Case Title: In Re: Amendments to the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure â€“ 2020 Fast-Track Report

Citation: 

Docket Number: 

State: florida

Court: Florida Supreme Court

Date: 2020-09-10T00:00:00Z

Document:
Supreme Court of Florida 
 
 
____________ 
 
No. SC20-1153 
____________ 
 
 
IN RE: AMENDMENTS TO THE FLORIDA RULES OF JUVENILE 
PROCEDURE—2020 FAST-TRACK REPORT. 
 
September 10, 2020 
PER CURIAM. 
The Florida Bar’s Juvenile Court Rules Committee (Committee) has filed a 
“fast-track” report proposing amendments to the Florida Rules of Juvenile 
Procedure in response to recent legislation.  See Fla. R. Jud. Admin. 2.140(e).  We 
have jurisdiction1 and adopt the amendments as proposed. 
In response to chapter 2020-65 and chapter 2020-138, Laws of Florida, 
which amend sections 39.0137, 39.522, 39.6011, and 39.701, Florida Statutes 
(2019), and became effective July 1, 2020, the Committee proposes amendments to 
the following rules:  8.225 (Process, Diligent Searches, and Service of Pleadings 
and Papers), 8.345 (Post-Disposition Relief), 8.400 (Case Plan Development), and 
 
 
1.  See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const. 
 
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8.415 (Judicial Review of Dependency Cases).  See ch. 2020-65, § 3, Laws of Fla.; 
ch. 2020-138, § 18, Laws of Fla. 
The Executive Committee of the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar 
unanimously approved the Committee’s proposals.  The Committee did not publish 
the proposals before filing them with the Court.  After considering the 
Committee’s proposals and the relevant legislation, we amend the Florida Rules of 
Juvenile Procedure as proposed by the Committee.  The more significant 
amendments are discussed below. 
First, we amend rule 8.225 (Process, Diligent Searches, and Service of 
Pleadings and Papers), to address legislative changes to section 39.0137, Florida 
Statutes, effectuated by chapter 2020-65, section 2, Laws of Florida.  The 
legislative changes require the Florida Department of Children and Families to 
ensure the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act is observed in cases where a parent, 
legal custodian, or caregiver responsible for a child’s welfare, by virtue of his or 
her service, is unable to take custody of the child or appear before the court in 
person.  To conform with this statutory requirement, we add new subdivision (a)(5) 
(Service of Persons on Active Military Duty in Dependency Proceedings), which 
addresses service of a person on active military duty. 
Next, we amend rule 8.345 (Post-Disposition Relief), to address legislative 
changes made to section 39.522, Florida Statutes, by chapter 2020-138, section 5, 
 
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Laws of Florida.  The legislative change to section 39.522(1) added factors that the 
court must consider when determining a change of legal custody or placement.  
Accordingly, we add new subdivision (b) (Standard for Changing Custody), which 
articulates these factors that must be considered.  Additionally, the legislative 
amendment added subsection (4) to section 39.522, requiring that the court 
evaluate the child’s permanency goal when the court is changing the child’s 
custody or placement.  Thus, we add new subdivision (c) (Change of Permanency 
Goal), to require that the court evaluate the child’s permanency goal. 
We also amend rule 8.400 (Case Plan Development) to address the 
legislative changes made to section 39.6011(5), Florida Statutes, by chapter 2020-
138, section 6, Laws of Florida.  These changes require the case plan to describe 
that it is the parents’ and caregivers’ responsibility to work together to achieve the 
case plan.  Thus, we add new subdivision (6) requiring written notice to the parents 
and caregivers to apprise them that it is their responsibility to work together to 
achieve the case plan. 
Finally, we amend rule 8.415 (Judicial Review of Dependency Cases) to 
address the legislative changes made to section 39.701, Florida Statutes, by chapter 
2020-138, section 7, Laws of Florida.  The legislative changes throughout the 
section include replacing “legal custodian” with “caregiver.”  The amendment also 
added subsection (b)(2) to section 39.701, establishing certain requirements 
 
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regarding retaining jurisdiction.  To conform with these changes, in subdivisions 
(b)(2) (Subsequent Review Hearings) and (c) (Report), we replace “legal 
custodian” with “caregiver.”  Additionally, in subdivision (e) (Information 
Available to Court), we replace the comma before “caregiver” with “or” and delete 
the phrase “or legal custodian.”  Also, in subdivision (g) (Jurisdiction), we add an 
additional sentence requiring the court to maintain jurisdiction if a safety plan 
remains necessary for the child to reside safely in the home. 
Accordingly, the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure are amended 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 immediately upon the release of this opinion.  Because the 
amendments were not published for comment prior to their adoption, interested 
persons shall have seventy-five days from the date of this opinion in which to file 
comments with the Court.2 
 
 
2.  All comments must be filed with the Court on or before November 24, 
2020, with a certificate of service verifying that a copy has been served on the 
Committee Chair, Matthew Charles Wilson, Children’s Legal Services, 160 West 
Government Street, Suite 701, Pensacola, Florida 32502-5735, 
matthew.wilson@myflfamilies.com, and on the Bar Staff Liaison to the 
Committee, Mikalla Andies Davis, 651 East Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, Florida 
32399-2300, mdavis@floridabar.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 Chair has until 
December 15, 2020, 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 
 
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It is so ordered. 
CANADY, C.J., and POLSTON, LABARGA, LAWSON, MUÑIZ, and 
COURIEL, JJ., concur. 
 
THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER THE 
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THESE AMENDMENTS. 
 
Original Proceeding – Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure 
 
Matthew Charles Wilson, Chair, Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure Committee, 
Crestview, Florida; and Joshua E. Doyle, Executive Director, and Mikalla Andies 
Davis, Staff Liaison, The Florida Bar, Tallahassee, Florida,  
 
for Petitioner 
 
 
electronically filed via the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (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 
nonlawyer or a lawyer not licensed to practice in Florida, the comment may be, but 
is not required to be, filed via the Portal.  Comments filed via the Portal must be 
submitted in Microsoft Word 97 or higher.  See In re Electronic Filing in the 
Florida Supreme Court, Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC17-27 (May 9, 2017).  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 8.225. 
PROCESS, DILIGENT SEARCHES, AND SERVICE OF 
PLEADINGS AND PAPERS 
(a) 
Summons and Subpoenas. 
(1) – (4) 
[No Change] 
(5)  
Service of Persons on Active Military Duty in Dependency 
Proceedings. In the case of a person on active military duty, service completed 
pursuant to subdivisions (a)(3) or (a)(4) of this rule must be in compliance with 
state and federal laws. 
(b) – (f) 
[No Change]  
 
RULE 8.345. 
POST-DISPOSITION RELIEF 
(a) 
[No Change] 
(b)  
Standard for Changing Custody.  
(1)  
Generally. The standard for changing custody of the child shall 
be the best interests of the child. When determining whether a change of legal 
custody or placement in applying this standard, the court shall consider the 
continuity of the child’s placement in the same out-of-home residence as a factor 
when determining the best interests of the child, the court shall consider: 
(A)  The child’s age. 
(B) 
 The physical, mental, and emotional health benefits to 
the child by remaining in his or her current placement or moving to the proposed 
placement. 
(C) 
 The stability and longevity of the child’s current 
placement. 
(D)  The established bonded relationship between the child 
and the current or proposed caregiver. 
 
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(E) 
 The reasonable preference of the child, if the court has 
found that the child is of sufficient intelligence, understanding, and experience to 
express a preference. 
(F)  
The recommendation of the child’s current caregiver. 
(G)  The recommendation of the child’s guardian ad litem, if 
one has been appointed. 
(H) 
 The child’s previous and current relationship with a 
sibling, if the change of legal custody or placement will separate or reunite 
siblings. 
(I)  
 The likelihood of the child attaining permanency in the 
current or proposed placement. 
(J)  
Any other relevant factors. 
(12) Reunification. 
(A) 
In cases in which the issue before the court is whether a 
child should be reunited with a parent, and the child is currently placed with 
someone other than a parent, the court must review the conditions for return and 
determine whether the circumstances that caused the out-of-home placement and 
issues subsequently identified have been remedied to the extent that the return of 
the child to the home with an in-home safety plan prepared or approved by the 
department will not be detrimental to the child’s safety, well-being, and physical, 
mental, and emotional health. 
(2B) In cases in which the issue before the court is whether a 
child who is placed in the custody of a parent should be reunited with the other 
parent upon a finding that the circumstances that caused the out-of-home 
placement and issues subsequently identified have been remedied to the extent that 
the return of the child to the home of the other parent with an in-home safety plan 
prepared or approved by the department will not be detrimental to the child, the 
court must determine that the safety, well-being, and physical, mental, and 
emotional health of the child would not be endangered by reunification and that 
reunification would be in the best interest of the child. 
(c)  
Change of Permanency Goal. The court shall additionally evaluate 
the child's permanency goal and change the permanency goal as needed if doing so 
 
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would be in the best interests of the child. If the court changes the permanency 
goal, the case plan must be amended pursuant to law. 
(bd) Motion for Termination of Supervision or Jurisdiction. Any party 
requesting termination of agency supervision or the jurisdiction of the court or both 
shall do so by written motion or in a written report to the court. The court must 
hear all parties present and enter an order terminating supervision or terminating 
jurisdiction and supervision or continuing them as previously ordered. The court 
shall not terminate jurisdiction unless the child is returned to the parent and has 
been in the placement for at least 6 months, the child is adopted, or the child attains 
the age of 18, unless the court has extended jurisdiction. 
 
RULE 8.400. 
CASE PLAN DEVELOPMENT 
(a) 
[No Change] 
(b) 
Contents. The case plan must be written simply and clearly in English 
and the principal language of the parents, if possible.  Each case plan must contain:  
(1) – (4) 
[No Change] 
(5) 
a written notice to the parent that it is the parent’s responsibility 
to take action to comply with the case plan so permanency with the child may 
occur within the shortest period of time possible, but no later than 1 year after 
removal or adjudication of the child; the parent must notify the parties and the 
court of barriers to completing case plan tasks within a reasonable time after 
discovering such barriers if the parties are not actively working to overcome them; 
failure of the parent to substantially comply with the case plan may result in the 
termination of parental rights, and that a material breach of the case plan by the 
parent’s action or inaction may result in the filing of a petition for termination of 
parental rights sooner than the expiration of the compliance period; and 
(6) 
 a written notice to the parents and caregivers that it is their 
responsibility to take action to work together where it is safe to do so towards the 
success of the case plan; and 
(67) if the parent is incarcerated, the list of services available at the 
facility.  
(c) – (f) 
[No Change] 
 
 
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RULE 8.415. 
JUDICIAL REVIEW OF DEPENDENCY CASES 
(a) 
[No Change]  
(b) 
Scheduling Hearings. 
(1) 
[No Change] 
(2) 
Subsequent Review Hearings. At each judicial review 
hearing, the court must schedule the next judicial review hearing which must be 
conducted within 6 months. The clerk of the court, at the judicial review hearing, 
must provide the parties, the social service agency charged with the supervision of 
care, custody, or guardianship of the child, the foster parent or legal 
custodiancaregiver in whose home the child resides, any preadoptive parent, and 
such other persons as the court may direct with written notice of the date, time, and 
location of the next judicial review hearing. 
(3) – (4) 
[No Change] 
(c) 
Report. In all cases, the department or its agent must prepare a report 
to the court. The report must contain facts showing the court to have jurisdiction of 
the cause as a dependency case. It must contain information as to the identity and 
residence of the parent, if known, and the legal custodiancaregiver, the dates of the 
original dependency adjudication and any subsequent judicial review proceedings, 
the results of any safe-harbor placement assessment including the status of the 
child’s placement, and a request for one or more of the following forms of relief: 
(1) – (4) 
[No Change] 
(d) 
[No Change] 
(e) 
Information Available to Court. At the judicial review hearing the 
court may receive any relevant and material evidence pertinent to the cause. This 
must include written reports required by law and may include, but must not be 
limited to, any psychiatric or psychological evaluations of the child or parent, or 
caregiver, or legal custodian that may be obtained and that are material and 
relevant. This evidence may be received by the court and relied on to the extent of 
its probative value, even though it may not be competent in an adjudicatory 
hearing. 
(f) 
[No Change] 
 
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(g) 
Jurisdiction. 
(1) 
When a child is returned to the parents, the court must not 
terminate its jurisdiction over the child until 6 months after the return. Based on a 
report of the department and any other relevant factors, the court must then 
determine whether jurisdiction should be continued or terminated. If its jurisdiction 
is to be terminated, it must enter an order to that effect. The court must retain 
jurisdiction over a child if the child is placed in the home with a parent or caregiver 
with an in-home safety plan and such safety plan remains necessary for the child to 
reside safely in the home. 
(2) – (6) 
[No Change] 
(h) – (i) 
[No Change] 
Committee Notes 
[No Change]