RULE 8.004. ELECTRONIC FILING

(a) All documents that are court records, as defined in
Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration
2.430(a)(1), are to be filed by electronic transmission, consistent
with the requirements of Florida Rule of General Practice and
Judicial Administration 2.525, provided that:

(1) the clerk has the ability to accept and retain such
documents;

(2) the clerk or the chief judge of the circuit has
requested permission to accept documents filed by electronic
transmission; and
(3) the supreme court has entered an order granting
permission to the clerk to accept documents filed by electronic
transmission.

(b) All documents filed by electronic transmission under this
rule satisfy any requirement for the filing of an original, except
where the court, law, or these rules otherwise provide for the
submittal of an original.

(c) The following paper documents or other submissions
may be manually submitted to the clerk for filing under the
following circumstances:

(1) when the clerk does not have the ability to accept
and retain documents by electronic filing or has not had electronic
court filing procedures (ECF Procedures) approved by the supreme
court;

(2) by any self-represented party or any self-
represented nonparty unless specific ECF Procedures provide a
means to file documents electronically. However, any self-
represented nonparty that is a governmental or public agency and
any other agency, partnership, corporation, or business entity
acting on behalf of any governmental or public agency may file
documents by electronic transmission if such entity has the
capability of filing documents electronically;

(3) by attorneys excused from e-mail service pursuant
to these rules or Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial
Administration 2.516;

(4) when submitting evidentiary exhibits or filing non-
documentary materials;

(5) when the filing involves documents in excess of 25
megabytes (25 MB) in size. For such filings, documents may be
transmitted using an electronic storage medium that the clerk has
the ability to accept, which may include a CD-ROM, flash drive, or
similar storage medium;
(6) when filed in open court, as permitted by the court;

(7) when paper filing is permitted by any approved
statewide or local ECF procedures; and

(8) if any court determines that justice so requires.

(d) The filing date for an electronically transmitted document
is the date and time that such filing is acknowledged by an
electronic stamp, or otherwise, pursuant to any procedure set forth
in any electronic court filing procedures (ECF Procedures) approved
by the supreme court, or the date the last page of such filing is
received by the court or clerk.

(e) Where these rules are silent, Florida Rule of General
Practice and Judicial Administration 2.525 controls.

(f) Electronic transmission may be used by a court for the
service of all orders, pursuant to Florida Rule of General Practice
and Judicial Administration 2.516, and for the service of filings
pursuant to any ECF Procedures, provided the clerk, together with
input from the chief judge of the circuit, has obtained approval from
the supreme court of ECF Procedures containing the specific
procedures and program to be used in transmitting the orders and
filings.

PART II. DELINQUENCY PROCEEDINGS

A. PRELIMINARY PROCEEDINGS