Title: In Re: Amendments To The Florida Rules Of Criminal Procedure, The Florida Rules Of Juvenile Procedure, And The Florida Family Law Rules – Report Of The Task Force On Treatment – Based Drug Courts
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: SC06-434
State: Florida
Issuer: Florida Supreme Court
Date: June 28, 2007

Supreme Court of Florida 
 
 
____________ 
 
No. SC06-434 
____________ 
 
 
IN RE:  AMENDMENTS TO THE FLORIDA RULES OF CRIMINAL 
PROCEDURE, THE FLORIDA RULES OF JUVENILE PROCEDURE, 
AND THE FLORIDA FAMILY LAW RULES––REPORT OF THE TASK 
FORCE ON TREATMENT-BASED DRUG COURTS. 
 
[June 21, 2007] 
CORRECTED OPINION 
 
PER CURIAM. 
 
This matter is before the Court for consideration of proposed amendments to 
the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, 
and the Florida Family Law Rules.  We have jurisdiction.  See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. 
Const. 
 
By administrative order dated July 6, 2004, the Court charged the Task 
Force on Treatment-Based Drug Courts (Task Force) 1 with the following: 
                                          
 
 
1.  The Treatment-Based Drug Court Steering Committee was established in 
1998 to make recommendations on the legal, policy, and procedural issues 
confronting treatment-based drug courts and explore the extent to which this 
concept can provide a meaningful solution to the devastating effect of substance 
abuse on our society.  This steering committee was reconstituted in 2002 as the 
Task Force on Treatment-Based Drug Courts. 
 
1.  Develop strategies to assist judges with integrating drug 
court principles in family court proceedings. 
 
2.  Review national and state evaluations on drug courts and 
develop recommended standards of practice for the management of 
drug courts. 
 
3.  Develop standards for dependency and delinquency drug 
courts.  
 
In re Task Force on Treatment-Based Drug Courts, Fla. Admin. Order No. 
AOSC04-27 (July 26, 2004) (on file with Clerk, Fla. Sup. Ct.).  The Task Force 
was also “authorized to propose amendments to rules of court procedure on issues 
involving drug courts, as well as pursue those amendments with the appropriate 
Florida Bar rules committees.” Id.    
 
On July 24, 2006, the Task Force submitted to this Court a petition 
requesting that the Court recognize the importance and effectiveness of drug courts 
by adopting the recommendations made by the Task Force in its 2004 Report on 
Florida’s Drug Courts and formally recognizing the Ten Key Components of drug 
courts recently codified by the Legislature, see § 397.334(2)(a)-(j), Fla. Stat. 
(2006).  The petition also proposed, for the Court’s consideration, several “critical 
performance indicators and data elements” to be used in evaluating the 
performance and effectiveness of Florida drug courts and a set of guidelines for 
juvenile delinquency and dependency drug courts.  Finally, the petition proposed 
amendments to Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure 3.131 (Pretrial Release) and 
3.170 (Pleas), Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure 8.010 (Detention Hearing), 
 
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8.115 (Disposition Hearing), 8.160 (Transfer of Cases), and 8.250 (Examinations, 
Evaluations, and Treatment),2 and Family Law Rule 12.010 (Scope, Purpose, and 
Title).  Only the proposed rule amendments are addressed in this opinion.  The 
Task Force’s other recommendations and requests have been severed from this 
case and will be addressed separately.    
 
The proposed rule amendments were published for comment in The Florida 
Bar News on October 15, 2006, with a specific request that the Criminal, Juvenile, 
and Family Law Rules Committees provide comments to the Court.  The 
committees’ comments have been received.  No other comments were filed in 
response to the publication.  The Task Force has filed a response to the 
committees’ comments. 
 
Upon consideration of the committees’ comments and the Task Force’s 
response, we adopt several amendments to the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure 
and Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure 8.115 as proposed by the Task Force.  
Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure 8.115 (Disposition Hearing) is amended to 
provide that a child’s need for substance abuse evaluation and treatment may be 
considered at the disposition hearing.  Similarly, Florida Rule of Criminal 
                                          
 
 
2.  Amendments to rule 8.250 identical to those proposed by the Task Force 
in this case were proposed by the Juvenile Court Rules Committee and recently 
adopted by the Court in another case.  See In re Amendments to the Florida Rules 
of Juvenile Procedure, 951 So. 2d 804 (Fla. 2007).  Accordingly, we do not further 
address these proposed amendments here.  
 
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Procedure 3.131 (Pretrial Release) is amended to provide that a defendant’s need 
for substance abuse evaluation and treatment may be considered by the court as a 
factor in determining whether, and on what conditions, to grant pretrial release.  
 
Rule 3.170 (Pleas) is amended to permit a defendant who pleads guilty or 
nolo contendere to a charge for the purpose of transferring the case and 
participating in a drug court program pursuant to section 910.035, Florida Statutes 
(2006), to file a motion to withdraw the plea upon successful completion of the 
program.  In order to establish a similar provision in the juvenile rules, the Task 
Force proposed an amendment to Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure 8.160 to 
provide that a child who pleads guilty or nolo contendere to a charge for the 
purpose of transferring a case under section 910.035 may file a motion to withdraw 
the plea upon successful completion of the juvenile drug court treatment program.  
We agree with the Task Force that this provision should be included in the juvenile 
rules but conclude that the more appropriate placement for this provision is in rule 
8.075 (Pleas).  Accordingly, new subdivision (f) is added to rule 8.075 to provide:  
(f) Withdrawal of Plea After Drug Court Transfer.  A child who 
pleads guilty or nolo contendere to a charge for the purpose of 
transferring the case, under section 910.035, Florida Statutes, may file 
a motion to withdraw the plea upon successful completion of the 
juvenile drug court treatment program. 
 
 
Finally, we decline to amend Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure 8.010 and 
Florida Family Law Rule 12.010 as proposed by the Task Force.  We refer the 
 
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proposed amendment to rule 8.010 back to the Task Force and to the Juvenile 
Court Rules Committee for joint consideration.  The proposed amendment to rule 
12.010 is referred to the Family Law Steering Committee and the Family Law 
Rules Committee for further consideration.   
 
Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure 3.131 (Pretrial Release) and 3.170 
(Pleas) and Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure 8.075 (Pleas) and 8.115 
(Disposition Hearing) are amended as set forth in the appendix to this opinion.  
New language is indicated by underscoring; deletions are indicated by struck-
through type. The amendments shall become effective immediately upon the 
release of this opinion. 
 
It is so ordered. 
LEWIS, C.J., and WELLS, ANSTEAD, PARIENTE, QUINCE, CANTERO, and 
BELL, JJ., concur. 
 
NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING MOTION, AND 
IF FILED, DETERMINED. 
 
 
Original Proceeding – Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure  
 
The Honorable Terry D. Terrell, Chair, Task Force on Treatment-Based Drug 
Courts, First Judicial Circuit, Pensacola, Florida, 
  
 
for Petitioner 
 
John Fraser Himes, Chair, the Family Law Rules Committee, Tampa, Florida, 
Mary Katherine Wimsett, Chair, Juvenile Court Rules Committee, Gainesville, 
Florida, William C. Vose, Chair, the Florida Bar Criminal Procedure Rules 
 
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Committee, Orlando, Florida, and John F. Harkness, Jr., Executive Director, the 
Florida Bar, Tallahassee, Florida, 
 
 
responding with comments 
 
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APPENDIX 
 
Rule 3.131. Pretrial Release 
 
 
(a) [No change] 
 
 
(b) Hearing at First Appearance—Conditions of Release. 
 
 
(1) Unless the state has filed a motion for pretrial detention pursuant to rule 
3.132, the court shall conduct a hearing to determine pretrial release. For the 
purpose of this rule, bail is defined as any of the forms of release stated below. 
Except as otherwise provided by this rule, there is a presumption in favor of release 
on nonmonetary conditions for any person who is granted pretrial release. The 
judicial officer shall impose the first of the following conditions of release that will 
reasonably protect the community from risk of physical harm to persons, assure the 
presence of the accused at trial, or assure the integrity of the judicial process; or, if 
no single condition gives that assurance, shall impose any combination of the 
following conditions: 
 
 
(A) personal recognizance of the defendant; 
 
 
(B) execution of an unsecured appearance bond in an amount specified by 
the judge; 
 
 
(C) placement of restrictions on the travel, association, or place of abode of 
the defendant during the period of release; 
 
 
(D) placement of the defendant in the custody of a designated person or 
organization agreeing to supervise the defendant; 
 
 
(E) execution of a bail bond with sufficient solvent sureties, or the deposit of 
cash in lieu thereof; provided, however, that any criminal defendant who is 
required to meet monetary bail or bail with any monetary component may satisfy 
the bail by providing an appearance bond; or 
 
 
(F) any other condition deemed reasonably necessary to assure appearance 
as required, including a condition requiring that the person return to custody after 
specified hours. 
 
 
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(2) The judge shall at the defendant's first appearance consider all available 
relevant factors to determine what form of release is necessary to assure the 
defendant's appearance. If a monetary bail is required, the judge shall determine 
the amount. 
 
 
(3) In determining whether to release a defendant on bail or other conditions, 
and what that bail or those conditions may be, the court may consider the nature 
and circumstances of the offense charged and the penalty provided by law; the 
weight of the evidence against the defendant; the defendant’s family ties, length of 
residence in the community, employment history, financial resources, need for 
substance abuse evaluation and/or treatment, and mental condition; the defendant’s 
past and present conduct, including any record of convictions, previous flight to 
avoid prosecution, or failure to appear at court proceedings; the nature and 
probability of danger that the defendant’s release poses to the community; the 
source of funds used to post bail; whether the defendant is already on release 
pending resolution of another criminal proceeding or is on probation, parole, or 
other release pending completion of sentence; and any other facts the court 
considers relevant. 
 
 
(4) No person charged with a dangerous crime, as defined in section 907. 
041(4)(a), Florida Statutes, shall be released on nonmonetary conditions under the 
supervision of a pretrial release service, unless the service certifies to the court that 
it has investigated or otherwise verified the conditions set forth in section 
907.041(3)(b), Florida Statutes. 
 
 
 (5) All information provided by a defendant in connection with any 
application for or attempt to secure bail, to any court, court personnel, or individual 
soliciting or recording such information for the purpose of evaluating eligibility for 
or securing bail for the defendant, under circumstances such that the defendant 
knew or should have known that the information was to be used in connection with 
an application for bail, shall be accurate, truthful, and complete, without omissions, 
to the best knowledge of the defendant. Failure to comply with the provisions of 
this subdivision may result in the revocation or modification of bail. However, no 
defendant shall be compelled to provide information regarding his or her criminal 
record. 
 
 
(6) Information stated in, or offered in connection with, any order entered 
pursuant to this rule need not strictly conform to the rules of evidence. 
 
 
(c) – (l)  [No change] 
 
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Committee Notes 
[No change] 
 
Court Comment 
[No change] 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Rule 3.170.  Pleas 
 
 
(a) – (k) [No change] 
 
 
(l) Motion to Withdraw the Plea after Sentencing.  A defendant who 
pleads guilty or nolo contendere without expressly reserving the right to appeal a 
legally dispositive issue may file a motion to withdraw the plea within thirty days 
after rendition of the sentence, but only upon the grounds specified in Florida Rule 
of Appellate Procedure 9.140(b)(2)(A)(ii)(a)-(e) except as provided by law. 
 
 
(m) Motion to Withdraw the Plea after Drug Court Transfer.  A 
defendant who pleads guilty or nolo contendere to a charge for the purpose of 
transferring the case, pursuant to section 910.035, Florida Statutes, may file a 
motion to withdraw the plea upon successful completion of the drug court 
treatment program. 
 
Committee Notes 
[No change] 
 
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Rule 8.075.  Pleas 
 
 
 
No written answer to the petition nor any other pleading need be filed. 
 
 
(a) – (e)  [No change] 
 
 
(f) Withdrawal of Plea After Drug Court Transfer.  A child who pleads 
guilty or nolo contendere to a charge for the purpose of transferring the case, under 
section 910.035, Florida Statutes, may file a motion to withdraw the plea upon 
successful completion of the juvenile drug court treatment program.
 
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 Rule 8.115.  Disposition Hearing 
 
 
(a) Information Available to Court.  At the disposition hearing the court, 
after establishing compliance with the dispositional considerations, determinations, 
and discussions required by law, may receive any relevant and material evidence 
helpful in determining the proper disposition to be made.  It shall include written 
reports required by law, and may include, but shall not be limited to, the child’s 
need for substance abuse evaluation and/or treatment, and any psychiatric or 
psychological evaluations of the child that may be obtained and that are relevant 
and material.  Such evidence may be received by the court and may be relied upon 
to the extent of its probative value, even though not competent in an adjudicatory 
hearing. 
 
 
(b) – (d)  [No change] 
 
Committee Notes 
[No change]