Requirements & Information
Standards of Professionalism
Magistrate Paul Hudson expects all attorneys who appear to know and adhere to the Twelfth Judicial Circuit’s Standards of Professionalism, also available on the websites of the Manatee County Bar Association and the Sarasota County Bar Association.
ADA Notice: If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact the
Sarasota County Jury Office, P.O. Box 3079, Sarasota, Florida 34230-3079,
(941) 861–8000, at least seven (7) days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled appearance is less than seven (7) days; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711.
A. Remote Appearance
Magistrate Hudson’s Zoom Credentials
Launch the Zoom app or log on to zoom.us. Click “Join” and enter the credentials below.
- Meeting ID
- 955 4881 8691
- Password
- 483371
- Audio Only
- 1-786-635-1003
All hearings with the exception of non-evidentiary hearings 15 minutes or less will be held in-person. Non-evidentiary hearing times will be listed as Zoom on JACS, all others will be listed as HR1. If you would like to request to appear via Zoom or for a witness you must submit a written request to the Magistrate Assistant with the reasoning you need to appear via Zoom. If any party or witness is to appear via Zoom for a hybrid hearing the Magistrate Assistant must be notified so she can make proper request for the Zoom cart for the day of the hearing. If this is not done, it is possible the hearing may not be able to take place. Please visit the Public Court Hearings page for Zoom login credentials.
If you are approved to appear via Zoom and there will be exhibits or evidence please see section G. Exhibits for Evidentiary Proceedings.
B. Hearing Procedures
Orders of Referral
Magistrate Hudson is assigned to hear all Division 3 cases. Please be sure an Order of Referral has been entered 10 days prior to your hearing. Orders of referral are not required for hearings related to child support issues. In instances where a Judge has been recused from a case assigned to their division, it shall remain with the original General Magistrate. However, all subsequent reviews of the Magistrate’s Reports and Recommendations will be completed by the newly assigned Judge.
Requirements for all Hearings
For any hearing scheduled before the Magistrate, the moving party must have submitted though E-Filing or the Clerk at least 10 days prior to the hearing (or at least 24 hours in advance if there is less than 3 days between the motion filing and the hearing, along with emailing to the Magistrate’s Assistant) the following:
- the motion to be heard and any relevant court filing to which the parties may refer during the hearing,
- the order of referral signed by the Judge for the particular motion/issue to be heard,
- the notice of related cases,
- the notice of hearing for the particular motion to be heard, and
- copies of any and all relevant documents from cases in other jurisdictions.
- All evidence and exhibits should be brought to court the day of your hearing along with a copy for the other party and the Magistrate.
- Please note that if this is not done 10 days prior to the hearing the hearing will be cancelled.
Scheduling Hearings
All hearings are to be scheduled through the JACS. If you need more than 60 minutes of hearing time or cannot find adequate time in JACS to schedule your hearing, please email the Magistrate Assistant.
Cross Noticing
Once a motion is scheduled, subsequent motions may not be added or cross noticed without prior approval of the original scheduling attorney. Please note that if your motion is permitted to be heard, you must comply with the requirements set forth in the previous paragraph.
Cancellations
A significant number of hearings are cancelled at the last minute. This results in lost opportunities for other parties to have their important matters heard.
Cancellations should be done as soon as the parties are aware that the need for the hearing time no longer exists. If a party is unable to cancel a hearing through JACS, please contact the Magistrate Assistant so that she can make the time available for other cases. If a hearing is cancelled, opposing parties and/or counsel must be notified. If a matter is scheduled in JACS for a hearing before the Magistrate but a notice of hearing is not docketed in the court file at least ten (10) days in advance of the hearing, the hearing will be cancelled by the Magistrate’s office without further notice, unless fewer than ten (10) days exist between the date the motion was filed and the date the motion is scheduled to be heard because the motion is being heard on an expedited basis.
Motion for Rehearing and Reconsideration
All motions for rehearing, reconsideration and new trial are to be submitted directly to the Magistrate’s office, along with filed with the Clerk of Court. The motion shall be detailed and include case law. Magistrate Hudson will first review the motion to determine whether a hearing is required. Pro Se Parties shall file a Form A with their motion.
Motions to Vacate
The original Motion to Vacate must be filed with the Clerk and emailed directly to the Judge’s office at FamilyDiv3@jud12.flcourts.org and Magistrate’s office an Order for Transcript, which will set forth deadlines to submit a Transcript. Attorneys shall use JACS to schedule with the Judge's office their motion to be heard. Pro Se Parties shall file a Form A for the Pro Se Case Manager to set their hearing with the Judge.
C. Communications with the Court
Email is strictly a method of communicating basic information and sending documents and is not a medium to state a position, make an argument, or attempt to persuade the Court on a substantive or procedural matter. Emails to the Magistrate Assistant’s should be devoid of information or statements that are unnecessary, superfluous, irrelevant, or adversarial. Arguments should be confined to letters, motions, memoranda, and legal documents attached to the email.
Communications sent to the Magistrate Assistant’s email shall comply with all rules and requirements governing contact with the Court including ex parte communication.
D. Submission of Orders
Documents shall be submitted by email to the Magistrate’s Assistant. Do not use the ePortal.
Any proposed report/recommendation shall be submitted as an email attachment in a format compatible with Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx format) – do not send in PDF format.
Any documents submitted by email shall be copied to the opposing counsel/pro se party, and there shall be an indication in the email that copies have been so provided.
All Recommended Orders must have the vacating language on the order.
E. Courtesy Copies
Courtesy copies must be received by the Court at least three (3) business days prior to the hearing. Please email NCabrera@jud12.flcourts.org, mail, hand deliver, or another delivery service.
- The motion to be heard and any relevant court filing to which the parties may refer during the hearing,
- the order of referral signed by the Judge for the particular motion/issue to be heard,
- the notice of related cases,
- the notice of hearing for the particular motion to be heard, and
- copies of any and all relevant documents from cases in other jurisdictions.
- Please note that if this is not done 10 days prior to the hearing the hearing will be cancelled.
F. Emergency & Other Urgent Matters
There are no set criteria as to emergency or expedited hearings and the Magistrate Assistant can only give out emergency or expedited hearing time on the Magistrate’s directions. All motions requesting emergency or expedited hearing time should be emailed to the Magistrate’s office with an attached cover letter that includes the amount of hearing time requested. The Magistrate will then review the motion to determine whether an expedited or emergency hearing is warranted.
G. Exhibits for Evidentiary Proceedings
All evidence and exhibits should be brought to court the day of your hearing along with a copy for the other party and the Magistrate.
Exhibits and evidence should be pre-marked before the hearing or trial begins.
So that evidence is filed in the correct case, exhibit labels should have the following information legibly printed on them:
- the designation of the party moving the item into evidence as reflected on the initial pleading in the case (i.e., P = Petitioner, R = Respondent, H = Husband, W = Wife, F = Father, M = Mother, etc.);
- a numbering and lettering system that clearly identifies each, individual exhibit or piece of evidence from another (i.e., 1, 2a, 2b, Composite 3, etc.);
- the date the exhibit is entered into evidence, if known ahead of time; and
- the case number (i.e., 22DR2222).
Evidence and Exhibits for Zoom Hearings Only
Exhibits and evidence for Zoom hearings must follow the above directions along with copies received by the Court and other party at least three (3) business days prior to the hearing. Please mail, hand deliver, or another delivery service. The court will not allow email copies for Zoom hearings.
H. Pretrial Procedures & Conferences
See Judge Bruning’s requirements.
I. Setting Case for Trial
Trials with children, where Timesharing or Parenting Issues are disputed, parties shall file a Proposed Parenting Plan with the Clerk of Court. Failure to provide a Proposed Parenting Plan 10 days prior to trial may result in cancellation.
Both parties shall file their financial affidavits with the Clerk of Court prior to a trial being set.
Pre-Trial Memoranda shall submit a joint pretrial memorandum, no later than 3 days prior to a final hearing in a dissolution case.
All evidence and exhibits should be brought to court the day of your trial along with a copy for the other party and the Magistrate.
Mediation
Before mediation can be ordered, both parties shall have filed their financial affidavits with the clerk of court. Failure to provide financial information 5 days prior to mediation may result in sanctions.
Parenting Course
Attendance at the parenting course is required by statute. It is the responsibility of counsel to ensure their client has completed this course and a Certificate of Completion is on file. If one party has not complied at the time of the final hearing by filing a Certificate of Completion, the sanctions may be ordered against the non-complying party. If both parties have not complied, the hearing will be cancelled.
Continuances
Pursuant to Rule 2.545(e), Florida Judicial Administration Rules, and Rule 1.460 of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, motions for continuance shall be in writing and must be signed by the party, not just their counsel. The Court must approve stipulations to continue a trial, once the cause has been set on the trial docket.
Settlements
The Magistrate’s office shall be contacted immediately once a settlement has been reached at NCabrera@jud12.flcourts.org.
J. Preferred Division Forms
On the Documents & Forms page, find links to Administrative Orders, Court Forms, External Resources, Guardian ad Litem Forms, and Rules & Procedures.
K. Other Division Procedures
Self-Represented Litigants
Please read if you do not have an attorney The Magistrate must apply the same rules to all parties, regardless of whether you have an attorney. The Magistrate may not talk to you about your case outside of the courtroom, so please do not call to speak with the Magistrate. If you need to schedule a hearing you must file a Form A and motion with the Clerk, for the Pro Se Case Manager to review your case. The Magistrate Assistant may not help you with your case or send information to the other party or attorney for you. The Magistrate Assistant may not “give the Magistrate a message.” Additionally, please do not ask the Magistrate Assistant for the outcome of a hearing or verify that an order has been signed; you may review the Clerk’s website for details about your case. Please remember that whenever you file something with the Clerk or provide the Magistrate a copy, you must send a copy to all of the attorneys or parties at the same time. Please visit the Self Help Center for additional resources.
Interpreters
The Twelfth Judicial Circuit provides spoken language court interpreters to limited-English-proficient persons in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, section 90.606, Florida Statutes, and Rule 2.560, Florida Rules of Judicial Administration. If you require the assistance of an interpreter, please submit your request using the Interpreter Request Form or please call 941–749–3659. Please submit your request as early as possible, requests made with less than 5 business days’ notice may not be accommodated.
El Duodécimo Circuito Judicial provee intérpretes judiciales de la lengua hablada a personas con dominio limitado del inglés según el Título VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964, la sección 90.606, los Estatutos de la Florida y la Regla 2.560 de las Reglas de Administración Judicial de la Florida. Si requiere la ayuda de un intérprete, por favor envíe su Formulario de solicitud de intérprete o llame al 941–749–3659. Por favor, envíe su solicitud lo antes posible, las solicitudes hechas con menos de 5 días laborales de preaviso no pueden ser garantizadas.
Inmate Appearances
The attorney scheduling a hearing is responsible for notifying the bailiff’s office if an inmate needs to be transported from the jail for a hearing.