Please read carefully
Effective June 21, 2021, these Court events will be in-person in the Courthouse: jury trials, nonjury trials, evidentiary hearings exceeding 1 hour, and interpersonal violence injunction hearings (e.g., Domestic Violence, Stalking, etc.). The parties by motion may seek an alternate appearance method. These Court events will be held in Courtroom 6C, Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Judicial Center, 2002 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, Florida 34237.
All other hearings can be in-person, by Zoom, or both at the discretion of the party.
Judge Carroll is using a hybrid Courtroom, meaning that Judge Carroll can conduct Court with parties appearing in-person and remotely via Zoom simultaneously. This is not (yet) a circuit wide set-up, and most Judges in the Twelfth Circuit do not have access to a hybrid courtroom at this time.
For any hearing before Judge Carroll that is 60 minutes in length or less the parties may appear in-person in Courtroom 6C or remotely via Zoom without any special request and without notification to the Court. The parties by motion may seek an alternate appearance method. Please do not contact the Court’s Judicial Assistant to notify the Court whether parties intend to appear remotely via Zoom or in-person as each party has the discretion to choose which appearance method that party prefers.
When drafting a Notice of Hearing for a hearing 60 minutes or less in length, you must include Judge Carroll’s Zoom credentials (see Judge Carroll’s requirements) and explain that the parties may appear in-person or remotely.
Without exception, exhibits for evidentiary hearings as well as indexes/exhibit lists must be delivered to the Courthouse in two hard-copy sets (one for the Judge and one for the Clerk) at least two days prior to the evidentiary hearing. Plaintiff/Petitioner’s exhibits are to be numbered, i.e. “1, 2, 3…” and Defendant/Respondent’s exhibits are to be lettered, “A, B, C…” This is, of course, the same procedure to be followed for trial exhibits.
UMC hearings will continue to be set through contacting the Court’s Judicial Assistant.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Judge Carroll was lenient did not enforce normal Court attire. Effective June 21, 2021, normal Court attire will be requested whether appearing in-person or remotely via Zoom before Judge Carroll.