IN RE: AMENDMENTS TO FLORIDA SUPREME COURT APPROVED FAMILY LAW FORM 12.915. (2023)

Pursuant to the procedures approved in Amendments to the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure & Family Law Forms, 810 So. 2d 1, 13-14 (Fla. 2000), this Court has internally reviewed the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms and has determined that amendments to form 12.915 (Designation of Current Mailing and E-Mail Address) are needed.¹ Input was received from the Advisory Workgroup on the Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms, which provided valuable assistance.

This Court approved changes to Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.516 (Service of Pleadings and Documents) in In re Amendments to Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, Florida Rules of General Practice & Judicial Administration, Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, Florida Probate Rules, Florida Rules of Traffic Court, Florida Small Claims Rules, & Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure, 346 So. 3d 1105 (Fla. 2022). Those amendments to rule 2.516 require non-represented parties to participate in e-mail service unless in custody or excused after declaring a lack of e-mail account or regular internet access. Any party not represented by an attorney must now provide a designation of primary e-mail address and can also provide two secondary e-mail addresses unless the party is in custody or exempted by the court. The approved form is amended to reflect that e-mail service for non-represented parties is required unless excused by the clerk of court and provides space for the designation of a primary e-mail address and secondary e-mail addresses. The approved form is also amended to remove the notarization requirement.

The amended form is hereby adopted as set forth in the appendix to this opinion, fully engrossed. The amended form shall become effective immediately upon the release of this opinion and may be accessed and downloaded from the Florida State Courts’ website at https://www.flcourts.gov/Resources-Services/Office-of-Family-Courts/Family-Court-in-Florida/Family-Law-Forms. We direct that the amended form be published for comment. Interested persons shall have seventy-five days from the date of this opinion to file comments with the Court.²

It is so ordered.

APPENDIX

FOOTNOTES

1.   We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.

2.   All comments must be filed with the Court on or before November 7, 2023, as well as 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 (Portal). If filed by a nonlawyer or a lawyer not licensed to practice in Florida, the comment may be, but is not required to be, filed via the Portal. 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, 500 South Duval Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1927; no additional copies are required or will be accepted.

PER CURIAM.

MUÑIZ, C.J., and CANADY, LABARGA, COURIEL, GROSSHANS, FRANCIS, and SASSO, JJ., concur.