Today, the Honorable Bertila Soto, Chief Judge of the Miami-Dade Courts, issued Administrative Order (AO) 20-13, returning emergency COVID-19 court operations to Phase 1. The Order was issued to protect the health and safety of the community and court staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The transition back to Phase 1 of court operations was determined in consultation with medical experts due to the rise of new COVID-19 cases throughout Florida and Miami-Dade County. On June 24, 2020, Florida confirmed 5,511 additional cases of Covid-19, and Miami-Dade added 957 cases and 24 deaths in one day.

Under Phase 1, the Miami-Dade Courts will remain closed with no in-person access except for emergency or mission-critical matters, persons making court registry deposit payments with the clerk of court, or other exceptions made in circumstances that are required in the interest of justice. Anyone entering a courthouse facility under these exceptions must follow all COVID-19 precautions in place for all courthouses as listed in AO 20-11.

Virtual Court Hearings will Continue

Courts will continue to hold “Virtual Courtroom” hearings where participants appear remotely via telephone or video technology. Most Courts are using Zoom.

If you have questions regarding upcoming hearings, you can contact the presiding judge. A judicial directory is available here.

Important websites we recommend monitoring:

• Miami-Dade County‘s webpage for Coronavirus updates;
• Miami Herald’s list of resources available to Miami-Dade residents;
• Monroe County‘s webpage for Coronavirus updates;
• Broward County‘s webpage for Coronavirus updates;
• Florida Supreme Court’s COVID-19 information page;
• Eleventh Judicial Circuit’s Court Announcements page;
• Southern District of Florida website; and
• Southern District of Florida-Bankruptcy Court webpage.
• Legal Lotus Covid-19 Resources page

Conclusion

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