). In addition, county court judges may landlord-tenant disputes, misdemeanor criminal matters, hear simplified dissolution of marriage cases.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 70 2019-2020 MAP OF FLORIDA’S COURT JURISDICTIONS

State Appellate Districts, Circuits, and Counties

The 1st Appellate District comprises the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 8th, & 14th circuits 1st: Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, & Walton counties 2nd: Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, & Wakulla counties 3rd: Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, & Taylor counties 4th: Clay, Duval, & Nassau counties 8th: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy, & Union counties 14th: Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, & Washington counties

The 2nd Appellate District comprises the 6th, 10th, 12th, 13th, & 20th circuits

6th: Pasco & Pinellas counties Miami- 10th: Hardee, Highlands, & Polk counties 12th: DeSoto, Manatee, & Sarasota counties 13th: Hillsborough County 20th: Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, & Lee counties

The 3rd Appellate District comprises the 11th & 16th circuits 11th: Miami-Dade County 16th: Monroe County

The 4th Appellate District comprises the 15th, 17th, & 19th circuits 15th: Palm Beach County 17th: Broward County 19th: Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, & St. Lucie counties

The 5th Appellate District comprises the 5th, 7th, 9th, & 18th circuits 5th: Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, & Sumter counties 7th: Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, & Volusia counties 9th: Orange & Osceola counties 18th: Brevard & Seminole counties

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 71 2019-2020 COURT ADMINISTRATION

COURT ADMINISTRATION Office of the State Courts Administrator The Office of the State Courts Administrator (OSCA) was created in 1972 to serve the chief justice in carrying out his or her responsibilities as the chief administrative officer of the judicial branch. OSCA was established to provide professional court management and administration for the state’s judicial branch—basically, the non-adjudicatory services and functions necessary for the smooth operation of the branch, which includes the Supreme Court of Florida, the five district courts of appeal, the 20 circuit courts, and the 67 county courts.

OSCA prepares the judicial branch’s budget requests to the legislature, monitors legislation, and serves as a point of contact for legislators and their staff Ms Lisa Kiel, State Courts Administrator regarding issues related to the state courts system. In addition, OSCA collects and analyzes statistical information relevant to court operations; implements administrative and legislative initiatives for family, dependency, and delinquency court cases; coordinates educational programs designed to ensure that judges and court employees have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to serve and perform at the highest professional levels; develops long-range and operational plans; offers statewide mediation training and certification through the Dispute Resolution Center; evaluates the qualifications of court interpreters; coordinates and produces administrative and judicial education publications; and provides technical support for the trial and appellate courts, including support for the state- funded computer infrastructure of Florida’s courts system. For more information about OSCA, visit the Florida State Courts website at https://www.flcourts.org/.

Trial Court Administrators Each of the 20 circuits in Florida has a trial court administrator, who supports the chief judge in his or her constitutional role as the administrative supervisor of the circuit and county courts. The office of the trial court administrator provides professional staff support to ensure effective and efficient court operations.

Trial court administrators manage judicial operations such as courtroom scheduling, facilities management, caseflow policy, ADA policy, statistical analysis, inter-branch and intergovernmental relations, technology planning, jury oversight, public information, and emergency planning. They also oversee court business operations, including personnel, planning and budgeting, finance and accounting, purchasing, property and records, and staff training. And they manage and provide support for essential court resources including court reporting, court interpreters, expert witnesses, staff attorneys, magistrates and hearing officers, mediation, and case management. For links to the homepages of Florida’s circuit courts, go to http://www.flcourts.org/ florida-courts/trial-courts-circuit.stml.

Marshals of the Supreme Court and the District Courts of Appeal The supreme court and each of the five district courts of appeal have a marshal—a constitutional officer under Article V of the Florida Constitution. Marshals are responsible for the security of court property, of judges/ justices, and of employees; the management of the buildings and grounds; and administrative, logistical, and operational support of their courts. In addition, DCA marshals are responsible for the operational budget, purchasing, contracts, and personnel, and they also have the power to execute the process of court in their geographical jurisdiction. The supreme court marshal has the power to execute the process of the court throughout the state. The Florida Supreme Court website can be found at https://www.floridasupremecourt. org/. For links to the homepages of Florida’s DCAs, go to https://www.flcourts.org/Florida-Courts/District- Courts-of-Appeal.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 72 2019-2020 COURT COMMITTEES

COURT COMMITTEES

Although the Florida State Courts System is administered by the chief justice and the other supreme court justices, the policy development strategy of the judicial branch is, in many regards, highly synergistic. Committees—whose membership generally comprises judges and court personnel and may include justice partners and topic experts as well—are the means established by the supreme court for gathering input on judicial branch policies affecting the administration of justice.

The supreme court may appoint a committee when a specific issue or concern is brought to its attention or when it seeks to evaluate and improve the courts system’s performance in a particular area, for instance. Committees usually receive their authority and directive through an administrative order of the chief justice. While most committees have no direct policy-making authority, they do play an important advisory role and make recommendations for consideration by the supreme court.

Court committees serve a vital function in the judicial branch, and, through their appointment, the branch benefits from the rich intellectual, experiential, social, and personal background of each member.

Under the current court committee structure, the supreme court utilizes five different types of committees: councils, commissions, steering committees, workgroups/task forces, and other committees. Below is information about the supreme court committees that are staffed entirely or in part by the Office of the State Courts Administrator.

Councils A council is responsible for addressing judicial administration issues that have statewide impact, affect multiple levels of the court system, or affect multiple constituencies in the court community. Council membership includes internal and external representation.

The Judicial Management Council (JMC) serves as a focused advisory body to assist the chief justice and supreme court in identifying trends, potential crisis situations, and the means to address them. For more information, see Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.225, and AOSC20-66.

Commissions A commission addresses high-level policy issues that span the divisions and/or levels of the court. Membership of court commissions primarily consists of judicial officers and court personnel.

The District Court of Appeal Budget Commission (DCABC) oversees the preparation and implementation of the district court component of the judicial branch budget; it is directly responsible for recommending budgeting and funding policies and procedures for the district court budgets so that the funding requirements of each of the DCAs can be adequately addressed while promoting statewide operational consistency. For more information, see Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.235.

The Trial Court Budget Commission (TCBC) oversees the preparation and implementation of the trial court component of the judicial branch budget; it is directly responsible for recommending budgeting and funding policies and procedures for the trial court budgets in order to support a trial court system that will effectively carry out the administration of justice. For more information, seeFlorida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.230.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 73 2019-2020 COURT COMMITTEES

The Commission on District Court of Appeal Performance and Accountability (DCAP&A) proposes policies and procedures on matters related to the efficient and effective functioning of Florida’s district courts through the development of comprehensive resource management, performance measurement, and accountability programs. For more information, see AOSC20-55.

The Commission on Trial Court Performance and Accountability (TCP&A) proposes policies and procedures on matters related to the efficient and effective functioning of Florida’s trial courts through the development of comprehensive resource management, performance measurement, and accountability programs. For more information, see AOSC20-56.

The Florida Courts Technology Commission (FCTC) oversees, manages, and directs the development and use of technology within the judicial branch under the direction of the Florida Supreme Court as specified in Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.236.

The Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice was established to study the unmet civil legal needs of disadvantaged, low-income, and moderate-income Floridians. It “bring[s] together the three branches of government, the Bar, civil legal aid providers, the business community, and other well- known stakeholders in a coordinated effort to identify and remove…economic barriers to civil justice.” For more information, see AOSC14-65 and AOSC20-63.

The Florida Court Education Council (FCEC) oversees the development and maintenance of a comprehensive educational program for Florida judges and certain court personnel groups. The council’s responsibilities include making budgetary, programmatic, and policy recommendations to the supreme court regarding continuing education for Florida judges and certain court professionals. For more information, see AOSC20-62 and section 25.384, Florida Statutes.

The Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution Rules and Policy assists the supreme court in exercising its power and performing its duties to establish rules of practice and procedure for court- ordered mediation and arbitration. For more information, see AOSC20-59.

Steering Committees A steering committee represents the interests of a particular court division. Steering committees develop an aspirational vision of the ideal court division; recommend models, standards, and best practices; and conduct court improvement initiatives. Steering committees also address the impact on their topical assignment area of new legislation, case law, federal guidelines, and other changes.

The Steering Committee on Families and Children in the Court (FCC) seeks to establish a fully integrated, comprehensive approach to handling all cases involving children and families; it works to encourage and facilitate improvements in efficiency and effectiveness of family court operations. For more information, see AOSC20-60.

The Steering Committee on Problem-Solving Courts addresses the needs of court-engaged individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders using differentiated case management principles and other evidence-based and emerging best practices. For more information, see AOSC20-79.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 74 2019-2020 COURT COMMITTEES

The Criminal Court Steering Committee develops consistent and expedited recommendations to the supreme court regarding changes required by legislative enactments, judicial decisions, or other events or circumstances involving criminal law matters. For more information, see AOSC20-54.

Workgroups/Task Forces A workgroup or task force is appointed for a specific period of time or to address a specific topic or targeted issue. Workgroups and task forces conduct studies, prepare reports, and take other appropriate action as directed by the court.

The Unified Committee on Judicial Compensation serves as the court system’s mechanism for addressing and advancing judicial compensation and benefits issues; the committee develops and recommends to the supreme court judicial pay and benefits priorities and advocates for judicial pay and benefits issues approved by the court for inclusion in the judicial branch’s annual legislative budget request. For more information, see Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.244.

The Standing Committee on Fairness and Diversity helps advance the state courts system’s efforts to eliminate from court operations bias that is based on race, gender, ethnicity, age, disability, financial status, or any characteristic that is without legal relevance. For more information, see AOSC20-72.

The Appellate Court Technology Committee is a standing committee of the Florida Courts Technology Commission; it provides technical guidance and consultation to the commission regarding information systems development and operational policies and procedures relating to automation in the district courts of appeal. For more information, see Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.236 and AOSC20- 57.

The Workgroup on the Continuity of Court Operations and Proceedings During and After COVID-19 was established to develop findings and recommendations on the continuation of all court operations and proceedings statewide in a manner that protects health and safety and that addresses four anticipated phases of the pandemic. For more information, see AOSC20-28 and AOSC 20-51.

Other Committees This category encompasses committees required by supreme court opinion, statutory provisions, or other requirements; by reason of their regulatory or other responsibilities, these entities may operate more independently from court oversight than the other kinds of committees.

The Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases makes recommendations to the supreme court regarding changes that are required in jury instructions in criminal cases; these changes are in response to legislative enactments, judicial decisions, or other events or circumstances that affect the presentation of cases to trial juries. The committee also reviews the standard instructions for errors and inaccuracies and recommends to the court amendments and revisions that would be beneficial to the administration of justice [Authority: 327 So. 2d 6 (Fla. 1976)].

The Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee renders written advisory opinions to inquiring judges concerning the propriety of contemplated judicial and non-judicial conduct. [Authority: 327 So. 2d 5 (Fla. 1976)]

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 75 2019-2020 COURT COMMITTEES

The Mediator Qualifications and Discipline Review Board is responsible for accepting grievances against certified mediators; determining probable cause with regard to grievances filed against certified mediators; conducting hearings in relation to grievance proceedings, if necessary; and sanctioning certified mediators, if appropriate. The board includes judges, county mediators, family mediators, circuit mediators, dependency mediators, and attorneys. For more information, see Florida Rule for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators 10.730.

The Mediation Training Review Board is responsible for reviewing complaints filed against certified mediation training programs. Members include judges and county, family, circuit, and dependency mediators. For more information, see AOSC17-25.

The Mediator Ethics Advisory Committeeprovides written advisory opinions to mediators concerning interpretations of the rules and guidance on standards of conduct. For more information, see Florida Rule for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators 10.900(a).

The Parenting Coordinator Review Board considers complaints against qualified and court-appointed parenting coordinators. Membership includes judges, attorneys, and parenting coordinators from across the state. For more information, see AOSC20-10.

The Court Interpreter Certification Board assists the supreme court in overseeing the certification and regulation of court interpreters. For more information, see Florida Rule for Certification and Regulation of Spoken Language Court Interpreters 14.110.

The Local Rule Advisory Committee makes recommendations to the supreme court concerning local rules and administrative orders submitted pursuant to Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.140(h).

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 76 2019-2020 JUDICIAL CERTIFICATION TABLE

JUDICIAL CERTIFICATION TABLE, 2011 - 2020

District Court of Appeal

% Authorized Session Net Requested Authorized (of those Total Year Certified* certified) 2011 0 0 0 n/a 61 2012 2 1 0 0% 61 2013 2 1 0 0% 61 Judicial Certification 2014 3 3 3 100% 64 2015 0 0 0 n/a 64 The supreme court has used a weighted 2016 0 0 0 n/a 64 caseload system to evaluate the need for 2017 0 0 0 n/a 64 new trial court judgeships since 1999, and, 2018 0 0 0 n/a 64 for DCA judges, since 2006. The weighted 2019 0 0 0 n/a 64 caseload system analyzes Florida’s caseload 2020 0 0 0 n/a 64 statistics according to complexity. Cases that are complex, such as capital murder cases, receive a higher weight, while cases that are Circuit less complex, such as civil traffic cases, receive % Authorized a lower weight. These weights are then applied Session Net Requested Authorized (of those Total Year Certified* to case filing statistics to determine the need certified) for additional judgeships 2011 40 26 0 0% 599 2012 31 23 0 0% 599 In a November 2019 opinion, the supreme 2013 27 16 0 0% 599 court certified the need for four additional 2014 24 7 0 0% 599 circuit judges and six additional county court 2015 15 3 0 0% 599 judges in fiscal year 2020 – 2021. In the 2016 13 1 0 0% 599 2017 13 4 0 0% 599 2020 legislative session, lawmakers funded 2018 8 2 0 0% 599 all 10 new judgeships. Due to losses in state 2019 12 4 2 50% 601 revenues resulting from the coronavirus 2020 13 4 4 100% 605 pandemic, however, the governor vetoed the funding. Nonetheless, recognizing the Florida Supreme Court’s certification of need, he chose County to sign the statutory language in the event funding becomes available. The numbers in the % Authorized Session Net Requested Authorized (of those Total tables reflect those additional judgeships. Year Certified* certified) 2011 55 54 0 0% 322 2012 49 48 0 0% 322 2013 49 47 0 0% 322 2014 42 39 0 0% 322 2015 36 32 0 0% 322 2016 26 23 0 0% 322 * Net Certified signifies the difference between the 2017 9 2 0 0% 322 number of positions the supreme court certified and 2018 7 2 0 0% 322 the number it decertified. 2019 6 1 2 200% 324 2020 10 6 6 100% 330

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 77 2019-2020 FLORIDA’S BUDGET

FLORIDA’S BUDGET, FY 2019 - 2020 and FY 2020 - 2021 (For an accessible version of these state budget charts, please follow this link)

2019-2020 Fiscal Year Human Services, $37,657,319,245 40.5% Criminal Justice Education Enhancement & Corrections, Lottery Trust Fund, $4,860,052,250 $2,086,590,118 5.2% 2.2%

Natural Resources/ Education Environment/Growth Mgt./ (all other funds), Transportation, $26,014,741,729 $14,728,172,340 28% 15.8%

Judicial Branch, $554,721,192 General Government, 0.6% $7,166,114,476 7.7% Total State Appropriations: $93,067,711,350 Note: This total includes those issues that were funded in the General Appropriations Act, SB 2500A, less the governor’s vetoes. Florida’s courts receive less than 1% of the state’s 2020-2021 Fiscal Year total budget

Human Services, $39,363,413,224 42.2% Education Enhancement Criminal Justice Lottery Trust Fund, & Corrections, $2,215,290,786 $4,963,213,414 2.4% 5.3%

Education (all other funds), Natural Resources/ $24,827,397,091 Environment/Growth Mgt./ 26.6% Transportation, Judicial Branch, $14,801,367,235 $579,826,323 General Government, 15.9% 0.6% $6,438,993,326 6.9%

Total State Appropriations: $93,189,501,399 Note: This total includes those issues that were funded in the General Appropriations Act, LOF Chapter 2020-111, less the governor’s vetoes. FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 78 2019-2020 STATE COURTS SYSTEM APPROPRIATIONS

STATE COURTS SYSTEM APPROPRIATIONS, FY 2019 - 2020 and FY 2020 - 2021 (For an accessible version of these appropriations charts, please follow this link)

2019-2020 Fiscal Year

Trial Courts State Courts System Total: $554,721,192 $464,553,925 This total includes those issues that were funded in 83.7% the General Appropriations Act, SB 2500A, less the governor’s vetoes. [Note: this figure includes $24 Judicial million ($1.6 million non-recurring) for pass through/ Qualifying legislative project funding.] Commission $1,015,704 0.2% Justice System Appropriations State Courts System $554,721,192 Supreme Court Justice Administration Executive Direction $118,511,299 $11,896,948 Statewide Guardian Ad Litem Program $52,860,938 2.1% State Attorneys $472,699,719 District Office of the Public Defenders Judicial Circuit $231,841,838 Courts of Administered State Courts Public Defenders Appellate $16,786,470 Appeal Funds Administrator Capital Collateral Regional Counsel $11,243,159 $50,131,975 $1,075,000 Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsels $51,829,025 $26,047,640 9.0% 0.2% Total $1,510,493,640 4.7%

2020-2021 Fiscal Year

Trial Courts $487,038,777 State Courts System Total: $579,826,323 84.0% This total includes those issues that were funded in the General Appropriations Act, LOF Chapter 2020-111, less Judicial the governor’s vetoes. [Note: this figure includes $25.6 Qualifying million ($1.6 million non-recurring) for pass through/ Commission legislative project funding.] $1,031,072 0.2% Supreme Court Justice System Appropriations $12,092,179 State Courts System $579,826,323 District Courts 2.1% Justice Administration Executive Direction $119,259,455 of Appeal Office of the Statewide Guardian Ad Litem Program $53,535,235 State Attorneys $484,337,581 $51,981,674 State Courts Public Defenders Judicial Circuit $240,710,624 9.0% Administrator Public Defenders Appellate $17,088,594 $27,682,621 Capital Collateral Regional Counsel $12,440,881 4.8% Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsels $54,877,056 Total $1,562,075,749

Note: Totals may not add due to rounding.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 79 2019-2020 FILINGS

FILINGS, FLORIDA COUNTY COURTS FY 2009 - 2010 to FY 2018 - 2019* (For an accessible version of Florida’s trial and appellate court filings, follow this link)

Florida’s county courts comprise two different divisions. The county criminal division includes three categories of criminal offenses: misdemeanors and ordinance violations, non-DUI criminal traffic, and driving under the influence. The county civil division includes five categories of civil cases: small claims (up to $5,000 until January 1, 2020, at which time the threshold increased to $8,000), county civil ($5,001 to $15,000 until January 1, 2020, at which time the range increased to $8,001 to $30,000), other county civil, evictions, and civil traffic infractions.

3,500,000

3,027,674 3,026,418

3,000,000 2,792,218 3,123,117 3,073,154 2,599,515

2,831,304 2,392,693 2,500,000 2,663,654

2,456,319

2,000,000

09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18 18/19

Filings Overview Statewide, county courts reported a 4.8 percent filings increase during fiscal year 2018—2019. This increase was fueled mostly by a 23.9 percent increase in county civil filings ($5,001 to $15,000), followed by a 21.6 percent increase in small claims filings (up to $5,000). Also, the county criminal division reported a 6.2 percent filings increase in county ordinance cases, followed by a 5.7 percent increase in municipal ordinance cases.

Pandemic-Induced Trends According to data from the Comprehensive Case Information System provided by the Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers, by June 2020, approximately 1,890,000 cases were pending statewide on June 30, 2020—a 28.4 percent increase in pending caseload compared to June 2019. Due to the pandemic, between March and June 2020, approximately 1,180 criminal and civil jury trials were delayed statewide. In addition, in that same time span, approximately 185,000 cases were not filed (including evictions and foreclosure filings that are being delayed due to federal and state moratoriums)—but are expected to be filed after operations return to normal. These numbers continue to grow each month and will contribute to a backlog.

Furthermore, in the coming months, due to the economic impact from the pandemic, the judicial branch expects a surge of some types of civil cases—in particular, filings related to evictions, home-mortgage delinquencies, and consumer debt.

* Filings Overview statements are based on prior 10 years of data. All data provided above have undergone an extensive, six-month review process including audit, examination, and verification. From this link, readers may access additional statistical information about Florida’s trial courts.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 80 2019-2020 FILINGS

FILINGS, FLORIDA CIRCUIT COURTS FY 2009 - 2010 to FY 2018 - 2019*

Florida’s circuit courts comprise four different divisions. The circuit criminal division includes five categories of felony offenses: capital murder, serious crimes against persons, less serious crimes against persons, crimes against property, and drug offenses. The circuit civil division includes six categories of civil cases: professional malpractice and products liability, auto and other negligence, contract and indebtedness, real property, business disputes, and other circuit civil. The family court comprises eight categories of family court cases: simplified dissolution, dissolution, child support, orders for protection against violence, paternity, other domestic relations, juvenile delinquency, and juvenile dependency. And the probate division includes four categories of probate cases: probate, trusts, commitment acts, and guardianship.

1,300,000

1,200,000 1,137,479

1,100,000

925,334 1,000,000

900,000 770,840 939,939 755,829 762,685 800,000 877,883

700,000 753,011 752,012 787,955

600,000

09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18 18/19

Filings Overview Florida circuit courts showed a statewide increase of 3.3 percent in filings from fiscal year 2017—2018 to fiscal year 2018—2019. Circuit civil courts reported an increase of 20.9 percent in the Other Circuit Civil case type (which includes cases involving insurance claims, business transactions, and securities litigations); a 17.3 percent increase in contract and indebtedness filings; and an 11.1 percent increase in auto negligence cases. Probate courts report- ed an increase of 13.2 percent in the Other Social case type (which includes tuberculosis control, developmental disability, and incapacity determination cases); a 13.1 percent increase in cases involving trusts; and an 11 percent increase in Baker Act cases. Circuit criminal courts also showed an 11.9 percent increase in sexual offense cases.

Pandemic-Induced Trends According to data from the Comprehensive Case Information System provided by the Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers, by June 2020, approximately 1,890,000 cases were pending statewide on June 30, 2020—a 28.4 percent increase in pending caseload compared to June 2019. Due to the pandemic, between March and June 2020, approximately 1,180 criminal and civil jury trials were delayed statewide. In addition, in that same time span, approximately 185,000 cases were not filed (including evictions and foreclosure filings that are being delayed due to federal and state moratoriums)—but are expected to be filed after operations return to normal. These numbers continue to grow each month and will contribute to a backlog.

Furthermore, in the coming months, due to the economic impact from the pandemic, the judicial branch expects a surge of some types of civil cases—in particular, filings related to evictions, home-mortgage delinquencies, and consumer debt.

* Filings Overview statements are based on prior 10 years of data. All data provided above have undergone an extensive, six-month review process including audit, examination, and verification. From this link, readers may access additional statistical information about Florida’s trial courts.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 81 2019-2020 FILINGS

FILINGS, FLORIDA DISTRICT COURTS OF APPEAL FY 2009 - 2010 to FY 2018 - 2019*

Florida’s district courts of appeal decide all matters not directly appealable to the supreme court or a circuit court as well as most final actions of state agencies. They hear seven categories of cases: administrative, civil, criminal, criminal post-conviction, family, juvenile, and probate/guardianship. In addition, the First District Court of Appeal hears all workers’ compensation appeals.

30,000

28,000 26,053

24,861 26,000 24,576

26,803 26,473 22,474 24,000 24,948

22,000 23,730 20,286

20,000 21,178

18,000

09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18 18/19

Filings Overview In fiscal year 2018—2019, district court filings decreased statewide by 4.2 percent. This decrease was driven largely by a 20 percent decrease in worker’s compensation cases and a 17.2 percent decrease in administra- tive cases. However, family-related cases showed an increase of 12.7 percent.

Pandemic-Induced Trends District court of appeal and Florida Supreme Court workloads are bound to be affected by the demonstrated case delays and increasing backlogs facing the trial courts. However, because it is not possible to know how many of those county and circuit court cases will ultimately be appealed, it is too early to estimate the im- pacts on appellate court workload.

* Filings Overview statements are based on prior 10 years of data. All data provided above have undergone an extensive, six-month review process including audit, examination, and verification.From this link, readers may access additional statistical information about Florida’s DCAs.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 82 2019-2020 FILINGS

FILINGS, FLORIDA SUPREME COURT FY 2009 - 2010 to FY 2018 - 2019*

The Florida Supreme Court hears death penalty cases, district court decisions declaring a state statute or provision of the state constitution invalid, bond validations, rules of court procedure, and statewide agency actions relating to public utilities. The court also has exclusive authority to regulate the admission and discipline of lawyers in Florida as well as the authority to discipline and remove judges. In addition, at its discretion, the court may review certain other categories of cases if discretionary review is sought by a party.

2,800

2,539 2,490 2,600 2,440

2,387 2,603 2,555 2,400 2,506

2,190 2,360 2,200

2,126 2,000

09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17 17/18 18/19

Filings Overview The Florida Supreme Court reported a 3 percent increase in overall filings. This increase was due chiefly to an 18.6 percent filings increase in original writ petition cases. In addition, from fiscal years 2017—2018 to 2018—2019, initial death penalty appeals cases increased by 11.1 percent.

Pandemic-Induced Trends District court of appeal and Florida Supreme Court workloads are bound to be affected by the demonstrated case delays and increasing backlogs facing the trial courts. However, because it is not possible to know how many of those county and circuit court cases will ultimately be appealed, it is too early to estimate the im- pacts on appellate court workload.

* Filings Overview statements are based on prior 10 years of data. All data provided above have undergone an extensive, six-month review process including audit, examination, and verification. For caseload statistics for the Florida Supreme Court’s annual filings and dispositions for 2000 - 2020, please follow this link.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 83 2019-2020 DCA FILINGS BY CASE CATEGORY

DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL FILINGS BY CASE CATEGORY, FY 2018 - 2019 (All data provided below have undergone an extensive, six-month review process including audit, examination, and verification.)

DCA Case Category Total Filings All Administrative 842 All Civil 5,078 All Criminal 7,489 All Criminal Post-Conviction* 4,021 All Family 1,339 All Juvenile 1,134 All Probate/Guardianship 235 All Workers’ Compensation 148 Total 20,286

DCA Case Category Total Filings DCA Case Category Total Filings DCA Case Category Total Filings 1 Administrative 483 3 Administrative 69 5 Administrative 84 Civil 883 Civil 1,091 Civil 752 Criminal 1,969 Criminal 634 Criminal 1,547 Criminal Post-Conviction* 982 Criminal Post-Conviction* 376 Criminal Post-Conviction* 932 Family 266 Family 164 Family 282 Juvenile 225 Juvenile 175 Juvenile 237 Probate/Guardianship 18 Probate/Guardianship 81 Probate/Guardianship 29 Workers’ Compensation 148 2,590 3,863 4,974 4 Administrative 105 Total 20,286 2 Administrative 101 Civil 1,175 Civil 1,177 Criminal 1,380 Criminal 1,959 Criminal Post-Conviction* 599 Criminal Post-Conviction* 1,132 Family 319 Family 308 Juvenile 241 Juvenile 256 Probate/Guardianship 60 Probate/Guardianship 47 3,879 4,980

* Criminal post-conviction filings include notice of appeal only.

TRIAL COURT FILINGS BY CIRCUIT AND DIVISION, FY 2018 - 2019 (All data provided below have undergone an extensive, six-month review process including audit, examination, and verification.)

Circuit County Division Total Filings All All Adult Criminal 177,642 All All Civil 208,437 All All Family Court* 268,867 All All Probate 133,009 All All County Adult Criminal 571,774 All All County Civil** 2,220,444 Total 3,580,173

* Family court filings include domestic relations, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, and termination of parental rights.

** These data do not include all civil traffic infractions reported to the Florida Court Clerks and Comptroller by the clerks of court; they repre- sent only those civil traffic infraction filings presided over by a judge or hearing officer.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 84 2019-2020 COURT FILINGS BY CIRCUIT AND DIVISION

TRIAL COURT FILINGS BY CIRCUIT AND DIVISION, FY 2018 - 2019 (All data provided below have undergone an extensive, six-month review process including audit, examination, and verification.)

Circuit Division Total Filings Circuit Division Total Filings Circuit Division Total Filings 1 Adult Criminal 12,029 8 Adult Criminal 3,850 15 Adult Criminal 7,813 Civil 4,642 Civil 2,465 Civil 15,884 Family Court* 11,986 Family Court* 5,129 Family Court* 13,642 Probate 5,057 Probate 3,190 Probate 8,752 County Adult Criminal 24,818 County Adult Criminal 9,402 County Adult Criminal 49,993 County Civil** 24,273 County Civil** 19,826 County Civil** 138,485 82,805 43,862 234,569

2 Adult Criminal 4,953 9 Adult Criminal 12,690 16 Adult Criminal 1,113 Civil 3,714 Civil 18,812 Civil 1,367 Family Court* 6,233 Family Court* 22,059 Family Court* 1,093 Probate 3,277 Probate 6,991 Probate 457 County Adult Criminal 8,348 County Adult Criminal 37,499 County Adult Criminal 3,458 County Civil** 16,426 County Civil** 309,890 County Civil** 11,693 42,951 407,941 19,181

3 Adult Criminal 2,534 10 Adult Criminal 10,337 17 Adult Criminal 12,031 Civil 1,131 Civil 6,197 Civil 26,494 Family Court* 3,342 Family Court* 14,240 Family Court* 26,858 Probate 1,529 Probate 5,957 Probate 10,467 County Adult Criminal 5,903 County Adult Criminal 24,272 County Adult Criminal 41,169 County Civil** 11,213 County Civil** 37,404 County Civil** 353,399 25,652 98,407 470,418

4 Adult Criminal 8,644 11 Adult Criminal 14,005 18 Adult Criminal 8,628 Civil 10,780 Civil 39,980 Civil 8,329 Family Court* 19,115 Family Court* 27,952 Family Court* 12,242 Probate 7,601 Probate 13,728 Probate 6,077 County Adult Criminal 41,459 County Adult Criminal 70,519 County Adult Criminal 27,233 County Civil** 143,530 County Civil** 657,103 County Civil** 63,115 231,129 823,287 125,624

5 Adult Criminal 10,588 12 Adult Criminal 6,771 19 Adult Criminal 5,833 Civil 8,190 Civil 5,295 Civil 5,129 Family Court* 14,456 Family Court* 8,481 Family Court* 7,736 Probate 8,793 Probate 7,229 Probate 4,292 County Adult Criminal 25,815 County Adult Criminal 18,795 County Adult Criminal 16,221 County Civil** 43,661 County Civil** 34,173 County Civil** 36,727 111,503 80,744 75,938

6 Adult Criminal 18,031 13 Adult Criminal 12,688 20 Adult Criminal 8,629 Civil 12,445 Civil 12,696 Civil 13,596 Family Court* 19,173 Family Court* 21,268 Family Court* 16,709 Probate 11,744 Probate 8,876 Probate 10,346 County Adult Criminal 47,978 County Adult Criminal 34,170 County Adult Criminal 32,991 County Civil** 68,125 County Civil** 112,386 County Civil** 68,001 177,496 202,084 150,272

7 Adult Criminal 9,471 14 Adult Criminal 7,004 Total 3,580,173 Civil 7,360 Civil 3,931 Family Court* 12,612 Family Court* 4,541 Probate 6,778 Probate 1,868 County Adult Criminal 36,227 County Adult Criminal 15,504 County Civil** 58,865 County Civil** 12,149 131,313 44,997

* Family court filings include domestic relations, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, and termination of parental rights.

** These data do not include all civil traffic infractions reported to the Florida Court Clerks and Comptroller by the clerks of court; they repre- sent only those civil traffic infraction filings presided over by a judge or hearing officer.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 85 2019-2020 COURT FILINGS BY CIRCUIT, COUNTY, AND DIVISION

TRIAL COURT FILINGS BY CIRCUIT, COUNTY, AND DIVISION, FY 2018 - 2019 (All data provided below have undergone an extensive, six-month review process including audit, examination, and verification.)

Circuit/County Division Total Filings Circuit/County Division Total Filings Circuit/County Division Total Filings 1 Escambia Adult Criminal 6,257 2 Leon Adult Criminal 3,207 3 Madison Adult Criminal 201 Civil 1,979 Civil 2,819 Civil 105 Family Court* 5,397 Family Court* 4,397 Family Court* 306 Probate 2,684 Probate 2,462 Probate 125 County Adult Criminal 10,949 County Adult Criminal 5,228 County Adult Criminal 560 County Civil** 10,103 County Civil** 11,564 County Civil** 2,938 37,369 29,677 4,235

1 Okaloosa Adult Criminal 3,026 2 Liberty Adult Criminal 186 3 Suwannee Adult Criminal 593 Civil 1,219 Civil 46 Civil 279 Family Court* 3,285 Family Court* 142 Family Court* 698 Probate 1,240 Probate 42 Probate 197 County Adult Criminal 6,758 County Adult Criminal 197 County Adult Criminal 1,274 County Civil** 6,008 County Civil** 329 County Civil** 1,902 21,536 942 4,943

1 Santa Rosa Adult Criminal 2,090 2 Wakulla Adult Criminal 538 3 Taylor Adult Criminal 250 Civil 865 Civil 224 Civil 121 Family Court* 2,201 Family Court* 552 Family Court* 404 Probate 716 Probate 131 Probate 138 County Adult Criminal 4,745 County Adult Criminal 711 County Adult Criminal 681 County Civil** 6,340 County Civil** 802 County Civil** 1,263 16,957 2,958 2,857

1 Walton Adult Criminal 656 3 Columbia Adult Criminal 833 4 Clay Adult Criminal 1,001 Civil 579 Civil 455 Civil 1,367 Family Court* 1,103 Family Court* 1,131 Family Court* 2,629 Probate 417 Probate 869 Probate 798 County Adult Criminal 2,366 County Adult Criminal 1,966 County Adult Criminal 3,561 County Civil** 1,822 County Civil** 3,481 County Civil** 12,816 6,943 8,735 22,172

2 Franklin Adult Criminal 238 3 Dixie Adult Criminal 189 4 Duval Adult Criminal 6,738 Civil 102 Civil 63 Civil 8,908 Family Court* 244 Family Court* 341 Family Court* 15,278 Probate 85 Probate 105 Probate 6,436 County Adult Criminal 679 County Adult Criminal 407 County Adult Criminal 35,047 County Civil** 261 County Civil** 583 County Civil** 127,775 1,609 1,688 200,182

2 Gadsden Adult Criminal 566 3 Hamilton Adult Criminal 377 4 Nassau Adult Criminal 905 Civil 437 Civil 73 Civil 505 Family Court* 746 Family Court* 318 Family Court* 1,208 Probate 485 Probate 54 Probate 367 County Adult Criminal 1,095 County Adult Criminal 876 County Adult Criminal 2,851 County Civil** 2,723 County Civil** 775 County Civil** 2,939 6,052 2,473 8,775

2 Jefferson Adult Criminal 218 3 Lafayette Adult Criminal 91 5 Citrus Adult Criminal 1,212 Civil 86 Civil 35 Civil 1,015 Family Court* 152 Family Court* 144 Family Court* 2,026 Probate 72 Probate 41 Probate 1,015 County Adult Criminal 438 County Adult Criminal 139 County Adult Criminal 2,200 County Civil** 747 County Civil** 271 County Civil** 4,455 1,713 721 11,923

* Family court filings include domestic relations, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, and termination of parental rights.

** These data do not include all civil traffic infractions reported to the Florida Court Clerks and Comptroller by the clerks of court; they represent only those civil traffic infraction filings presided over by a judge or hearing officer.

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 86 2019-2020 COURT FILINGS BY CIRCUIT, COUNTY, AND DIVISION

Circuit/County Division Total Filings Circuit/County Division Total Filings Circuit/County Division Total Filings 5 Hernando Adult Criminal 1,896 7 St. Johns Adult Criminal 1,408 9 Orange Adult Criminal 9,725 Civil 1,468 Civil 1,709 Civil 14,644 Family Court* 2,672 Family Court* 2,535 Family Court* 17,350 Probate 2,519 Probate 1,129 Probate 5,535 County Adult Criminal 4,253 County Adult Criminal 5,813 County Adult Criminal 29,421 County Civil** 8,912 County Civil** 11,314 County Civil** 287,244 21,720 23,908 363,919

5 Lake Adult Criminal 2,736 7 Volusia Adult Criminal 6,289 9 Osceola Adult Criminal 2,965 Civil 2,588 Civil 4,446 Civil 4,168 Family Court* 3,821 Family Court* 7,462 Family Court* 4,709 Probate 2,223 Probate 4,598 Probate 1,456 County Adult Criminal 8,148 County Adult Criminal 24,359 County Adult Criminal 8,078 County Civil** 14,720 County Civil** 39,518 County Civil** 22,646 34,236 86,672 44,022

5 Marion Adult Criminal 3,727 8 Alachua Adult Criminal 2,194 10 Hardee Adult Criminal 348 Civil 2,660 Civil 1,556 Civil 124 Family Court* 5,258 Family Court* 2,958 Family Court* 600 Probate 2,414 Probate 2,446 Probate 95 County Adult Criminal 8,380 County Adult Criminal 5,187 County Adult Criminal 1,287 County Civil** 10,623 County Civil** 14,370 County Civil** 1,348 33,062 28,711 3,802

5 Sumter Adult Criminal 1,017 8 Baker Adult Criminal 406 10 Highlands Adult Criminal 1,113 Civil 459 Civil 169 Civil 722 Family Court* 679 Family Court* 526 Family Court* 1,436 Probate 622 Probate 247 Probate 725 County Adult Criminal 2,834 County Adult Criminal 795 County Adult Criminal 2,181 County Civil** 4,951 County Civil** 899 County Civil** 2,749 10,562 3,042 8,926

6 Pasco Adult Criminal 6,457 8 Bradford Adult Criminal 459 10 Polk Adult Criminal 8,876 Civil 4,194 Civil 247 Civil 5,351 Family Court* 7,193 Family Court* 379 Family Court* 12,204 Probate 4,339 Probate 132 Probate 5,137 County Adult Criminal 15,275 County Adult Criminal 1,253 County Adult Criminal 20,804 County Civil** 21,036 County Civil** 1,775 County Civil** 33,307 58,494 4,245 85,679

6 Pinellas Adult Criminal 11,574 8 Gilchrist Adult Criminal 189 11 Miami-Dade Adult Criminal 14,005 Civil 8,251 Civil 97 Civil 39,980 Family Court* 11,980 Family Court* 297 Family Court* 27,952 Probate 7,405 Probate 86 Probate 13,728 County Adult Criminal 32,703 County Adult Criminal 409 County Adult Criminal 70,519 County Civil** 47,089 County Civil** 620 County Civil** 657,103 119,002 1,698 823,287

7 Flagler Adult Criminal 667 8 Levy Adult Criminal 486 12 Desoto Adult Criminal 625 Civil 758 Civil 278 Civil 163 Family Court* 1,304 Family Court* 777 Family Court* 573 Probate 633 Probate 241 Probate 164 County Adult Criminal 3,371 County Adult Criminal 1,539 County Adult Criminal 917 County Civil** 5,155 County Civil** 1,772 County Civil** 1,061 11,888 5,093 3,503

7 Putnam Adult Criminal 1,107 8 Union Adult Criminal 116 12 Manatee Adult Criminal 2,731 Civil 447 Civil 118 Civil 2,174 Family Court* 1,311 Family Court* 192 Family Court* 4,354 Probate 418 Probate 38 Probate 2,157 County Adult Criminal 2,684 County Adult Criminal 219 County Adult Criminal 9,057 County Civil** 2,878 County Civil** 390 County Civil** 11,617 8,845 1,073 32,090

* Family court filings include domestic relations, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, and termination of parental rights. ** These data do not include all civil traffic infractions reported to the Florida Court Clerks and Comptroller by the clerks of court; they represent only those civil traffic infraction filings presided over by a judge or hearing officer. FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 87 2019-2020 COURT FILINGS BY CIRCUIT, COUNTY, AND DIVISION

Circuit/County Division Total Filings Circuit/County Division Total Filings Circuit/County Division Total Filings 12 Sarasota Adult Criminal 3,415 15 Palm Beach Adult Criminal 7,813 19 Okeechobee Adult Criminal 706 Civil 2,958 Civil 15,884 Civil 285 Family Court* 3,554 Family Court* 13,642 Family Court* 837 Probate 4,908 Probate 8,752 Probate 203 County Adult Criminal 8,821 County Adult Criminal 49,993 County Adult Criminal 1,588 County Civil** 21,495 County Civil** 138,485 County Civil** 1,856 45,151 234,569 5,475

13 Hillsborough Adult Criminal 12,688 16 Monroe Adult Criminal 1,113 19 St. Lucie Adult Criminal 2,537 Civil 12,696 Civil 1,367 Civil 2,404 Family Court* 21,268 Family Court* 1,093 Family Court* 3,700 Probate 8,876 Probate 457 Probate 2,002 County Adult Criminal 34,170 County Adult Criminal 3,458 County Adult Criminal 6,269 County Civil** 112,386 County Civil** 11,693 County Civil** 20,987 202,084 19,181 37,899

14 Bay Adult Criminal 4,785 17 Broward Adult Criminal 12,031 20 Charlotte Adult Criminal 1,852 Civil 2,871 Civil 26,494 Civil 1,368 Family Court* 2,735 Family Court* 26,858 Family Court* 2,442 Probate 1,098 Probate 10,467 Probate 2,365 County Adult Criminal 12,600 County Adult Criminal 41,169 County Adult Criminal 4,273 County Civil** 7,970 County Civil** 353,399 County Civil** 5,953 32,059 470,418 18,253

14 Calhoun Adult Criminal 243 18 Brevard Adult Criminal 5,494 20 Collier Adult Criminal 1,678 Civil 125 Civil 4,613 Civil 4,582 Family Court* 257 Family Court* 7,166 Family Court* 3,210 Probate 93 Probate 3,582 Probate 2,410 County Adult Criminal 195 County Adult Criminal 16,275 County Adult Criminal 7,535 County Civil** 470 County Civil** 24,750 County Civil** 15,786 1,383 61,880 35,201

14 Gulf Adult Criminal 262 18 Seminole Adult Criminal 3,134 20 Glades Adult Criminal 185 Civil 219 Civil 3,716 Civil 49 Family Court* 161 Family Court* 5,076 Family Court* 120 Probate 107 Probate 2,495 Probate 64 County Adult Criminal 520 County Adult Criminal 10,958 County Adult Criminal 548 County Civil** 253 County Civil** 38,365 County Civil** 2,473 1,522 63,744 3,439

14 Holmes Adult Criminal 525 19 Indian River Adult Criminal 1,339 20 Hendry Adult Criminal 437 Civil 101 Civil 951 Civil 258 Family Court* 308 Family Court* 1,563 Family Court* 688 Probate 91 Probate 1,055 Probate 154 County Adult Criminal 523 County Adult Criminal 3,656 County Adult Criminal 1,551 County Civil** 621 County Civil** 5,153 County Civil** 2,379 2,169 13,717 5,467

14 Jackson Adult Criminal 592 19 Martin Adult Criminal 1,251 20 Lee Adult Criminal 4,477 Civil 450 Civil 1,489 Civil 7,339 Family Court* 604 Family Court* 1,636 Family Court* 10,249 Probate 317 Probate 1,032 Probate 5,353 County Adult Criminal 965 County Adult Criminal 4,708 County Adult Criminal 19,084 County Civil** 2,093 County Civil** 8,731 County Civil** 41,410 5,021 18,847 87,912

14 Washington Adult Criminal 597 Total 3,580,173 Civil 165 Family Court* 476 Probate 162 County Adult Criminal 701 County Civil** 742 2,843

* Family court filings include domestic relations, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, and termination of parental rights. ** These data do not include all civil traffic infractions reported to the Florida Court Clerks and Comptroller by the clerks of court; they represent only those civil traffic infraction filings presided over by a judge or hearing officer. FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 88 2019-2020 COURT CONTACTS FOR 2021

FLORIDA SUPREME COURT 4th Judicial Circuit Clay, Duval, and Nassau counties Chief Justice CHARLES T. CANADY Chief Judge MARK MAHON (904) 255-1228 Clerk John A. Tomasino (850) 488-0126 Court Administrator Joseph G. Stelma, Jr. (904) 255-1001 Marshal Silvester Dawson (850) 488-8845 Website http://www.jud4.org/ State Courts Administrator Lisa H. Kiel (850) 922-5081 Website http://www.floridasupremecourt.org 5th Judicial Circuit Hernando, Citrus, Lake, Marion, and Sumter counties DISTRICT COURTS OF APPEAL Chief Judge DANIEL B. MERRITT, JR. (352) 754-4480 Court Administrator Jon Lin (352) 401-6707 1st DCA (850) 487-1000 Website http://www.circuit5.org/ Chief Judge STEPHANIE W. RAY Clerk Kristina Samuels 6th Judicial Circuit Marshal Kevin Taylor Pasco and Pinellas counties Website http://www.1dca.org/ Chief Judge ANTHONY RONDOLINO (727) 582-7272 Court Administrator Gay Inskeep (727) 582-7511 2nd DCA (863) 499-2290; (813) 272-3430 Website http://www.jud6.org Chief Judge NELLY N. KHOUZAM Clerk Mary Beth Kuenzel 7th Judicial Circuit Marshal Jo Haynes Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, and Volusia counties Website http://www.2dca.org Chief Judge RAUL A. ZAMBRANO (386) 239-7791 Court Administrator Mark Weinberg (386) 257-6097 3rd DCA (305) 229-3200 Website http://www.circuit7.org/ Chief Judge KEVIN EMAS Clerk Mercedes M. Prieto 8th Judicial Circuit Marshal Veronica Antonoff Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy, and Union counties Website http://www.3dca.flcourts.org Chief Judge MARK W. MOSELEY (352) 374-3642 Court Administrator Paul Silverman (352) 374-3638 4th DCA (561) 242-2000 Website http://www.circuit8.org Chief Judge SPENCER D. LEVINE Clerk Lonn Weissblum 9th Judicial Circuit Marshal Daniel DiGiacomo Orange and Osceola counties Website http://www.4dca.org/ Chief Judge DONALD A. MYERS, JR. (407) 836-0417 Court Administrator Matthew Benefiel (407) 836-2051 5th DCA (386) 947-1530 Website http://www.ninthcircuit.org/ Chief Judge KERRY I. EVANDER Clerk Sandra Williams 10th Judicial Circuit Marshal Charles Crawford Hardee, Highlands, and Polk counties Website http://www.5dca.org/ Chief Judge ELLEN S. MASTERS (863) 534-4669 Court Administrator Nick Sudzina (863) 534-4686 CIRCUIT COURTS Website http://www.jud10.flcourts.org/

1st Judicial Circuit 11th Judicial Circuit Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton counties Miami-Dade County Chief Judge JOHN L MILLER (850) 595-4351 Chief Judge BERTILA SOTO (305) 349-5720 Court Administrator Robin Wright (850) 595-4400 Court Administrator Sandra Lonergan (305) 349-7001 Website http://www.firstjudicialcircuit.org Website http://www.jud11.flcourts.org/

2nd Judicial Circuit 12th Judicial Circuit Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla counties DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties Chief Judge JONATHAN SJOSTROM (850) 606-4321 Chief Judge KIMBERLY C. BONNER (941) 861-3240 Court Administrator Grant Slayden (850) 606-4420 Court Administrator Kimberly Miller (941) 861-7800 Website http://www.leoncountyfl.gov/2ndCircuit/ Website http://www.jud12.flcourts.org/

3rd Judicial Circuit 13th Judicial Circuit Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, and Hillsborough County Taylor counties Chief Judge RONALD N. FICARROTTA (813) 272-6797 Chief Judge MARK E. FEAGLE (386) 719-7546 Court Administrator Gina Justice (813) 272-5369 Court Administrator Charles Hydovitz (386) 758-2163 Website http://www.fljud13.org/ Website http://www.jud3.flcourts.org

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 89 2019-2020 COURT CONTACTS FOR 2021

14th Judicial Circuit OSCA STAFF CONTACTS Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington counties Chief Judge CHRISTOPHER PATTERSON (850) 914-6485 State Courts Administrator Court Administrator Robyn Gable (850) 747-5370 Lisa H. Kiel (850) 922-5081 Website http://www.jud14.flcourts.org/ Deputy State Courts Administrator 15th Judicial Circuit Eric Maclure (850) 414-1048 Palm Beach County Chief Judge KRISTA MARX (561) 355-7814 Deputy State Courts Administrator Court Administrator Barbara L. Dawicke (561) 355-1872 Katie Cunningham (850) 488-3733 Website http://15thcircuit.co.palm-beach.fl.us/ Budget Services 16th Judicial Circuit Sharon Bosley, Acting Chief (850) 488-3735 Monroe County Chief Judge MARK H. JONES (305) 292-3422 Court Education Court Administrator Holly Elomina (305) 295-3644 Rose Patterson, Chief (850) 922-5079 Website http://www.keyscourts.net/ Court Improvement 17th Judicial Circuit John Couch, Chief (850) 414-1507 Broward County Chief Judge JACK TUTER, JR. (954) 831-7576 Court Services Court Administrator Kathleen R. Pugh (954) 831-7741 Andrew Johns, Chief (850) 922-5103 Website http://www.17th.flcourts.org/ Dispute Resolution Center 18th Judicial Circuit Susan Marvin, Chief (850) 921-2910 Brevard and Seminole counties Chief Judge LISA DAVIDSON (321) 617-7281 Finance & Accounting Court Administrator Mark Van Bever (321) 633-2171 Jackie Knight, Chief (850) 487-2119 Website http://www.flcourts18.org/ General Counsel 19th Judicial Circuit Erica White (850) 922-5109 Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie counties Chief Judge LAWRENCE M. MIRMAN (772) 288-5560 General Services Court Administrator Patty Harris (772) 807-4381 Steven Hall, Chief (850) 410-5300 Website http://www.circuit19.org/ Human Resources 20th Judicial Circuit Dorothy Willard, Chief (850) 487-0778 Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee counties Chief Judge MICHAEL T. McHugh (239) 533-2775 Information Technology Court Administrator Scott A. Wilsker (239) 533-1712 Roosevelt Sawyer, Jr. (850) 488-6568 Website http://www.ca.cjis20.org/ Technology Officer

Innovations and Outreach Tina White, Chief (850) 488-3743​

Legislative Affairs Vacant (850) 922-5692

Resource Planning Kristine Slayden, Manager (850) 922-5106

Media Contact Paul Flemming (850) 922-1187

Email for OSCA Staff [email protected]

Florida Courts Website https://www.flcourts.org/

FLORIDA STATE COURTS Annual Report 90 2019-2020 The 2019 – 2020 Florida State Courts Annual Report is published by the Office of the State Courts Administrator 500 South Duval Street Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1900 For more information, please call (850) 922-5081 or visit http://www.flcourts.org/