CS/SB 538: State Courts System
GENERAL BILL by Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice ; Bradley
State Courts System; Revising the availability of judges to require at least one circuit judge in each circuit to be available for hearings with limited notice; revising the duty of the Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation to provide an annual budget request to be pursuant to specified provisions; deleting the per diem cap for arbitrators who participate in court-ordered, nonbinding arbitration; authorizing judges to authenticate a jurat, or certificate of proof or acknowledgment, by affixing their signature and printing their name, title, and court, etc.
- Judiciary (JU)
- Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice (ACJ)
- Rules (RC)
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Bill History
Date Chamber Action 2/6/2025 Senate • Filed
2/20/2025 Senate • Referred to Judiciary; Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice; Rules
2/27/2025 Senate • On Committee agenda-- Judiciary, 03/04/25, 4:00 pm, 110 Senate Building
3/4/2025 Senate • Favorable by Judiciary; YEAS 11 NAYS 0
• Introduced
3/5/2025 Senate • Now in Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice
3/13/2025 Senate • On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice, 03/18/25, 1:00 pm, 37 Senate Building
3/18/2025 Senate • CS by Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice; YEAS 5 NAYS 0
3/20/2025 Senate • Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
• Now in Rules
3/21/2025 Senate • On Committee agenda-- Rules, 03/26/25, 9:00 am, 412 Knott Building
3/26/2025 Senate • Favorable by- Rules; YEAS 24 NAYS 0
• Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
• CS by Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice read 1st time
4/1/2025 Senate • Placed on Special Order Calendar, 04/03/25
4/3/2025 Senate • Read 2nd time -SJ 317
• Read 3rd time -SJ 317
• CS passed; YEAS 37 NAYS 0 -SJ 318
• Immediately certified -SJ 330
4/3/2025 House • In Messages
4/28/2025 House • Bill referred to House Calendar
• Bill added to Special Order Calendar (4/29/2025)
• 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1)
4/29/2025 House • Read 2nd time
• Placed on 3rd reading
• Added to Third Reading Calendar
• Read 3rd time
• CS passed; YEAS 115, NAYS 0
4/29/2025 Senate • Ordered enrolled
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CS/SB 538, Enrolled (Current Bill Version) Posted 4/29/2025 at 3:09 PM
Bill Text: Web Page | PDF Analyses: None Related Bills (1)
Bill Number Subject Filed By Relationship Last Action and Location Track Bills H 813 (c1) Courts Judiciary Committee Similar Last Action: 4/29/2025 H Laid on Table, refer to CS/SB 538 
Citations - Statutes (12)
Citation Catchline Location in Bill Location In Bill Help 26.20 Availability of judge for hearings in chambers. Page 2 (pdf) 28.2221 Electronic access to official records. Page 7 (pdf) 28.35 Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation. Page 2 (pdf) 44.103 Court-ordered, nonbinding arbitration. Page 3 (pdf) 92.50 Oaths, affidavits, and acknowledgments; who may take or administer; requirements. Page 4 (pdf) 92.525 Verification of documents; perjury by false written declaration, penalty. Page 9 (pdf) 110.12301 Competitive procurement of postpayment claims review services and dependent eligibility verification services; public records exemption. Page 10 (pdf) 112.181 Firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, law enforcement officers, correctional officers; special provisions relative to certain communicable diseases. Page 12 (pdf) 741.30 Domestic violence; injunction; powers and duties of court and clerk; petition; notice and hearing; temporary injunction; issuance of injunction; statewide verification system; enforcement; public records exemption. Page 4 (pdf) 784.046 Action by victim of repeat violence, sexual violence, or dating violence for protective injunction; dating violence investigations, notice to victims, and reporting; pretrial release violations; public records exemption. Page 5 (pdf) 784.0485 Stalking; injunction; powers and duties of court and clerk; petition; notice and hearing; temporary injunction; issuance of injunction; statewide verification system; enforcement. Page 6 (pdf) 825.1035 Injunction for protection against exploitation of a vulnerable adult. Page 6 (pdf) -
CS/SB 538, Committee Substitute 1 Posted 3/20/2025 at 4:26 PM
Bill Text: Web Page | PDF Analyses: Rules (Pre-Meeting) 3/25/2025 (pdf)
Rules (Post-Meeting) 3/26/2025 (pdf)
Related Bills (1)
Bill Number Subject Filed By Relationship Last Action and Location Track Bills H 813 (c1) Courts Judiciary Committee Similar Last Action: 4/29/2025 H Laid on Table, refer to CS/SB 538
Committee Votes (1)
Date Committee Result 3/26/2025 9:00 AM Rules 24 Yeas - 0 Nays Floor Votes (2)
Date Chamber Result 4/3/2025 9:25 AM Senate 37 Yeas - 0 Nays 4/29/2025 1:11 PM House 115 Yeas - 0 Nays Citations - Statutes (12)
Citation Catchline Location in Bill Location In Bill Help 26.20 Availability of judge for hearings in chambers. Page 2 (pdf) 28.2221 Electronic access to official records. Page 7 (pdf) 28.35 Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation. Page 2 (pdf) 44.103 Court-ordered, nonbinding arbitration. Page 3 (pdf) 92.50 Oaths, affidavits, and acknowledgments; who may take or administer; requirements. Page 4 (pdf) 92.525 Verification of documents; perjury by false written declaration, penalty. Page 9 (pdf) 110.12301 Competitive procurement of postpayment claims review services and dependent eligibility verification services; public records exemption. Page 10 (pdf) 112.181 Firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, law enforcement officers, correctional officers; special provisions relative to certain communicable diseases. Page 12 (pdf) 741.30 Domestic violence; injunction; powers and duties of court and clerk; petition; notice and hearing; temporary injunction; issuance of injunction; statewide verification system; enforcement; public records exemption. Page 4 (pdf) 784.046 Action by victim of repeat violence, sexual violence, or dating violence for protective injunction; dating violence investigations, notice to victims, and reporting; pretrial release violations; public records exemption. Page 5 (pdf) 784.0485 Stalking; injunction; powers and duties of court and clerk; petition; notice and hearing; temporary injunction; issuance of injunction; statewide verification system; enforcement. Page 6 (pdf) 825.1035 Injunction for protection against exploitation of a vulnerable adult. Page 6 (pdf) -
SB 538, Original Filed Version Posted 2/6/2025 at 4:32 PM
Bill Text: Web Page | PDF Related Bills (1)
Bill Number Subject Filed By Relationship Last Action and Location Track Bills H 813 Courts Judiciary Committee Similar Last Action: 4/29/2025 H Laid on Table, refer to CS/SB 538
Committee Amendments (1)
Amendment Sponsor Filed Last Committee Action Format 408054 - Amendment
Delete lines 38 - 82 and insert:Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice
(Bradley)3/17/2025
12:37 PMReplaced by Committee Substitute
3/19/2025Web Page
PDFCommittee Votes (2)
Date Committee Result 3/4/2025 4:00 PM Judiciary 11 Yeas - 0 Nays 3/18/2025 1:00 PM Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice 5 Yeas - 0 Nays Citations - Statutes (7)
Citation Catchline Location in Bill Location In Bill Help 26.20 Availability of judge for hearings in chambers. Page 1 (pdf) 28.2221 Electronic access to official records. Page 3 (pdf) 44.103 Court-ordered, nonbinding arbitration. Page 2 (pdf) 92.50 Oaths, affidavits, and acknowledgments; who may take or administer; requirements. Page 3 (pdf) 92.525 Verification of documents; perjury by false written declaration, penalty. Page 5 (pdf) 110.12301 Competitive procurement of postpayment claims review services and dependent eligibility verification services; public records exemption. Page 6 (pdf) 112.181 Firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, law enforcement officers, correctional officers; special provisions relative to certain communicable diseases. Page 9 (pdf)
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