Judges Conducting Hearings Using Remote Technology
Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court judges are conducting court hearings via the Zoom platform. No camera? No problem! The Zoom platform allows individuals to appear via telephone if they do not have an available camera.
Court hearings are public proceedings, and the public may observe court proceedings. There are no fees for attending a court hearing via the Zoom platform.
To obtain the necessary information to attend a hearing before a particular judge, please click on the Judge’s name in the list below. That link will display the date, time, Meeting ID, and passcode, if any, for hearings. The information in these links will constantly change and may only display hearings for the next few days.
ADA Notice
If you are a person with a disability who needs an accommodation in order to attend a virtual court proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact the ADA coordinator for additional information on how to request an accommodation.
Zoom Hearing But No Access to Internet or Phone?
If you have a Zoom hearing but do not have access to the Internet or a phone, you must write to the judge so we can try to make other arrangements for your hearing. Please print and complete this Notice of Inability to Participate in Zoom Hearing and submit it to the clerk's office in the county in which your case is filed before your hearing date.
Important: Any recording of a court proceeding held by video or teleconference, including "screenshots" or other visual copying of a hearing, is strictly prohibited. Violation of these prohibitions may result in sanctions, including removal of court-issued media credentials, restricted entry to future hearings, denial of entry to future hearings, or any other sanctions deemed necessary by the court.
Notice of Hearing Minimum Requirements
Florida Bar's Best Practices Guide for Remote Proceedings
A 15 minute status conference the week prior to the hearing can be very useful in streamlining the hearing. This can be set by contacting the judicial assistant of the assigned judge.
Exhibits:
Before the hearing, send to the division email, in PDF format: *
- A Table of Exhibits.
- Each exhibit as a separate file, labeled “Plaintiff 1” or “Defendant A” and so on
- Confer with opposing counsel to determine what exhibits are stipulated and what evidentiary objections each side is maintaining and avoid duplicate exhibits.
- Practice using the screenshare function on zoom and have your exhibits readily accessible on your computer to screenshare during the hearing if permitted by the judge.
- Provide your witnesses with exhibits prior to the hearing.
*For more than 100 pages of material, please deliver hard copy to the judge prior to the hearing
Witnesses:
Make sure your witness has a device to attend the hearing and an appropriate location to sit during hearing, free of distractions. Test your set-up ahead of time to ensure there is no echoing or other technical issues. The Court can administer the oath pursuant to AOSC20-16. Advise witness of zoom courtroom procedure and etiquette such as:
- Witness shall not communicate with anyone during their testimony. This means no texting or chatting on any device or talking to anyone physically in the room.
- Reinforce that even though the hearing is being conducted virtually, it is still a courtroom subject to the penalties of perjury or contempt.
- Rule of Sequestration Advise the witness that if the rule is invoked, the witness will either be asked to login to zoom when it’s their turn, or to sit in a zoom “waiting room” while the hearing is proceeding. Explain the rule.
- Proper attire, a distraction free environment. No multi-tasking. Turn off ringers and alerts that make noise. Make sure zoom displays the witness’s proper name.
- Let the attorney or judge finish speaking before answering questions. When an objection is made, stop talking and let the judge rule on the objection. Mute microphone when not being addressed.
- Procedure for disconnection: Advise the witness to attempt to re-enter the meeting if they are inadvertently disconnected and instruct the witness to contact you by phone or email for further instructions if they are unable to rejoin the zoom hearing.
Testimony by Telephone:
In exceptional circumstances, witnesses may be permitted to testify by telephone. This will depend on the reason, nature of the witness and subject of the witness’s testimony, and whether a telephonic examination will be fair and not prejudice the presentation of any party. You may be required to hire a notary to administer the oath if the Court cannot see the witness.