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.