Florida›Thirteenth Judicial Circuit
Hillsborough County
Launch county ●Thirteenth Judicial Circuit (Circuit 13) · official circuit site ✓
Rules that apply here (county → circuit → statewide)
East Circuit R: Notices Carry Filing Date, Doc Index Number, and Reserved Time
Judge Chandler's Division R sheet demands metadata on every notice — filing date, document index number of the motion, and time reserved — with 30-minute-plus contested evidentiary matters in person at Plant City and exhibits/case law mailed 5 days ahead.
Speedy-Trial Waivers Are Never Accepted by E-Mail — County Criminal E
Judge Scott: all cases in person unless special-set on Zoom (good cause, documentation possible), waivers of speedy trial refused via e-mail — written and filed, or on the record — and every e-mail to the Court copies the opposing party.
UMC Dockets ARE VIA ZOOM; Other Remote Needs Good Cause — County Civil N
Judge Henderson's practices PDF (mod. May 2026): UMC dockets run on Zoom, other remote appearances require good cause from the requesting party, and unclaimed binders are recycled after 3 days.
Plant City's 31-Item Bench Book: In Person, Written Speedy Waivers — East County X/W/Y
Judge Griner publishes the circuit's most detailed single page (31 items) under the shared County Criminal Standing Pretrial Order: all cases in person unless special-set on Zoom, speedy waivers written-or-on-the-record only, opposing party on every e-mail.
Unilateral Notices Need a Detailed Cover Letter and 3 Documented Attempts — County Civil H
Judge Giardina: 15-minutes-or-less schedules through JAWS, over 30 through the JA — and a unilaterally-set notice of hearing must attach a cover letter detailing at least three attempts to coordinate; hearings in person since February 14, 2022.
The Movant Appears Even If the Motion Settled — County Civil O
Judge Allen: every hearing is in person (no phone/Zoom for small-claims initial pretrials), 60-minutes-or-less books through JAWS — and even after the parties agree, the movant must appear at the scheduled time unless a timely cancellation or signed stipulation reached the division.
UMC Runs on Zoom Only; Cancelled Hearings Kill the Zoom Credentials — County Civil I
Judge Edwards's practices PDF: the Uniform Motion Calendar is conducted via Zoom only, remote-appearance credentials die with a cancelled hearing, and Zoom appearances for in-person settings require an uploaded Order to Appear Via Zoom in the Division I queue.
Bantner Removed His Prior AI Requirements — the Statewide Rule Controls — County Civil M
The strongest in-the-wild confirmation of the 2026 statewide AI rule: Judge Bantner's page expressly states his prior AI requirements are REMOVED because of the May 28, 2026 amendment of Rule 2.515 — signing a filing now itself certifies the authorities exist and are accurately cited.
Late Materials Not Considered; 3-Day Binder Recycling — County Civil R
Judge O'Brien's practices PDF (mod. Nov. 2025): materials after the deadline are not considered, unclaimed binders are recycled within 3 days, and Zoom at an in-person-noticed hearing takes a motion.
Deadline-Firm Materials; Motion-Based Zoom — County Civil V
Judge Gutman's practices PDF (mod. June 2026): the county-civil template applies — late materials not considered, Zoom by motion for in-person-noticed hearings, good cause for remote requests.
East Probate U Is Paperless and Rides Division R's Docket
Judge Chandler's Division U sheet: East Probate is paperless (orders only via ePortal to EAST CIRCUIT PROBATE DIVISION U), and probate hearings share Division R's JAWS docket for 30-minutes-or-less settings.
Protective-Injunction Hearings Are In Person — No Zoom Unless Directed — East Circuit S
Judge Chandler's Division S sheet is unambiguous: all protective-injunction hearings happen in person at Plant City, and you may not participate by Zoom unless the Court specifically directs it.
In-Custody Continuances 48 Hours Ahead — or the Jail Transport Rolls — County Criminal B
Judge Taylor (under the shared County Criminal Standing Pretrial Order): continuance motions for in-custody defendants must be filed at least 48 hours before the court date to cancel jail transport, and all pleas are in person absent a pre-approved plea in absentia.
A Notice of Appearance Without a Speedy Waiver Means In-Person Arraignment — County Criminal D
Judge Brown (14-item FSC template, the county-criminal exemplar): in-person default under his Standing Order on Remote Appearances; filing an NOA without waiving speedy trial obligates defendant AND counsel to appear at arraignment; his AI paragraph points to statewide Rule 2.515(d) (compliant).
Mandatory In-Person Appearance; Idle Motions Deemed Abandoned — County Civil P
Judge Makholm's practices PDF (mod. July 1, 2026 — days old): appearance in person is mandatory for the listed settings, and unprosecuted motions "may be deemed abandon[ed]."
All Cases In Person; Discovery Motions Within 10 Days of the Due Date — County Criminal A
Judge Smith's practices PDF (mod. Jan. 14, 2026): ALL CASES ARE IN PERSON, discovery-related motions are filed within 10 days after discovery was due, and out-of-custody pleas include a scanned fingerprint card in the filing.
Digital Courtesy Copies Only; Small Claims & Eviction Procedures Published — County Civil J
Judge Baggé-Hernández runs the fullest county-civil template (13 sections) including dedicated Small Claims and Landlord/Tenant-Eviction procedures — courtesy copies go digitally to the division, JAWS is the scheduling default, and unsolicited non-party communications are disregarded.
Late Materials Not Considered; Unclaimed Binders Recycled in 3 Days — County Civil L
Judge Saba's practices PDF (mod. Jan. 2026): hearing materials received after the deadline will not be considered, binders not retrieved within 3 days of the proceeding are recycled, and Zoom requests for in-person-noticed hearings go by motion.
No Final Hearing Without Mediation in the Past 6 Months — Family D
Judge Ayers will not schedule a final hearing or trial unless mediation occurred within the past six months (or new counsel appeared since) — and the Order Setting Final Hearing must hit JAWS 15 days before the date.
30-Minute Zoom Line; Unpermitted Zoom Evidentiary Hearings Get Cancelled — Family C
Judge DePaul's matrix: non-evidentiary ≤30 minutes on Zoom (pro se CMCs in person); evidentiary or >30 minutes in person, with evidentiary set at 60 minutes; Zoom-noticed evidentiary hearings without permission may be cancelled; phone appearances risk rescheduling.
No Hybrid Hearings — but Mutual In-Person Is Always Available — Family E
Judge Hooi does not usually allow hybrid hearings (one side in person, one virtual); if both sides prefer, everyone may appear in person instead; emergencies route through the clerk to a judge-entered handling order.
Study Smith v. Crider Before Filing Any Emergency — Family B
Judge Tompkins orders counsel to study Smith v. Crider before filing an emergency motion, files it with the Clerk only (never deliver to the judge), and runs UMC at 7–10 minutes per case.
[PREEMPTED] AI Disclosure & Certification Mandate — Family A
[PREEMPTED effective June 15, 2026 by Rule 2.515(d)(2) and AOSC26-12.] Judge Felix's page still displays his own AI disclose-and-certify mandate for any document, materials, or exhibits.
Silence for 2 Business Days = Unilateral Setting — Family A
Judge Felix's scheduling protocol: the JA offers at least two dates; if the responding side stays silent for two business days after a documented good-faith attempt, the movant may pick the hearing time.
Contested Financials Highlighted; One Color-Coded ED Worksheet in Excel — Family B
Judge Tompkins requires each side's final financial affidavit 5 days before trial with ONLY contested entries highlighted, and a single jointly-prepared equitable-distribution worksheet in Excel color-coding agreed vs. disputed items.