In re Amendments to the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration

Summary

The Florida Supreme Court adopts amendments to the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration and conforming amendments to numerous Florida procedural rules. The principal amendment creates Rule 2.516, requiring e-mail service of pleadings and documents in specified proceedings, with phased implementation and exceptions for certain practitioners and self-represented parties. The opinion also addresses related amendments concerning electronic filing and service procedures.

Holdings

1. The Court adopted Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.516, requiring documents that are required or permitted to be served on another party generally to be served by e-mail, subject to the rule’s specified exceptions and alternative-service provisions.
2. The Court adopted conforming amendments to the identified Florida procedural rules and family-law forms to reference and implement Rule 2.516.
3. Mandatory e-mail service became applicable to attorneys in civil, probate, small claims, and family-law trial divisions and in appellate cases on September 1, 2012, while mandatory service in criminal, traffic, and juvenile trial divisions was delayed until October 1, 2013, when electronic filing became mandatory in those divisions.

Questions Presented

1. Whether the Supreme Court of Florida should adopt new Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.516 governing service of pleadings and documents by e-mail.
2. Whether conforming amendments to the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, Probate Rules, Traffic Court Rules, Small Claims Rules, Juvenile Procedure, Appellate Procedure, and Family Law Rules of Procedure and Forms should be adopted.
3. How and when mandatory e-mail service should be implemented in civil, probate, small claims, family law, appellate, criminal, traffic, juvenile, Baker Act, and Jimmy Ryce proceedings.

Disposition

approved