Title: In Re: Amendments to Florida Rule for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators 10.900
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: SC17-259
State: Florida
Issuer: Florida Supreme Court
Date: May 4, 2017

Supreme Court of Florida 
 
 
____________ 
 
No. SC17-259 
____________ 
 
 
IN RE:  AMENDMENTS TO FLORIDA RULE FOR CERTIFIED AND 
COURT-APPOINTED MEDIATORS 10.900. 
 
[May 4, 2017] 
 
PER CURIAM. 
 
The Court, on its own motion, amends Florida Rule for Certified and Court-
Appointed Mediators 10.9001 (Supreme Court Chief Justice Review) to clarify the 
procedure for submitting a notice of review of mediator disciplinary action to the 
Chief Justice of this Court.2   
The amendments to rule 10.900 require a notice of review of mediator 
disciplinary action to be filed with the Clerk of this Court, rather than, as currently 
required, submitted directly to the Chief Justice who, under the rule, either 
                                          
 
 
1.  The procedure for seeking review of a disciplinary action by a Mediator 
Qualifications and Discipline Review Board hearing panel was recently moved 
from rule 10.880 to rule 10.900 in In re Amendments to the Florida Rules for 
Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators, 202 So. 3d 795 (Fla. 2016). 
 
2.  We have jurisdiction.  See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.; § 44.106, Fla. Stat. 
(2016). 
 
 
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conducts the review proceedings or designates another reviewer.  Requiring filing 
with the Clerk will provide a clear mechanism for submitting a notice of review 
and all other documents submitted in review proceedings.  This requirement also 
will streamline the submission process and make oversight of the “filings” in these 
review proceedings more manageable for court staff. 
Accordingly, we amend the Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed 
Mediators as reflected 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.  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.3 
                                          
 
 
3.  All comments must be filed with the Court on or before July 3, 2017, 
with 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.  If filed by an 
attorney in good standing with The Florida Bar, the comment must be 
electronically filed via the Florida Courts E-Filing 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 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, 
 
 
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It is so ordered. 
LABARGA, C.J., and PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, CANADY, POLSTON, 
and LAWSON, JJ., concur. 
 
THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER THE 
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THESE AMENDMENTS. 
 
Original Proceeding – Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators 
 
 
                                          
 
500 South Duval Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1927; no additional copies are 
required or will be accepted. 
 
 
 
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APPENDIX 
 
RULE 10.900. 
SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE REVIEW 
 
 (a) 
Right of Review.  Any mediator or applicant found to have 
committed a violation of these rules or otherwise sanctioned by a hearing panel 
shall have a right of review of that action.  Review of this type shall be by the chief 
justice of the Supreme Court of Florida or by the chief justice’s designee.  A 
mediator shall have no right of review of any resolution reached under rule 
10.800(g) and 10.810(i). 
 
(b) 
Rules of Procedure.  The Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure, to 
the extent applicable and except as otherwise provided in this rule, shall control all 
appeals of mediator disciplinary matters.  
 
(1) 
The jurisdiction to seek review of disciplinary action shall be 
invoked by submittingfiling an original and 1 copy of a Notice of Review of 
Mediator Disciplinary Action to the chief justicewith the clerk of the supreme 
court within 30 days of the panel’s decision.  A copy shall also be provided to the 
DRC. 
 
(2) 
The notice of review shall be substantially in the form 
prescribed by rule 9.900(a), Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure.  A copy of the 
panel decision shall be attached to the notice. 
 
(3) 
Appellant’s initial brief, accompanied by an appendix as 
prescribed by rule 9.210, Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure, shall be served 
within 30 days of submitting the notice of review.  Additional briefs shall be 
served as prescribed by rule 9.210, Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure. 
 
(c) 
Standard of Review.  The review shall be conducted in accordance 
with the following standard of review: 
 
(1) 
The chief justice or designee shall review the findings and 
conclusions of the panel using a competent substantial evidence standard, neither 
reweighing the evidence in the record nor substituting the reviewer’s judgment for 
that of the panel. 
 
(2) 
Decisions of the chief justice or designee shall be final upon 
issuance of a mandate under rule 9.340, Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure.