Small Claims Pretrial Conference: Appearance Mandatory — Fla. Sm. Cl. R. 7.090
Official rule; awaiting reverification against the current source text. Verify with the clerk, judicial assistant, or official court website before relying on it.
Summary
Small claims cases (up to $8,000) begin with a mandatory pretrial conference where the court narrows issues and typically orders mediation. Failure to appear can result in default or dismissal.
Applies to
Florida > All counties > Small claims (claims up to $8,000, exclusive of costs, interest, and attorneys' fees)
Requirement
Appear at the pretrial conference set by the clerk — appearance is mandatory for all parties. Be prepared to state the case, admit or deny the claim, and participate in mediation, which is routinely conducted at or after the pretrial conference. A party who fails to appear risks default (defendant) or dismissal (plaintiff).
Action checklist · 0/4 complete
Source of truth
- Official source
- Florida Courts — State Courts System
- Source health
- Healthy · checked July 7, 2026
- Effective date
- —
- Last verified
- —
Reviewer note: Seeded from model knowledge at cutoff. Reviewer must confirm current text and the $8,000 jurisdictional limit before elevating to high confidence.
Change history
- July 7, 2026Monitor: content changed at Florida Courts — State Courts System. Review before republishing dependent rules.
- July 6, 2026Monitor: content changed at Florida Courts — State Courts System. Review before republishing dependent rules.
- July 5, 2026Monitor: content changed at Florida Courts — State Courts System. Review before republishing dependent rules.
- July 5, 2026Monitor: content changed at Florida Courts — State Courts System. Review before republishing dependent rules.
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