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We urge you to follow the same precautions recommended by the CDC to avoid the spread of the virus. Welcome to the 12 th Judicial Circuit website. Serving Desoto, Manatee & Sarasota Counties JACS Attorney Public Locations Self Help Read all Coronavirus Information & Court Updates on our COVID-19 News Page Due to COVID-19 exposure, the DeSoto Courthouse will be closed until further notice. Masks, temperature checks, and health screening questions are required to enter all court buildings. Public Access to Court Hearings View public hearings online via Zoom Video Conferencing software. Learn More Get text reminders for criminal cases Enroll in eNotify to get courtesy text, email alerts on criminal hearings. Learn More Our Message to You Public access to court buildings is limited; access to justice is not . Learn More July 1, 2020 Last night the governor entered Executive Order 20-159 which extended EO 20-94 (Limited Extension of Mortgage Foreclosure and Eviction Relief), until August 1, 2020. The court will not enter another Administrative Order on the subject since the last one (AO2020-15a.1) had the following language in it, "This Order is subject to modification, addition, and extension as changing facts and circumstances may require. If Governor Ron DeSantis amends, changes or alters the timeframes set forth in Executive Order 20-94, extended by EO 20-121 and 20-137, the timeframes set forth in this Administrative Order will extend automatically without the necessity of further order from this court." As we work to slow the spread of COVID-19, we must limit only those with official court business, a scheduled hearing or appointment to enter court buildings. Please do not bring anyone with you to court, because they may not be able to enter the building with you. We are still in phase 1 of our four-phase plan to full operations but Chief Judge Bonner has authorized the following hearings to occur in-person: Early Case Resolution (ECRs) hearings after felony arraingments and out-of-custody pleas. In-person pleas may take place as long as social-distancing guidelines are followed. Contact the judge's office to schedule in-person plea hearings. Chief Judge Kimberly C. Bonner's message to attorneys in the 12th Circuit As you've all seen in the news, Florida has experienced a significant upward trend in COVID-19 cases. This will result in delays to the court reopening. In speaking with health officials in all three of our counties, it appears we are still at least two weeks away from meeting the public health benchmarks set by the supreme court, and quite possibly, longer than that to go to phase 2. The benchmarks include not only the number of new cases, but other factors such as overall percent of positive tests, the percentage of population being tested, and availability of hospital and ICU beds. We have been very fortunate to have great partners in our counties. Our resources and protocols are in place, and we will be ready for phase 2. Working remotely, we are still able to handle our caseloads at near 80% capacity. With the exception of jury trial backlogs, which will be significant, our other work is being done and being done effectively. Some counties in the state had to almost immediately phase back down after moving quickly to phase 2. We are in line with most other circuits in being ready with resources, but waiting for the numbers to either level off at an acceptable rate or trend downward. Under Justice Canady’s Administrative Order, once a county reaches phase 2, jury trials may commence no earlier than thirty days from that date. During phase 2, we will still be operating under strict protocols, including social distancing and mandatory masks. Thus, the number of available jurors and the space in which to seat them significantly impacts the number of trials we can feasibly conduct. With social distancing, for example, there are a limited number of spaces in each court facility that can seat jurors for trial and for deliberation. Even in phase 3, which depends largely on COVID numbers continuing to decline, we will still be dealing with the criminal backlog as well as the...