By: Elaine Walter, Edited by: Brian Tackenberg
On March 19, 2026, the Florida Supreme Court amended Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure 9.020 (Definitions), 9.045 (Form of Documents), 9.200 (The Record), and 9.420 (Filing; Service of Copies; Computation of Time), in response to changes made to the Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration (RGPJA) in In re Amendments to Florida Rules of General Practice & Judicial Administration, 416 So. 3d 242 (Fla. 2025). In re Amendments to Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure, No. SC2025–1458, 2026 WL 772808, at *1 (Fla. Mar. 19, 2026)
The Court deleted subdivision (l) (E-filing System Docket) of rule 9.020 to remove an outdated definition following the adoption of RGPJA 2.511 (Florida Courts E-Filing Portal). Id. Under rule 9.045, the Court amended subdivision (a) to remove an outdated cross-reference to RGPJA 2.520(a), and amended subdivision (c) to require that documents filed in paper form be held together by removable paper clips, consistent with the recent amendments to rule 2.520 (Documents). Id.
Rule 9.200(d)(5) was amended to remove an outdated reference to the electronic e-filing system docket and an outdated reference to download the electronic record following the adoption of rule 2.511. Id.
The Court also made changes to rule 9.420. Id. In subdivision (a)(1), it added a cross-reference to the exception for inmate filing in subdivision (a)(2), providing “except as provided in subdivision (a)(2) of this rule.” In addition, in subdivision (a)(2), “unrepresented” was substituted for “pro se” for consistency with recent changes to the RGPJA. Id. Next, a new subdivision (b) (Service of Filed Documents) provides that the filer of a document must serve the document as provided by the rule unless a statute, rule, or administrative order of the supreme court provides otherwise. Id.
Newly re-lettered subdivision (c) was retitled from “Service” to “Service; How Made,” and the provision was amended to remove the distinction between service by a party or amicus curiae and by the clerk of the court, with reference to RGPJA 2.516 (Service), and instead incorporating the content from former subdivision (c) (Method of Service). Id. Finally, subdivision (d) was retitled from “Proof of Service” to “Certificate of Service” and the certificate of service samples were updated to conform to the recent changes made to rule 2.516(f). Id.
