Administrative Order Viewer

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

Administrative Order No: 2025–1.1

(Supersedes 2021–14.1)

On July 19, 2021, this court entered Administrative Order 2021-14.1 which established civil case management protocols for both county and circuit civil cases filed after April 30, 2021.

The Florida Supreme Court has entered Administrative Order 2023-0962, amending Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.200, requiring the Chief Judge of each judicial circuit to enter an administrative order addressing certain case management requirements.

Pursuant to new Rule 1.200, each civil case must be assigned within 120 days after the action is commenced to a complex, general, or streamlined case management track. Other than case management orders issued in complex cases, the Chief Judge sets the forms for case management orders.

All judges are required to comply with Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.545(a), (b), and (c), which respectively require judges to conclude litigation as soon as it is reasonably and justly possible to do so, to take charge of all cases at an early stage and to control the progress of cases thereafter until they are determined, and to apply a firm continuance policy allowing continuances only for good cause shown.

All attorneys are required to comply with Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.545(a), which requires lawyers to conclude litigation as soon as it is reasonably and justly possible to do so.

Pursuant to the authority vested in the Chief Judge by article V, section 2(d) of the Florida Constitution, section 42.26, Florida Statutes, and Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration, it is, accordingly, ordered as follows:

1. Administrative Order 20221-14.1 is hereby superseded.
2. The Twelfth Judicial Circuit hereby adopts its case management procedures for all applicable circuit civil cases filed after January 1, 2025.
3. The case management procedures set forth in this Administrative Order will be followed in all circuit civil actions unless the action falls within an exception set for in rule 1.200.
4. Within 120 days of the commencement of any civil case subject to this Administrative Order, the presiding judge in the case will review and assign the case to one of the three case management tracks by entering an initial case management order. Complex, streamlined, and general cases are defined as follows:
   1. Complex cases: actions designated by court order as complex under Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.201. These cases must proceed as provided by rule 1.201.
   2. Streamlined cases: actions that reflect some mutual knowledge about the underlying facts, have limited needs for discovery, well-established legal issues related to liability and damages, few anticipated dispositive pretrial motions, minimal documentary evidence, and anticipated trial length of no more than three (3) days. Uncontested cases should generally be presumed to be streamlined cases.
   3. General cases: all other actions that do not meet the criteria for streamlined or complex.
5. The case management order for each streamlined or general civil case, complete with the applicable deadlines, must be entered no later than 120 days after commencement of the action, as provided in Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.050.
6. The case management order must be substantially in the form provided in the attachments to this Administrative Order, consistent with the requirements of rule 1.200.¹
   1. General track – jury trial (Exhibit A)
   2. General track – nonjury trial (Exhibit B)
   3. Streamlined track – jury trial (Exhibit C)
   4. Streamlined track – nonjury trial (Exhibit D)
7. Pursuant to rule 1.200, the case management order must specify, at a minimum, the following deadlines:
   1. Service of Complaints
   2. Service under Extensions
   3. Adding New Parties
   4. Completion of Fact Discovery
   5. Filing and Service of Motions for Summary Judgment
   6. Filing and Resolution of all Objections to Pleadings
   7. Filing and Resolution of all Pretrial Motions
   8. Completion of Alternative Dispute Resolution
8. If any party desires to alter the initial case management order, an amended case management order meeting the time and form requirements set forth in this Administrative Order may be prepared and stipulated to by the parties. The proposed order must be submitted for final approval by the presiding judge. Nothing in this Administrative Order shall be construed to restrict a presiding judge from entering an altered initial case management order in any case the presiding judge deems appropriate, or entering further orders that may deviate from or modify the initial case management order.
9. Case management orders for complex cases must be issued according to the requirements of Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.201.
10. The procedures set forth herein do not supplant any existing rule, statute, or law, nor should they be construed as granting any rights not already provided for by rule, statute, or law. To the extent that any timeframe or other provision of this Administrative Order may be construed as being in conflict with any rule, statute, or law, the rule, statute, or law shall prevail.
11. This Administrative Order is effective immediately.

Done and ordered in Bradenton, Manatee County, this 28 day of January, 2025.

Dianna L. Moreland
Chief Judge

1. Rule 1.200 does not require the Chief Judge to set the form for case management orders in complex cases.