Opinion ID: 6499896
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Court established the Workgroup on the Continuity of Court Operations and Proceedings During and After COVID-19 (Workgroup) “to develop findings and recommendations on the continuation of all court operations and proceedings statewide in a manner that protects health and safety and that addresses each [phase] of the pandemic.” In re: Workgroup on the Continuity of Court Operations and Proceedings During and After COVID-19, Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-28 (April 21, 2020). The Workgroup was also directed to “[i]dentify whether certain proceedings, due to efficiencies beneficial to stakeholders, could continue to be conducted remotely when COVID-19 no longer presents a significant risk to public health and safety,” and the Workgroup was authorized to propose the necessary rule changes. Id.; see also In re: Workgroup on the Continuity of Court Operations and Proceedings During and After COVID-19, Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-110 (November 23, 2020). The Workgroup determined that permanent, broader authorization for remote proceedings was warranted based on the -2- positive outcomes and efficiencies observed during the pandemic. Therefore, the Workgroup filed the petition at issue in this case. 2 The Court published the proposed amendments for comment in the August 1, 2021, edition of The Florida Bar News. Numerous comments were filed, and the Workgroup filed a response suggesting extensive revisions based on the comments. Having considered the proposed amendments, the comments, the Workgroup’s response, and oral argument, the Court hereby adopts, with several changes, the Workgroup’s proposals as modified by the Workgroup in response to the comments. We discuss some of the significant amendments below as well as the significant changes to the Workgroup’s proposals. 2. While working to refine its proposals, the Workgroup identified the need for greater subject matter expertise for the proposed amendments in the areas of delinquency, dependency, and family law. Therefore, the Chief Justice referred responsibility for the review, revision, and finalization of proposed amendments in these areas to the Steering Committee on Families and Children in the Court. The Steering Committee’s petition and proposed amendments are addressed in our decision in In re Amendments to Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, & Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms, Case No. SC22-1 (Fla. July 14, 2022), which is also released today. -3-