Administrative Order Viewer

In the Circuit Court of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit
in and for Desoto, Manatee and Sarasota Counties, Florida

Administrative Order No. 2023-13.5

(amends and supersedes 2022-13.5)

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act was enacted on March 9, 2018, thereby creating section 790.401, Florida Statutes, “The Risk Protection Order Act”.

The intention behind the Risk Protection Order Act is to prevent individuals who are at a high risk of harming themselves or others from accessing firearms or ammunition by allowing law enforcement to obtain a court order temporarily restricting a person’s access to firearms or ammunition.

This court entered Administrative Order 2022-13.5 to establish consistency within the circuit and set forth procedures and a single set of forms. It has become necessary to update the procedures.

Whereas, pursuant to the power vested in the chief judge under article V, section 2(d), Florida Constitution, section 43.26, Florida Statutes, and Rule 2.214, Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration, and to improve the administration of justice within the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, it is ordered that the following procedures are established regarding Risk Protection Orders (hereafter referred to as “RPO’s”):

1. All petitions for RPO’s must comply with the requirements set forth in section 790.401, Florida Statutes.
2. All RPO petitions and accompanying documents must be in substantial compliance with the RPO forms approved by OSCA and/or the Florida Supreme Court and available on the Twelfth Judicial Circuit’s website.
3. RPO petitions and accompanying documents can only be filed by a law enforcement officer or a law enforcement agency. All initial filings in an RPO case – a petition, supporting sworn or notarized affidavits, and a proposed order - are to be submitted to the judge through the court’s online E-Warrant System.
4. All RPO’s should be submitted through the E-Warrant System. When submitted this way, copies of the petition, supporting affidavits and proposed order will automatically be sent electronically to the Clerk of the Court to be filed and a new case initiated, so Petitioner does not need to separately file these documents with the Clerk of the Court. However, all other subsequent documents and pleadings filed by Petitioner in an RPO case must be filed directly with the Clerk of the Court.
5. When submitting RPO petitions and accompanying documents to a judge for review through the court’s E-Warrant System, three different documents are required to be submitted: (1) a petition; (2) supporting sworn or notarized affidavit(s); and (3) a proposed order. Failure to submit all required documents may result in the submittal being rejected.
6. There are different procedures for submitting an RPO during regular business hours versus after hours, weekends and holidays. The procedures are detailed by county below.

DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota County
RPO procedures during regular business hours

1. RPO’s submitted in Desoto, Manatee and Sarasota County during regular business hours will be reviewed by the presiding Probate, Guardianship and Mental Health Division judge or his/her designee. If a temporary order is requested, ex-parte hearings on temporary orders will be scheduled and heard by the presiding judge or his/her designee either the day the petition is filed or the next business day. The presiding judge has the discretion to conduct the hearing by telephone, if preferred, as long as the court is assured of Petitioner’s identity. 
   1. Petitioner must call the presiding Probate, Guardianship and Mental Health Division judge to advise that the RPO is pending and to schedule the ex-parte hearing if a temporary order is requested. If Petitioner has a good faith belief that a petition for a temporary RPO should be considered by the court immediately because lives could be in danger, it is Petitioner’s responsibility to contact and advise the judge of the urgency and to request that an ex-parte hearing be held as quickly as possible.
   2. If no temporary order is requested, the presiding judge will enter an order setting a final hearing, if appropriate.
   3. If a temporary order is granted, the presiding judge will include a date/time for a compliance hearing (if applicable) within 3 business days after issuance of the order; and a date/time for a final hearing within 14 days after the date of the order.
   4. Petitioner will receive a signed order electronically from the E-Warrant System and shall immediately execute service of the petition and any issued order within its jurisdiction, or transmit by facsimile or other electronic method, the petition and order to any other jurisdiction to effectuate service upon the Respondent.
   5. The Clerk of the Court will receive a signed order electronically from the EWarrant System and shall docket the compliance and final hearings as indicated in the order.
   6. If the Court’s E-Warrant System is not working during regular business hours, Petitioner should email the court in the county where the petition will be filed and also call the presiding Probate, Guardianship and Mental Health Division judge to advise the court that s/he has an RPO that cannot be submitted through the E-Warrant System and to coordinate an ex-parte hearing, if necessary. In these instances, it is the responsibility of Petitioner to file the petition and supporting affidavit(s) directly with the Clerk of the Court that day, since it will not be transmitted through the E-Warrant System. The email to the court must contain the following information:
      1. Petitioner’s Name and affiliated law enforcement agency
      2. Respondent’s Name
      3. Date RPO petition is filed
      4. Whether a temporary RPO is requested
      5. If a temporary RPO is requested, name of person attending the hearing, email address and phone number where they can be reached on date of filing and the next business day.
   7. The email addresses are:
      • Desoto County RPODesoto@jud12.flcourts.org
      • Manatee County RPOManatee@jud12.flcourts.org
      • Sarasota County RPOSarasota@jud12.flcourts.org

RPO Procedures After Regular Business Hours,
Weekends and Holidays in DeSoto and Manatee Counties

8. RPO’s should only be submitted to the court outside regular business hours when law enforcement has a good faith belief that lives could be in danger unless a temporary RPO is considered by the court immediately. In those exigent circumstances, an RPO petition, supporting affidavits and a proposed order may be submitted through the E-Warrant System after regular business hours and during weekends and holidays
   1. When the RPO is submitted through the E-Warrant System after regular business hours, copies of the petition, supporting affidavits and proposed order will still automatically be sent electronically to the Clerk of the Court to be filed, but the new case will not be initiated until the next business day.
   2. Only RPO petitions that request a temporary order will be considered an emergency. RPO petitions filed after regular business hours or during an evening, weekend or holiday that do not request a temporary order will not be reviewed until the next business day and will not get an ex-parte hearing.
   3. Once the three required documents are submitted through the E-Warrant System, Petitioner must call the RPO judge designated in the E-Warrant System at the phone number provided (see Contact Information in E- Warrant) to advise him/her that an urgent RPO petition is pending. The same judges assigned during regular business hours are the ones assigned after hours, weekends and holidays.
   4. It is Petitioner’s responsibility to advise the judge of the urgency and to request that an ex-parte hearing be held immediately. The judge has discretion to determine that the request for a temporary order is not an emergency and to defer reviewing the documents until the next business day. If deferred to the next business day, the procedures set forth above, titled RPO Procedures During Regular Business Hours (for the appropriate county) will apply.
   5. The judge has the discretion to conduct the hearing by telephone, if preferred, as long as the court is assured of Petitioner’s identity.
   6. If a temporary order is granted, the presiding judge will include a date/time for a compliance hearing (if applicable) within 3 business days after issuance of the order, and a date/time for a final hearing within 14 days after the date of the order.
   7. The Petitioner will receive a signed order electronically from the E- Warrant System and shall immediately execute service of the petition and any issued order within its jurisdiction, or transmit by facsimile or other electronic method, the petition and order to any other jurisdiction to effectuate service upon the Respondent.
   8. On the next business day, the Clerk of the Court shall docket the compliance and final hearings as indicated in the order.
   9. If the Court’s E-Warrant System is not working after regular business hours, on a weekend or a holiday, Petitioner must call the appropriate judge in that county and advise him/her that the E-Warrant System is down, and s/he has an RPO that needs to be reviewed. Petitioner should then coordinate a time with the judge for Petitioner to hand-deliver the documents to the judge to review. In these instances, it is the responsibility of Petitioner to file the petition, supporting affidavit(s), and any signed order with the Clerk of the Court no later than the next business day, since it will not be transmitted through the E-Warrant System.

RPO Procedures After Regular Business
Hours, Weekends and Holidays in Sarasota County

9. RPO’s should only be submitted to the court outside regular business hours when law enforcement has a good faith belief that lives could be in danger unless a temporary RPO is considered by the court immediately. In those exigent circumstances, an RPO petition, supporting affidavits and a proposed order may be submitted through the E-Warrant System after regular business hours and during weekends and holidays.
   1. When the RPO is submitted through the E-Warrant System after regular business hours, copies of the petition, supporting affidavits and proposed order will still automatically be sent electronically to the Clerk of the Court to be filed, but the new case will not be initiated until the next business day.
   2. . RPO petitions filed after regular business hours or during an evening, weekend or holiday that do not request a temporary order will not be reviewed until the next business day and will not get an ex-parte hearing.
   3. Once the three required documents are submitted through the E-Warrant System, Petitioner must call the RPO judge designated in the E-Warrant System at the phone number provided (see Contact Information in E-Warrant) to advise him/her that an urgent RPO petition is pending. The RPO’s submitted in Sarasota County after regular business hours, weekends and holidays will be reviewed by the presiding felony division judge as assigned by alphabet, based on the first letter of the Respondent’s last name:
      • Division II – A through G, except for E
      • Division IV – P through Z
      • Division VI – H through O, plus E
   4. It is Petitioner’s responsibility to advise the judge of the urgency and to request that an ex-parte hearing be held immediately. The judge has discretion to determine that the request for a temporary order is not an emergency and to defer reviewing the documents until the next business day. If deferred to the next business day, the procedures set forth above, titled RPO Procedures During Regular Business Hours (for the appropriate county) will apply.
   5. The judge has the discretion to conduct the hearing by telephone, if preferred, as long as the court is assured of Petitioner’s identity.
   6. If a temporary order is granted, the presiding judge will include a date/time for a compliance hearing (if applicable) within 3 business days after issuance of the order; and a date/time for a final hearing within 14 days after the date of the order.
   7. The Petitioner will receive a signed order electronically from the E- Warrant System and shall immediately execute service of the petition and any issued order within its jurisdiction, or transmit by facsimile or other electronic method, the petition and order to any other jurisdiction to effectuate service upon the Respondent.
   8. On the next business day, the Clerk of the Court shall docket the compliance and final hearings as indicated in the order.
   9. If the Court’s E-Warrant System is not working after regular business hours, on a weekend or a holiday, Petitioner must call the appropriate judge in that county and advise him/her that the E-Warrant System is down, and s/he has an RPO that needs to be reviewed. Petitioner should then coordinate a time with the judge for Petitioner to hand-deliver the documents to the judge to review. In these instances, it is the responsibility of Petitioner to file the petition, supporting affidavit(s), and any signed order with the Clerk of the Court no later than the next business day, since it will not be transmitted through the E-Warrant System.

Clerk of the Court Responsibilities

10. Unless otherwise directed by the Florida Supreme Court, petitions for RPO’s should be filed in the mental health division and assigned an “MH” case number by the Clerk of the Court.
11. Upon receipt of a newly-filed RPO petition and supporting affidavit(s), the Clerk of the Court shall immediately conduct a search of its electronic records to determine if the respondent:
    1. has had prior or is currently involved in felony, misdemeanor, delinquency, mental health, Marchman Act or Baker Act cases;
    2. was or currently is a Respondent in an action for an RPO other than in the instant case;
    3. was or currently is the subject of a no contact order issued in an action for stalking or domestic, repeat, sexual, or dating violence under sections 741.30, 784.046, or 784.0485, Florida Statutes.
12. After conducting the searches described above, the Clerk of the Court shall file in the court file a Report of Clerk’s Search of Court Records for Respondent which is in substantial compliance with the form available on the court’s website and notify the court using the appropriate RPO email address listed above. When an RPO is filed during regular business hours, the Court prefers to receive this Report of Clerk’s Search prior to holding the ex-parte hearing, if possible.
13. The Clerk of the Court shall be responsible for notifying the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at RPO@FreshFromFlorida.com within 3 business days after issuance of an RPO or temporary ex-parte RPO under section 790.401(10)(c), Florida Statutes.
14. As it pertains to petitions seeking an RPO against a juvenile respondent, the Clerk of the Court shall determine what portions of any pleadings and any documents filed in support of the petition shall be available for public viewing pursuant to Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.420(d). In all cases involving a juvenile respondent, the Court will strive to balance a juvenile’s right to privacy against public safety, however, in order to effectuate service of process under section 790.401, Florida Statutes, a juvenile respondent shall be identified by full name in the RPO petition.

Service of Process

15. The Sheriffs of Desoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties are authorized and empowered to authorize another law enforcement agency within the same county to effect service of any RPO documents as long as the law enforcement agency uses service and verification procedures consistent with those of the Sheriff and with section 790.401, Florida Statute.

Record of Hearings

16. RPO Hearings are not required by law to be digitally recorded or reported at the State of Florida’s expense. However, the presiding judge may opt to digitally record RPO Hearings at his/her discretion. If either party to an RPO wants to ensure that a record of a final hearing is made, parties may bring a court reporter to the final hearing at their own cost.

Expiration of RPO’s

17. Section 790.401, Florida Statutes, requires that the court notify Petitioner of the impending end of an RPO at least 30 days before the date the order expires. In order to accomplish this, the following actions are required:
    1. The Clerk of the Court is directed to implement a compliance date in its Case Management System for RPO expiration monitoring 45 days before expiration. The Clerk shall notify the presiding judge of the case number, Petitioner name, Petitioner attorney (if any), Respondent name, and expiration date.
    2. Each law enforcement agency that files an RPO must provide the Clerk of the Court and the presiding judge an email address to specifically receive this notice.
    3. The court will ensure that a procedure is established in each county within the circuit to send notice to Petitioner via email at the RPO email address provided by each law enforcement agency.
18. Administrative Order 2022-13.5 is hereby amended and superseded by this order.
19. This Administrative Order is effective upon signing.

Done and ordered in chambers in Manatee County, Florida, this 6th day of July, 2023.

Diana L. Moreland
Chief Judge