IN RE: AMENDMENTS TO FLORIDA RULE OF JUVENILE PROCEDURE 8.265. (2024)

The Florida Bar's Juvenile Court Rules Committee filed a report proposing amendments to Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure 8.265 (Motion for Rehearing).¹ The Committee approved the proposed amendments by a vote of 16-10-0 and The Florida Bar's Board of Governors unanimously voted to approve the proposed amendments. The Court published the proposal for comment and received one comment in favor of the proposal.

This proposal was filed in light of the Court's prior amendments to Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.530 (Motions for New Trial and Rehearing; Amendments of Judgments; Remittitur or Additur) and Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.530 (Motions for New Trial and Rehearing; Amendments of Judgments). In re Amends. to Fla. Rule of Civ. Proc. 1.530 & Fla. Fam. L. Rule of Proc. 12.530 (Amends. I), 346 So. 3d 1161 (Fla. 2022); see also In re Amends. to Fla. Rule of Civ. Proc. 1.530 & Fla. Fam. L. Rule of Proc. 12.530 (Amends. II), 373 So. 3d 1115 (Fla. 2023) (updating the language of the rules after considering comments submitted in response to the prior opinion). The amendments were necessary to “clarify that filing a motion for rehearing is required to preserve an objection to insufficient trial court findings in a final judgment order.” Amends. I, 346 So. 3d at 1162.

The Court hereby amends Florida Rule of Juvenile Procedure 8.265 as reflected in the appendix to this opinion. The amendments require that a motion for rehearing be filed with the trial court to preserve for appeal a claim that the trial court failed to make the required findings of fact in the final order. New language is indicated by underscoring; deletions are indicated by struck-through type. The amendments to the rule shall become effective January 1, 2025, at 12:01 a.m.

It is so ordered.

APPENDIX

FOOTNOTES

1.   We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.; Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.140(b)(1).

PER CURIAM.

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