Supreme Court of Florida

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No. SC14-721

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IN RE: AMENDMENTS TO FLORIDA RULE OF JUDICIAL 

ADMINISTRATION 2.520.

[April 2, 2015]

REVISED OPINION

PER CURIAM.

Consistent with the order entered in this case on April 2, 2015, the opinion 

dated November 26, 2014, is withdrawn and the following revised opinion is 

substituted in its place. 1

We have for consideration an out-of-cycle report proposing amendments to 

Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.520 (Documents) filed by The Florida 

 

1. We issue the revised opinion in response to a “Motion for 

Reconsideration” filed by the Rules of Judicial Administration Committee asking 

the Court to add new subdivision (d)(2)(C) (Paper Filings) to rule 2.520 to clarify 

the implementation of the amendments to the rule adopted in the November 26, 

2014, opinion, with respect to paper filings and to make several technical 

corrections to the amendments to subdivision (d)(2)(A) (Format). In re Amend. to 

Fla. Rule of Jud. Admin. 2.520, No. SC14-721 (motion filed Feb. 27, 2015).
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Bar’s Rules of Judicial Administration Committee (Committee). See Fla. R. Jud. 

Admin. 2.140(e). We have jurisdiction2and adopt the amendments as proposed.

BACKGROUND

According to the Committee’s report, the more significant amendments

address format requirements for paper documents filed with the court and the use 

of margins by the clerks of court, which are issues of great concern to the clerks. 

The proposed amendments were approved by the Committee by a vote of 36-1 and 

were unanimously approved by the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar.

3

 The 

Committee did not publish the proposals before filing them with the Court. The 

Court published the proposals for comment after they were filed. But, no 

comments were filed.

AMENDMENTS

The more significant amendments are to subdivisions (b) (Type and Size) 

and (d) (Recording Space) of the rule. In order to make it easier for clerks to scan

paper documents, subdivision (b) is amended, as proposed, to require paper 

documents filed with the court to be legibly typewritten or printed, on only one 

 

2. See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.

3. The Committee approved proposed new subdivision (d)(2)(C) by a vote 

of 31-0 and the Board of Governors Executive Committee unanimously approved 

the proposal.
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side of letter-sized white recycled paper with one-inch margins and consecutively 

numbered pages. Subdivision (b) also is amended, as proposed, to clarify that all 

documents electronically filed must be filed in a format capable of being 

electronically searched consistent with state and federal accessibility requirements. 

Subdivision (d) (Recording Space) is amended, as proposed, to add a one-inch 

margin requirement and format, location, and font-size requirements for the date 

and time stamp on electronically filed documents. New subdivision (d)(2)(C), as 

proposed in the Committee’s motion for reconsideration, provides a procedure for 

docketing paper filings, which clerks of court continue to receive, especially from 

self-represented parties, as authorized by rule 2.525(d). 

CONCLUSION

Accordingly, we amend the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration as 

reflected in the appendix to this opinion. New language is indicated by 

underscoring; deletions are indicated by struck-through type. New subdivision 

(d)(2)(C) shall become effective immediately upon the release of this revised 

opinion. The remainder of the amendments shall become effective nunc pro tunc 

January 1, 2015, at 12:01 a.m. to the extent they apply to electronic filings. The 

Court recognizes that clerks of court may have had to vary from the requirements 

of those amendments when docketing paper filings after January 1, 2015. 

Therefore, as clarified with the addition of new subdivision (d)(2)(C), the 
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remainder of the amendments shall become effective as they apply to paper filings 

immediately upon the release of this revised opinion. 

It is so ordered.

LABARGA, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, CANADY, POLSTON, 

and PERRY, JJ., concur.

THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER THE 

EFFECTIVE DATE OF THESE AMENDMENTS. 

Original Proceedings – Florida Rules of Judicial Administration 

Murray Bruce Silverstein, Chair, Rules of Judicial Administration Committee, 

Greenberg Traurig, P.A., Tampa, Florida, Judge Jon Berkley Morgan, Past Chair, 

Rules of Judicial Administration Committee, Kissimmee, Florida, John F. 

Harkness, Jr., Executive Director, and Krys Godwin, Bar Staff Liaison, The 

Florida Bar, Tallahassee, Florida, 

for Petitioner
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APPENDIX

RULE 2.520. DOCUMENTS

(a) Electronic Filing Mandatory. All documents filed in any court shall 

be filed by electronic transmission in accordance with rule 2.525. “Documents” 

means pleadings, motions, petitions, memoranda, briefs, notices, exhibits, 

declarations, affidavits, orders, judgments, decrees, writs, opinions, and any other 

paper or writing submitted to a court.

(b) Type and Size. Documents subject to the exceptions set forth in rule 

2.525(d) shall be legibly typewritten or printed, on only one side of letter sized (8 

1/2 by 11 inch) white recycled paper with one inch margins and consecutively 

numbered pages filed on recycled paper measuring 8 1⁄2 X 11 inches. For purposes 

of this rule, paper is recycled if it contains a minimum content of 50 percent waste 

paper. Xerographic rReduction of legal-size (8 1/2 by 14 inches) documents to 

letter size (8 1/2 by 11 inches) is prohibited. All other documents filed by 

electronic transmission shall comply with rule 2.526 and be filed in a format 

capable of being electronically searched and printed in a format consistent with the 

provisions of this rule.

(c) Exhibits. Any exhibit or attachment filed with pleadings or papersto 

any document may be filed in its original size.

(d) Recording Space and Space for Date and Time Stamps.

(1) On all papers and documents prepared and filed by the court or 

by any party to a proceeding which are to be recorded in the public records of any 

county, including but not limited to final money judgments and notices of lis 

pendens, a 3-inch by 3-inch space at the top right-hand corner on the first page and 

a 1-inch by 3-inch space at the top right-hand corner on each subsequent page shall 

be left blank and reserved for use by the clerk of court. 

(2) On all documents filed with the court, a 1-inch margin on all 

sides must be left blank for date and time stamps.

(A) Format. Date and time stamp formats must include a 

single line detailing the name of the court or Portal and shall not include clerk 

seals. Date stamps must be 8 numerical digits separated by slashes with 2 digits for 

the month, 2 digits for the day, and 4 digits for the year. Time stamps must be 
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formatted in 12 hour time frames with a.m. or p.m. included. The font size and 

type must meet the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

(B) Location. The Portal stamp shall be on the top left of the 

document. The Florida Supreme Court and district courts of appeal stamps shall 

be on the left margin horizontally. Any administrative agency stamp shall be on the 

right margin horizontally. The clerk’s stamp for circuit and county courts shall be 

on the bottom of the document. 

(C) Paper Filings. When a document is filed in paper as 

authorized by rule, the clerk may stamp the paper document in ink with the date 

and time of filing instead of, or in addition to, placing the electronic stamp as 

described in subdivision (B). The ink stamp on a paper document must be legible 

on the electronic version of the document, and must neither obscure the content or 

other date stamp, nor occupy space otherwise reserved by subdivision (B).

(e) Exceptions to Recording Space. Any papers or documents created 

by persons or entities over which the filing party has no control, including but not 

limited to wills, codicils, trusts, or other testamentary documents; documents 

prepared or executed by any public officer; documents prepared, executed, 

acknowledged, or proved outside of the State of Florida; or documents created by 

State or Federal government agencies, may be filed without the space required by 

this rule.

(f) Noncompliance. No clerk of court shall refuse for filingto file any 

document or paper because of noncompliance with this rule. However, upon 

request of the clerk of court, noncomplying documents shall be resubmitted in 

accordance with this rule. 

Court Commentary

[No Change]