In Re Amendments to Rules of Juvenile Proc.

951 So. 2d 804, 32 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 87, 2007 Fla. LEXIS 245, 2007 WL 415377
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedFebruary 8, 2007
DocketSC06-2151
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 951 So. 2d 804 (In Re Amendments to Rules of Juvenile Proc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Amendments to Rules of Juvenile Proc., 951 So. 2d 804, 32 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 87, 2007 Fla. LEXIS 245, 2007 WL 415377 (Fla. 2007).

Opinion

951 So.2d 804 (2007)

In re AMENDMENTS TO THE FLORIDA RULES OF JUVENILE PROCEDURE.

No. SC06-2151.

Supreme Court of Florida.

February 8, 2007.

Mary Katherine Wimsett, Chair, The Florida Bar Juvenile Court Rules Committee, Guardian Ad Litem Program, Gainesville, FL and John F. Harkness, Jr., Executive Director and Ellen H. Sloyer, Staff Liaison, The Florida Bar, Tallahassee, FL, for Petitioner.

PER CURIAM.

The Juvenile Court Rules Committee has filed a petition proposing "fast track" amendments to the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure in response to the 2006 Florida Legislature's amendment of various Florida Statutes. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.; Fla. R. Jud. Admin. 2.140(e).

The Committee proposes amending the following eight existing rules and seven existing forms: rule 8.240 (Computation, Continuance, Extension, and Enlargement of Time); rule 8.250 (Examinations, Evaluations, and Treatment); rule 8.257 (General Magistrates); rule 8.305 (Shelter Petition, Hearing, and Order); rule 8.330 (Adjudicatory Hearings); rule 8.400 (Case Plans); rule 8.410 (Approval of Case Plans); rule 8.415 (Judicial Review of Dependency Cases); form 8.929 (Detention Order); form 8.947 (Disposition Order-Delinquency); form 8.950 (Restitution Order); form 8.951 (Motion for Juvenile Sexual Offender Placement); form 8.961 (Shelter Order); form 8.966 (Adjudication Order-Dependency); and form 8.970 (Order on Judicial Review). The Committee further proposes the adoption of the following three new rules and two new forms: rule 8.420 (Case Plan Amendments); rule 8.425 (Permanency Hearings); rule 8.430 (Modification of Permanency Order); form 8.975 (Order Authorizing Child to Enter into Residential Leasehold Before the Child's 18th Birthday); and form 8.976 (Proposed Relative Placement). The proposals were published by The Florida Bar in the November 1, 2006, edition of The Florida Bar News and comments were invited. No comments were received.

Having considered the petition, we adopt the Committee's proposals with one addition and one alteration to the proposed amendments as set forth below.

We amend rule 8.240 to establish time limitations on proceedings to establish a permanent placement for a child in the dependency system and to list the only permissible circumstances under which the juvenile court may grant continuances in the proceedings. We do this by the addition of a new subdivision (d)(4) to list the exceptions to time limitations and the amendment of renamed subdivision (d)(5), which was previously numbered (d)(4). However, we add the word "reasonable" to the beginning of subdivision (d)(4)(D) such that the subdivision states: "Reasonable periods of delay necessary to accomplish notice of the hearing to the parent or legal guardian."

We adopt the proposed form titled "Order Authorizing Child to Enter into Residential Leasehold Before the Child's 18th Birthday," but assign the form the number 8.977. We do this because the number proposed by the Committee, 8.975, has already been assigned to a new form adopted by the Court in In re Amendments to the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, 939 So.2d 74, 84-86 (Fla.2006).

The remaining proposed amendments and new rules and forms are adopted as proposed by the Committee. These *805 amendments are effective immediately upon the release of this opinion.

CONCLUSION

Accordingly, we amend the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure as reflected in the appendix to this opinion. New language is indicated by underscoring; deletions are indicated by struck-through type.

It is so ordered.

LEWIS, C.J., and WELLS, ANSTEAD, PARIENTE, QUINCE, CANTERO, and BELL, JJ., concur.

APPENDIX

RULE 8.240. COMPUTATION, CONTINUANCE, EXTENSION, AND ENLARGEMENT OF TIME

(a) — (c) [No Change]

(d) Continuances and Extensions of Time.

(1) A motion for continuance, extension, or waiver of the time standards provided by law and found in this rule shall be in writing and signed by the requesting party. On a showing of good cause, the court shall allow a motion for continuance or extension to be made ore tenus at any time during the proceedings.

(2) A motion for continuance, extension, or waiver of the time standards provided by law shall not be made in advance of the particular circumstance or need that would warrant delay of the proceedings.

(3) A motion for continuance, extension, or waiver of the time standards provided by law shall state all of the facts that the movant contends entitle the movant to a continuance, extension, or waiver of time including:

(A) the task that must be completed by the movant to preserve the rights of a party or the best interests of the child who is the subject of the proceedings;

(B) the minimum number of days absolutely necessary to complete this task; and

(C) the total number of days the proceedings have been continued at the request of any party within any 12-month period.

(4) These time limitations do not include the following:

(A) Periods of delay resulting from a continuance granted at the request of the child's counsel or the child's guardian ad litem or, if the child is of sufficient capacity to express reasonable consent, at the request of or with the consent of the child.

(B) Periods of delay because of unavailability of evidence that is material to the case if the requesting party has exercised due diligence to obtain the evidence and there are substantial grounds to believe that the evidence will be available within 30 days. However, if the requesting party is not prepared to proceed within 30 days, any other party may move for issuance of an order to show cause or the court on its own motion may impose appropriate sanctions, which may include dismissal of the petition.

(C) Periods of delay to allow the requesting party additional time to prepare the case and additional time is justified because of an exceptional circumstance.

(D) Reasonable periods of delay necessary to accomplish notice of the hearing to the parent or legal custodian.

(45) Notwithstanding subdivision (4), Pproceedings may not be continued or extended for more than a total of 60 days for all parties within any 12-month period. A continuance or extension of time standards beyond 60 days in any 12-month period may be granted only on a finding by the court of extraordinary circumstances and that the continuance or extension of time standards is necessary to preserve the *806 constitutional rights of a party or that there is substantial evidence demonstrating that the child's best interests will be affirmatively harmed without the granting of a continuance or extension of time.

RULE 8.250. EXAMINATIONS, EVALUATION, AND TREATMENT

(a) [No Change]

(b) Parent, Legal Custodian, or Other Person who has Custody or is Requesting Custody. At any time after the filing of a shelter, dependency, or termination of parental rights petition, or after an adjudication of dependency or a finding of dependency when adjudication is withheld, when the mental or physical condition, including the blood group, of a parent, legal custodian, or other person who has custody or is requesting custody of a child is in controversy, any party may request the court to order the person to submit to a physical or mental examination or a substance abuse evaluation or assessment by a qualified professional.

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Bluebook (online)
951 So. 2d 804, 32 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 87, 2007 Fla. LEXIS 245, 2007 WL 415377, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-amendments-to-rules-of-juvenile-proc-fla-2007.