Hillsborough County family court

• Bantner Removed His Prior AI Requirements — the Statewide Rule Controls — County Civil M13th Jud. Cir., Judge Bantner Procedures & Preferences (County Civ. M), § 9

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

• UMC Dockets ARE VIA ZOOM; Other Remote Needs Good Cause — County Civil N13th Jud. Cir., Judge Henderson Judicial Practices & Procedures (mod. May 2026) — PDF

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

• Case Law and Tabbed Exhibit Binders 5 Business Days Out — Probate A13th Jud. Cir., Judge Catlin Procedures & Preferences (Probate A)
• Orders Cite the Hearing Date; Uploaded No More Than 2 Days Early — Probate A13th Jud. Cir., Judge Catlin Procedures & Preferences (Probate A)

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

• UMC Runs on Zoom Only; Cancelled Hearings Kill the Zoom Credentials — County Civil I13th Jud. Cir., Judge Edwards Judicial Practices & Procedures (County Civ. I, est. Oct. 20, 2025) — PDF

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

• Late Materials Not Considered; Unclaimed Binders Recycled in 3 Days — County Civil L13th Jud. Cir., Judge Saba Judicial Practices & Procedures (mod. Jan. 2026) — PDF

• Late Materials Not Considered; 3-Day Binder Recycling — County Civil R13th Jud. Cir., Judge O'Brien Judicial Practices & Procedures (mod. Nov. 2025) — PDF

• East Circuit R: Notices Carry Filing Date, Doc Index Number, and Reserved Time13th Jud. Cir., Judge Chandler East Circuit Div. R Procedures — PDF
• East Probate U Is Paperless and Rides Division R's Docket13th Jud. Cir., Judge Chandler East Circuit Probate Div. U — PDF
• Protective-Injunction Hearings Are In Person — No Zoom Unless Directed — East Circuit S13th Jud. Cir., Judge Chandler East Circuit Div. S Protective Injunctions — PDF

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

• Deadline-Firm Materials; Motion-Based Zoom — County Civil V13th Jud. Cir., Judge Gutman Judicial Practices & Procedures (mod. June 2026) — PDF

• Unilateral Notices Need a Detailed Cover Letter and 3 Documented Attempts — County Civil H13th Jud. Cir., Judge Giardina Procedures & Preferences (County Civ. H)

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

• Two-Business-Day Response Clock Before Unilateral Noticing — Family I13th Jud. Cir., Judge Rich Judicial Practices & Procedures (Fam. I, mod. Dec. 2, 2025) — PDF

• Retrieve Hearing Binders Within 3 Days or They're Recycled — County Civil U / Injunctions M13th Jud. Cir., Judge Johnson Judicial Practices & Procedures (mod. Nov. 2025) — PDF

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

• Costello Points Filers to the New Statewide AI Rule 2.515(d)(2) — Injunctions H / County Civil K13th Jud. Cir., Judge Costello Procedures & Preferences (Inj. H / County Civ. K), § 4

• Contested Financials Highlighted; One Color-Coded ED Worksheet in Excel — Family B13th Jud. Cir., Judge Tompkins Procedures & Preferences (Fam. B)
• Study Smith v. Crider Before Filing Any Emergency — Family B13th Jud. Cir., Judge Tompkins Procedures & Preferences (Fam. B)

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

• No Final Hearing Without Mediation in the Past 6 Months — Family D13th Jud. Cir., Judge Ayers Procedures & Preferences (Fam. D)

• No Orphaned Signature Lines; Capitalize Mother and Father — Juvenile Delinquency B/F13th Jud. Cir., Juv. Delinquency B/F Procedures & Preferences (published under Judge Brennan)

• PDF Orders; Zoom Decorum Violations Risk Sanctions — Criminal B / Jimmy Ryce T13th Jud. Cir., Judge Fernandez Judicial Practices & Procedures (mod. 6/24/2026) — PDF

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

• Orders in PDF; Exhibits to the Clerk on Paper, Single-Sided — Felony C13th Jud. Cir., Judge Lefler Judicial Practices & Procedures (Felony C, mod. June 30, 2026) — PDF

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

• Everyone Appears In Person at the First Case Management Conference — Family F13th Jud. Cir., Judge Kiser Procedures & Preferences (Fam. F)

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

• Traffic Is In Person; Motions Idle 60 Days Are Presumed Denied — Civil Traffic M13th Jud. Cir., Judge Cuellar-Stilo Procedures (Traffic M / NCNT T / IV-D Y)

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

• [PREEMPTED] AI Disclosure & Certification Mandate — Family A13th Jud. Cir., Judge Felix Procedures & Preferences (Fam. A), § 13
• Silence for 2 Business Days = Unilateral Setting — Family A13th Jud. Cir., Judge Felix Procedures & Preferences (Fam. A), § 2

• [PREEMPTED] AI Face-of-Document Disclosure + Certification — Injunctions K / County Civil S13th Jud. Cir., Judge Black Procedures & Preferences (Inj. K / County Civ. S), § 3

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

• Digital Courtesy Copies Only; Small Claims & Eviction Procedures Published — County Civil J13th Jud. Cir., Judge Baggé-Hernández Procedures & Preferences (County Civ. J)

• No Hybrid Hearings — but Mutual In-Person Is Always Available — Family E13th Jud. Cir., Judge Hooi Procedures & Preferences (Fam. E)

• Orders in "Microsoft Adobe Acrobat" PDF; Paper Exhibits — Mental Health / Veterans / Drug Court13th Jud. Cir., Judge Scionti Judicial Practices & Procedures (mod. June 1, 2025) — PDF

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.

Named in procedure notes

Richard H. Martin

• DCF Arranges Remote Appearances; Witness Zoom Needs Court Permission — Juvenile Dependency B13th Jud. Cir., Judge Martin Judicial Practices & Procedures (Juv Dep B, mod. 1/23/2026) — PDF

Named in procedure notes

Robert A. Bauman

• Zoom Only (Never WebEx); No Piggybacking; No Pre-Hearing Orders — Family J13th Jud. Cir., Judge Bauman Procedures & Preferences (Fam. J)

Named in procedure notes

Robin F. Fuson

• NO Evidentiary Hearing of Any Length via Zoom — Family L13th Jud. Cir., Judge Fuson Judicial Practices & Procedures (Fam. L, mod. June 25, 2026) — PDF

Named in procedure notes

Wendy J. DePaul

• 30-Minute Zoom Line; Unpermitted Zoom Evidentiary Hearings Get Cancelled — Family C13th Jud. Cir., Judge DePaul Procedures & Preferences (Fam. C)

Named in procedure notes

Wesley D. Tibbals

• Remote Appearance Only on Good Cause; No Arraignment Transport — Criminal E13th Jud. Cir., Judge Tibbals Judicial Practices & Procedures (mod. June 4, 2025) — PDF

The strongest in-the-wild confirmation of the 2026 statewide AI rule: Judge Bantner's page expressly states his prior AI requirements are REMOVED because of the May 28, 2026 amendment of Rule 2.515 — signing a filing now itself certifies the authorities exist and are accurately cited.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Gutman's practices PDF (mod. June 2026): the county-civil template applies — late materials not considered, Zoom by motion for in-person-noticed hearings, good cause for remote requests.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Baggé-Hernández runs the fullest county-civil template (13 sections) including dedicated Small Claims and Landlord/Tenant-Eviction procedures — courtesy copies go digitally to the division, JAWS is the scheduling default, and unsolicited non-party communications are disregarded.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Chandler's Division R sheet demands metadata on every notice — filing date, document index number of the motion, and time reserved — with 30-minute-plus contested evidentiary matters in person at Plant City and exhibits/case law mailed 5 days ahead.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Chandler's Division U sheet: East Probate is paperless (orders only via ePortal to EAST CIRCUIT PROBATE DIVISION U), and probate hearings share Division R's JAWS docket for 30-minutes-or-less settings.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge O'Brien's practices PDF (mod. Nov. 2025): materials after the deadline are not considered, unclaimed binders are recycled within 3 days, and Zoom at an in-person-noticed hearing takes a motion.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Saba's practices PDF (mod. Jan. 2026): hearing materials received after the deadline will not be considered, binders not retrieved within 3 days of the proceeding are recycled, and Zoom requests for in-person-noticed hearings go by motion.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Chandler's Division S sheet is unambiguous: all protective-injunction hearings happen in person at Plant City, and you may not participate by Zoom unless the Court specifically directs it.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Henderson's practices PDF (mod. May 2026): UMC dockets run on Zoom, other remote appearances require good cause from the requesting party, and unclaimed binders are recycled after 3 days.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Edwards's practices PDF: the Uniform Motion Calendar is conducted via Zoom only, remote-appearance credentials die with a cancelled hearing, and Zoom appearances for in-person settings require an uploaded Order to Appear Via Zoom in the Division I queue.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Giardina: 15-minutes-or-less schedules through JAWS, over 30 through the JA — and a unilaterally-set notice of hearing must attach a cover letter detailing at least three attempts to coordinate; hearings in person since February 14, 2022.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

[PREEMPTED effective June 15, 2026 by Rule 2.515(d)(2) and AOSC26-12.] Judge Felix's page still displays his own AI disclose-and-certify mandate for any document, materials, or exhibits.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

[PREEMPTED effective June 15, 2026 by Rule 2.515(d)(2) and AOSC26-12.] Judge Black's page still imposes her own AI rule — disclosure on the face of the document plus a personal-review certification, citing Fla. Bar Ethics Op. 24-1 — alongside 5-business-day case-law notebooks and new County Civil AO S-2026-024.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge DePaul's matrix: non-evidentiary ≤30 minutes on Zoom (pro se CMCs in person); evidentiary or >30 minutes in person, with evidentiary set at 60 minutes; Zoom-noticed evidentiary hearings without permission may be cancelled; phone appearances risk rescheduling.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Tompkins requires each side's final financial affidavit 5 days before trial with ONLY contested entries highlighted, and a single jointly-prepared equitable-distribution worksheet in Excel color-coding agreed vs. disputed items.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Costello's AI section simply restates amended Rule 2.515(d)(2) — the post-AOSC26-12 statewide standard — a compliance model, not a local mandate: signers certify cited authorities exist and are accurately cited, with the rule's own sanctions.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Martin's practices PDF (mod. 1/23/2026, recovered from the portal vein): DCF is responsible for arranging remote appearances, witnesses appear by Zoom only with Court permission, and status conferences require a filed notice of hearing.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Kiser requires all parties and counsel in person at the first CMC; post-judgment matters come off the first case-management docket and reschedule appropriately; the JA answers no legal questions.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Fuson's practices PDF (mod. June 25, 2026): evidentiary hearings never happen on Zoom regardless of length, and all temporary-relief hearings are in person; scheduling impasses go to the JA.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Ayers will not schedule a final hearing or trial unless mediation occurred within the past six months (or new counsel appeared since) — and the Order Setting Final Hearing must hit JAWS 15 days before the date.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Hooi does not usually allow hybrid hearings (one side in person, one virtual); if both sides prefer, everyone may appear in person instead; emergencies route through the clerk to a judge-entered handling order.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

The Delinquency B/F division publishes unusually granular order-formatting rules: PDFs created from Word (not scans), no signature line or ORDERED-AND-ADJUDGED text alone on a page, Mother/Father capitalized, descriptive titles, "number of number" pagination — with orders in the JAWS queue presumed shared and unobjected.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Johnson's practices PDF: hearing binders must be picked up within 3 days after the proceeding or they are recycled; anything over 15 minutes schedules by e-mail only; materials and continuances run on 5-day clocks.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Felix's scheduling protocol: the JA offers at least two dates; if the responding side stays silent for two business days after a documented good-faith attempt, the movant may pick the hearing time.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Tompkins orders counsel to study Smith v. Crider before filing an emergency motion, files it with the Clerk only (never deliver to the judge), and runs UMC at 7–10 minutes per case.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Cuellar-Stilo's Civil Traffic division takes no Zoom absent a court order, presumes motions pending 60+ days without a hearing denied without prejudice, and treats unwarranted "emergency" labels as sanctionable — with counsel expected available nights and weekends for real ones.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Rich's practices PDF (recovered from the portal vein; mod. Dec. 2, 2025): the responding side has two business days to answer availability; only after Court confirmation — or documented silence — does the movant file the Notice of Hearing.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Bauman: PTCs, trials, and evidentiary hearings require counsel AND clients at the courthouse; the Court will not schedule on WebEx; no piggybacking matters onto set hearings; and proposed orders must NOT enter the queue before the hearing happens.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Catlin: all case-law authority AND all hearing/trial exhibits due at least five business days ahead — exhibits in an indexed, tabbed binder — with mediation mandatory before any 2-hour-plus hearing on pain of cancellation.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Catlin's paperless order regime: PDF only (never Word), the hearing date in the opening paragraph, uploaded no more than 2 days before the hearing (early uploads rejected and removed), 3-business-day docketing wait, and "no hanging signatures."

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Scionti's specialty-docket practices PDF (Mental Health M, Veterans V, Adult Drug Treatment W): proposed orders submitted in what the document memorably calls "Microsoft Adobe Acrobat™" format, exhibits to the clerk on paper — and no standing Zoom ID (access is provided upon approval only).

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Lefler's practices PDF (mod. June 30, 2026 — which also confirms his division as Felony C): proposed orders submit in PDF format, and exhibits go to the clerk in paper, single-sided.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Fernandez's practices PDF (mod. 6/24/2026, covering Circuit Criminal B and the Jimmy Ryce Act T docket): proposed orders upload in PDF, and Zoom-decorum violators "may be subject to sanctions."

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.

Judge Tibbals: good cause must be established to appear remotely in his criminal division, and in-custody defendants are not transported to arraignment.

Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney.