HB 813 2025
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hb813-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to courts; amending s. 26.20, F.S.; 2
requiring each judicial circuit to have a circuit 3
judge available at all times to hold and conduct 4
hearings with limited notice; amending s. 44.103, 5
F.S.; removing a limitation on arbitrator compensation 6
in court-ordered, nonbinding arbitration; amending s. 7
92.50, F.S.; providing an alternate method for 8
authentication of oaths, affidavits, or 9
acknowledgments taken or administered by or before any 10
judge; providing an effective date. 11
12
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 13
14
Section 1. Section 26.20, Florida Statutes, is amended to 15
read: 16
26.20 Availability of judge for hearings in chambers.—In 17
circuits having more than one circuit judge, At least one 18
circuit judge in each circuit of said judges shall be available 19
as nearly as possible at all times to hold and conduct hearings 20
with limited notice in chambers. In each circuit, there must be 21
at least one judge available on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, 22
and after hours on weekdays to hear motions for a temporary 23
injunction ex parte in domestic violence cases. The chief judge 24
may assign a judge for this purpose. 25
HB 813 2025
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hb813-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
Section 2. Subsection (3) of section 44.103, Florida 26
Statutes, is amended to read: 27
44.103 Court-ordered, nonbinding arbitration. — 28
(3) Arbitrators shall be selected and compensated in 29
accordance with rules adopted by the Supreme Court. Arbitrators 30
shall be compensated by the parti es, or, upon a finding by the 31
court that a party is indigent, an arbitrator may be partially 32
or fully compensated from state funds according to the party's 33
present ability to pay. At no time may an arbitrator charge more 34
than $1,500 per diem, unless the pa rties agree otherwise. Prior 35
to approving the use of state funds to reimburse an arbitrator, 36
the court must ensure that the party reimburses the portion of 37
the total cost that the party is immediately able to pay and 38
that the party has agreed to a payment plan established by the 39
clerk of the court that will fully reimburse the state for the 40
balance of all state costs for both the arbitrator and any costs 41
of administering the payment plan and any collection efforts 42
that may be necessary in the future. Whenev er possible, 43
qualified individuals who have volunteered their time to serve 44
as arbitrators shall be appointed. If an arbitration program is 45
funded pursuant to s. 44.108, volunteer arbitrators shall be 46
entitled to be reimbursed pursuant to s. 112.061 for al l actual 47
expenses necessitated by service as an arbitrator. 48
Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 92.50, Florida 49
Statutes, is amended to read: 50
HB 813 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb813-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
92.50 Oaths, affidavits, and acknowledgments; who may take 51
or administer; requirements. — 52
(1) IN THIS STATE.—Oaths, affidavits, and acknowledgments 53
required or authorized under the laws of this state , (except 54
oaths to jurors and witnesses in court and such other oaths, 55
affidavits and acknowledgments as are required by law to be 56
taken or administered by or befor e particular officers ,) may be 57
taken or administered by or before any judge, clerk, or deputy 58
clerk of any court of record within this state, including 59
federal courts, or by or before any United States commissioner 60
or any notary public within this state. T he jurat, or 61
certificate of proof or acknowledgment, shall be authenticated 62
by the signature and official seal of such officer or person 63
taking or administering the same; however, when taken or 64
administered by or before any judge, clerk, or deputy clerk of a 65
court of record, the seal of such court may be affixed as the 66
seal of such officer or person. The jurat, or certificate of 67
proof or acknowledgment, may also be authenticated by a judge by 68
affixing his or her signature and printing his or her name, 69
title, and court. 70
Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 71