The amendments affect 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). The changes were proposed by The Florida Bar's Appellate Court Rules Committee following the court's adoption of new general practice and judicial administration rules in 2025. The court published the proposals for comment but received none before adoption.
The most significant change deletes the definition of 'E-filing System Docket' from Rule 9.020, which became obsolete with the adoption of the new Florida Courts E-Filing Portal rule. As the per curiam opinion explained, the court is removing 'a definition that became outdated with the recent adoption of Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.511.' The court also updated Rule 9.200 to remove references to the old electronic filing system.
Rule 9.045 now requires documents filed in paper format to be held together by removable paper clips, marking a departure from previous binding requirements. The court noted this change ensures 'consistency with the recent amendments to rule 2.520,' which governs document formatting across all Florida courts.
The amendments originated from the court's comprehensive overhaul of general practice rules adopted in In re Amendments to Florida Rules of General Practice & Judicial Administration in 2025. That earlier case, reported at 416 So. 3d 242, established new e-filing procedures and document requirements that necessitated corresponding changes to the appellate rules.
Rule 9.420 received several modifications, including substituting 'unrepresented' for 'pro se' throughout the rule and adding a new subdivision requiring document filers to serve papers as provided by the rule unless another statute or court order specifies otherwise. The court also updated sample certificates of service to match the new general practice rules.
The changes reflect the Florida court system's ongoing effort to modernize its rules and create consistency across different types of proceedings. The amendments eliminate technical inconsistencies that arose when the court adopted its new e-filing portal system without simultaneously updating all related appellate procedure rules.
All seven justices concurred in the per curiam opinion: Chief Justice Muñiz and Justices Labarga, Couriel, Grosshans, Francis, Sasso, and Tanenbaum. The amendments take effect July 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m., and the court specified that filing a motion for rehearing will not alter that effective date.