RULE 2.250. TIME STANDARDS FOR TRIAL AND APPELLATE
COURTS AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

(a) Time Standards. The following time standards are
hereby established as a presumptively reasonable time period for
the completion of cases in the trial and appellate courts of this
state. Periods during which a case is on inactive status are
excluded from the calculation of the time periods set forth below. It
is recognized that there are cases that, because of their complexity,
present problems that cause reasonable delays. However, most
cases should be completed within the following time periods:

(1) Trial Court Time Standards.

(A) Criminal.

i. Felony — 180 days (arrest to final
disposition)

ii. Misdemeanor — 90 days (arrest to final
disposition)

(B) Civil.

i. Complex cases under the Florida Rules of
Civil Procedure — 30 months (from date of service of initial process
of the last defendant or 120 days after commencement of the action
as provided in Florida Rules of Civil Procedure 1.050, whichever
occurs first, to final disposition)

ii. Other jury cases — 18 months (from date
of service of initial process on the last defendant or 120 days after
commencement of the action as provided in rule 1.050, whichever
occurs first, to final disposition)

iii. Other non-jury cases — 12 months (from
date of service of initial process on the last defendant or 120 days
after commencement of the action as provided in rule 1.050,
whichever occurs first, to final disposition)

iv. Small claims cases — 95 days (from
commencement of the action as provided in Florida Small Claims
Rule of Procedure 7.050 to final disposition, unless 1 or more rules
of civil procedure are invoked that eliminate the deadline for trial
under rule 7.090(d), in which event the “complex,” “other jury,” or
“other nonjury” deadline will apply, as appropriate to the case)

(C) Domestic Relations.

i. Uncontested — 90 days (filing to final
disposition)

ii. Contested — 180 days (filing to final
disposition)

(D) Probate.

i. Uncontested, no federal estate tax return
— 12 months (from issuance of letters of administration to final
discharge)

ii. Uncontested, with federal estate tax
return — 12 months (from the return’s due date to final discharge)

iii. Contested — 24 months (from filing to
final discharge)

(E) Juvenile Delinquency.

i. Disposition hearing — 120 days (filing of
petition or child being taken into custody to hearing)

ii. Disposition hearing (child detained) — 36
days (date of detention to hearing)
(F) Juvenile Dependency.

i. Disposition hearing (child sheltered) — 88
days (shelter hearing to disposition)

ii. Disposition hearing (child not sheltered)
— 120 days (filing of petition for dependency to hearing)

(G) Permanency Proceedings. Permanency hearing
— 12 months (date child is sheltered to hearing)

(2) Supreme Court and District Courts of Appeal Time
Standards. Rendering a decision — within 180 days of either oral
argument or the submission of the case to the court panel for a
decision without oral argument, except in juvenile dependency or
termination of parental rights cases, in which a decision should be
rendered within 60 days of either oral argument or submission of
the case to the court panel for a decision without oral argument.

(3) Florida Bar Referee Time Standards. Report of
referee — within 180 days of being assigned to hear the case

(4) Circuit Court Acting as Appellate Court. Ninety days
from submission of the case to the judge for review

(b) Reporting of Cases.

(1) Quarterly Reports. The time standards require that
the following monitoring procedures be implemented:

All pending cases in circuit and district courts of appeal
exceeding the time standards must be listed separately on a report
submitted quarterly to the chief justice. The report must include for
each case listed the case number, type of case, case status (active
or inactive for civil cases and contested or uncontested for domestic
relations and probate cases), the date of arrest in criminal cases,
and the original filing date in civil cases. The Office of the State
Courts Administrator will provide the necessary forms for
submission of this data. The report is due on the 15th day of the
month following the last day of the quarter.

(2) Annual Report of Pending Civil Cases.

(A) By the last business day of July of every year,
the chief judge of each circuit must serve on the chief justice and
the state courts administrator a report of the status of the docket of
the general of the general civil division of that circuit, including
both circuit and county courts, for the preceding fiscal year. The
office of the State Courts Administrator must provide the necessary
forms for submission of this data. The report must, at a minimum,
include the following:

(i) a list of all civil cases, except cases on
inactive status, by case number and style, grouped by county, court
level (circuit or count), division, and assigned judge, pending in that
circuit 3 years or more from the filing of the complaint or other
case-initiation filing as of the last day of the fiscal year;

(ii) a reference as to whether each such case
appeared on the previous fiscal year’s report and, if so, whether the
same or a different judge was responsible for the case as of the
previous fiscal year’s report; and

(iii) a reference as to whether an active case
management order is in effect in the case.

(B) Cases that must remain confidential by
statute, court rule, or court order must be included in the report,
anonymized by an appropriate designation. The Office of the State
Court Administrator must devise a designation system for such
cases that enables the chief judge and the recipients of the report to
identify cases that appear on a second of subsequent annual report.