Appeals

As of Jan. 1, Know Your Court on white background with illustrated scales to left and gavel on law books on bottomcounty court decisions in all criminal cases and most decisions in civil cases will be appealed to the district court of appeal. For a list of case types remaining in circuit courts, as well as other valuable information regarding the appeals process, visit the Florida Clerk's website.

Rule 9 of the Florida Rules of Procedure governs the appeal process.

  • Circuit courts review by appeal the orders of lower tribunals, otherwise known as County Courts.
  • District courts of appeal review by appeal:
  • Final orders of trial courts not directly reviewable by the Supreme Court or a circuit court.
  • Nonfinal orders of circuit courts.
  • The Supreme Court reviews by appeal final orders of courts imposing death sentences and decisions of state courts that declare invalid statute(s) or provision(s) of the state constitution.

Forms related to appeals can be found on the Florida Second District Court of Appeals website.

Access to all public dockets and available case documents can be found on the Florida Appellate Case Information System website.

Requirements to File an Appeal

Appeals should be filed within 30 days of receiving the order (judgment) you wish to appeal.

For probate and civil cases it is necessary to file:

  • Conformed copy of the order being appealed
  • Filing fee
  • Notice of Appeal

For felony, misdemeanor, and traffic cases, it is necessary to file:

  • Filing fee
  • Notice of Appeal

For juvenile dependency cases, it is necessary to file:

  • Conformed copy of the order being appealed
  • No filing fee required
  • Notice of Appeal

For juvenile delinquency cases, it is necessary to file:

  • No filing fee required
  • Notice of Appeal

Formatting of Documents

The Florida Supreme Court issued opinion SC20-597, creating Rule 9.045, which establishes the formatting requirements for documents filed with the appellate court. Some formatting requirements are listed below; a comprehensive list of requirements can be found within Florida Supreme Court opinion SC20-597. 

  • Computer-generated documents should be filed in either Arial 14-point font or Bookman Old Style 14-point font.
  • Text must be double-spaced.
  • Computer-generated documents are subject to word count limitations and must contain a certificate of compliance.