Case Title: In Re: Amendments to Florida Rules of Judicial Administration and the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure

Citation: 

Docket Number: SC13-1670

State: florida

Court: Florida Supreme Court

Date: 2013-10-31T00:00:00Z

Document:
Supreme Court of Florida 
 
 
____________ 
 
No. SC13-1670 
____________ 
 
 
IN RE:  AMENDMENTS TO THE FLORIDA RULES OF JUDICIAL 
ADMINISTRATION AND THE FLORIDA RULES OF APPELLATE 
PROCEDURE. 
 
[October 31, 2013] 
 
PER CURIAM. 
The Florida Bar’s Rules of Judicial Administration Committee and the 
Appellate Court Rules Committee (Committees) have filed a “fast-track” out-of-
cycle report proposing amendments to Florida Rules of Judicial Administration 
2.205(b)(5) (Issuance of Mandate; Recordation and Notification) and 2.210(b)(4) 
(Issuance of Mandate; Recordation and Notification) and Florida Rule of Appellate 
Procedure 9.340(a) (Issuance of Mandate).  The proposals are in response to recent 
legislation.  See Fla. R. Jud. Admin. 2.140(e).  We have jurisdiction1
                                         
 
1.  Art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.   
 and adopt the 
proposed amendments to the rules and also amend the titles of the rules.  
 
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According to the Committees’ report, the amendments are in response to 
chapter 2013-25, section 10, Laws of Florida, which created section 43.44, Florida 
Statutes.  Section 43.44, which becomes effective on January 1, 2014,2 allows an 
appellate court to recall its own mandate within 120 days after the mandate has 
been issued.3
As proposed by the Committees, we amend Florida Rule of Appellate 
Procedure 9.340(a) (Issuance of Mandate) to address the recall of a mandate by 
  Cf. State v. Bell, 992 So. 2d 95, 96 (Fla. 2008) (recognizing that an 
appellate court’s power to recall its mandate is limited to the term during which it 
issued); Chapman v. St. Stephens Protestant Episcopal Church, Inc., 105 Fla. 683, 
138 So. 630, 631-32 (Fla. 1932) (concluding that in the absence of a statute, an 
appellate court has jurisdiction to recall its mandate until the end of the term in 
which the judgment was rendered).  The Executive Committee of the Board of 
Governors of The Florida Bar approved the proposals by a vote of 11-0. 
                                         
 
2.  See ch. 2013-25, § 25, Laws of Fla. (providing effective date). 
 
3.  Newly created section 43.44, Florida Statutes, provides: 
Mandate of an appeals court.—An appellate court may, as the 
circumstances and justice of the case may require, reconsider, revise, 
reform, or modify its own opinions and orders for the purpose of 
making the same accord with law and justice.  Accordingly, an 
appellate court may recall its own mandate for the purpose of 
allowing it to exercise such jurisdiction and power in a proper case.  A 
mandate may not be recalled more than 120 days after it has been 
issued. 
Ch. 2013-25, § 10, Laws of Fla. 
 
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adding language to provide: “The court may direct the clerk to recall the mandate, 
but not more than 120 days after its issuance.”  Also, as proposed by the 
Committees, we amend Florida Rules of Judicial Administration 2.205(b)(5) 
(Issuance of Mandate; Recordation and Notification) and 2.210(b)(4) (Issuance of 
Mandate; Recordation and Notification) to provide that “[i]f, within 120 days after 
a mandate has been issued, the court directs that a mandate be recalled, then the 
clerk shall recall the mandate.”  References to “recall,” “the date of recall,” and 
“the recall of any mandate” also are added to the provisions of the rules addressing 
recordation and notification.  On our own motion, we also amend the titles of the 
three rules to reference “recall of mandate.”  
Accordingly, we amend the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration and the 
Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure as reflected in the appendix to this opinion.  
New language is indicated by underscoring; deletions are indicated by struck-
through type.  The amendments shall take effect January 1, 2014, at 12:01 a.m.  
Because the amendments were not published for comment prior to their adoption, 
interested persons shall have sixty days from the date of this opinion in which to 
file comments with the Court.4
                                         
4.  All comments must be filed with the Court on or before December 30, 
2013, with a certificate of service verifying that a copy has been served on the 
Committee Chairs, Mr. Eduardo I. Sanchez, 99 N.E. 4th Street, Suite 800, Miami, 
Florida 33132-2131, eduardo.i.sanchez@usdoj.gov, and Hon. Jon B. Morgan, 2 
Courthouse Square, Room 6420, Kissimmee, Florida 34741-5487, 
  
 
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It is so ordered. 
 
POLSTON, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, CANADY, LABARGA, 
and PERRY, JJ., concur. 
 
THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER THE 
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THESE AMENDMENTS.  
 
Original Proceeding – Florida Bar’s Rules of Judicial Administration Committee 
and Appellate Court Rules Committee  
 
                                                                                                                                   
ctjujm2@ocnjcc.org, and on the Bar Staff Liaison to the Committees, Ms. Heather 
Telfer, 651 E. Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2300, 
htelfer@flabar.org, as well as a separate request for oral argument if the person 
filing the comment wishes to participate in oral argument, which may be scheduled 
in this case. The Committee Chairs has until January 20, 2014, to file a response to 
any comments filed with the Court.  If filed by an attorney in good standing with 
The Florida Bar, the comment must be electronically filed via the Portal in 
accordance with In re Electronic Filing in the Supreme Court of Florida via the 
Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC13-7 (Feb. 18, 2013).  
If filed by a non-lawyer or a lawyer not licensed to practice in Florida, the 
comment must be electronically filed via e-mail in accordance with In re 
Mandatory Submission of Electronic Copies of Documents, Fla. Admin. Order No. 
AOSC04-84 (Sept. 13, 2004).  Electronically filed documents must be submitted in 
Microsoft Word 97 or higher.  Any person unable to submit a comment 
electronically must mail or hand-deliver the originally signed comment to the 
Florida Supreme Court, Office of the Clerk, 500 South Duval Street, Tallahassee, 
Florida 32399-1927; no additional copies are required or will be accepted.   
 
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APPENDIX 
RULE 2.205. 
THE SUPREME COURT 
(a) 
[No Change] 
(b) 
Clerk. 
(1) – (4) 
(5) 
Issuance and Recall of Mandate; Recordation and 
Notification. The clerk shall issue such mandates or process as may be directed by 
the court. If, within 120 days after a mandate has been issued, the court directs that 
a mandate be recalled, then the clerk shall recall the mandate. Upon the issuance or 
recall of any mandate, the clerk shall record the issuance or recall in a book or 
equivalent electronic record kept for that purpose, in which the date of issuance or 
date of recall and the manner of transmittal of the process shall be noted. In 
proceedings in which no mandate is issued, upon final adjudication of the pending 
cause the clerk shall transmit to the party affected thereby a copy of the court’s 
order or judgment. The clerk shall notify the attorneys of record of the issuance of 
any mandate, the recall of any mandate, or the rendition of any final judgment. The 
clerk shall furnish without charge to all attorneys of record in any cause a copy of 
any order or written opinion rendered in such action. 
(6) 
[No Change] 
(c) – (g) 
[No Change] 
 
RULE 2.210. 
DISTRICT COURTS OF APPEAL 
(a) 
[No Change] 
(b) 
Clerk. 
(1) – (3) 
[No Change] 
(4) 
Issuance and Recall of Mandate; Recordation and 
Notification. The clerk shall issue such mandates or process as may be directed by 
 
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the court. If, within 120 days after a mandate has been issued, the court directs that 
a mandate be recalled, then the clerk shall recall the mandate. If the court directs 
that a mandate record shall be maintained, then upon the issuance or recall of any 
mandate the clerk shall record the issuance or recall in a book or equivalent 
electronic record kept for that purpose, in which shall be noted the date of issuance 
or the date of recall and the manner of transmittal of the process. In proceedings in 
which no mandate is issued, upon final adjudication of the pending cause the clerk 
shall transmit to the party affected thereby a copy of the court’s order or judgment. 
The clerk shall notify the attorneys of record of the issuance of any mandate, the 
recall of any mandate, or the rendition of any final judgment. The clerk shall 
furnish without charge to all attorneys of record in any cause a copy of any order 
or written opinion rendered in such action. 
(5) 
[No Change] 
(c) – (e) 
[No Change] 
 
RULE 9.340. 
MANDATE 
(a) 
Issuance and Recall of Mandate. Unless otherwise ordered by the 
court or provided by these rules, the clerk shall issue such mandate or process as 
may be directed by the court after expiration of 15 days from the date of an order 
or decision. A copy thereof, or notice of its issuance, shall be served on all parties.  
The court may direct the clerk to recall the mandate, but not more than 120 days 
after its issuance. 
Committee Notes 
(b) – (c) 
[No Change] 
[No Change]