E-Filing a Document
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Dwight E. Brock
Collier Clerk of Courts
What is eFiling?
A Method to File Court Case Documents
Electronically with the Clerk of Courts
How: By utilizing the Statewide eFiling Portal sponsored by the FACC
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How it Works: Filing with the Statewide ePortal
Local/Statewide Filers
•Private Attorney's
•State Attorney
•Public Defender
Statewide ePortal
Replaces 2 Delivery Methods
ECF XML
•In Person
•Mail
67 Clerks of Court
Case Initiation, Indexing, Docketing
Fee Collection and Accounting
Local Clerk CMS
eFiling Portal Functionality
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The eFiling Portal consists of:
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eFiling and eRecording Capability
Single statewide login for all users
Single web access used to submit documents
Provide for transmissions to/from the local Case
Management Systems
Provide electronic notifications
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Getting Started:
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Register/Set up an account on the ePortal:
https://www.myflcourtaccess.com
Tip:
All filings are submitted on the behalf of an
attorney, therefore all accounts must
contain the attorney's bar number. Many
firms create generic accounts per attorney.
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Register Now
https://www.myflcourtaccess.com/
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Fill out the Registration
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Tips For Registering
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It’s good practice to set up a generic
account
Set up alternative e-mail addresses or a
distribution account so that others can see
what was filed, receive notifications and
access the filings
Remember to reset the password when
staff is no longer employed
Read the Filer Documentation.
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2 Methods to eFile
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Simple eFile: Used for filing criminal, traffic and
Probate cases with the Collier Clerk. Limits
filings on existing cases only with no additional
fees for the filing.
Full eFile: Used for filing new and existing Civil
Cases. Filings may have fees associated with
them.
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Simple E-File
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Simple eFile:
Submit a Document
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Simple eFile:
Enter case number
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Simple eFile:
Browse Document & Add File
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Simple eFile:
Submit
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Full eFiling (Civil)
New Case
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Full eFiling (Civil)
New Case
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Full eFiling (Civil)
New Case – Select Case Type
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Full eFiling (Civil)
New Case – Select SubType
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Full eFiling (Civil)
New Case – Enter Civil Info
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Full eFiling (Civil)
New Case – Enter Parties
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Full eFiling (Civil)
New Case – File Documents
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Full eFiling (Civil)
New Case – Document Type
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Full eFiling (Civil)
New Case – Attach Document
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Full eFiling (Civil)
New Case – Attach Document
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Full eFiling (Civil)
New Case – Enter Payment
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Full eFiling (Civil)
New Case – Review & Submit
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Full eFiling (Civil)
Existing Cases
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Full eFiling (Civil)
Existing -Enter Division &Case
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Full eFiling (Civil)
Existing - Parties Tab
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Full eFiling (Civil)
Existing - Documents Tab
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Full eFiling (Civil)
Existing - File a Document
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Full eFiling (Civil)
Existing - File a Document
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Full eFiling (Civil)
Existing - File Document
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Full eFiling (Civil)
Existing - Review and Submit
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ePortal Frequently Asked Questions
Timestamps
How will this system address the filing time, and time stamping of
documents when it is received?
All dates and times, including when the filing is received at the ePortal
and accepted by the clerk, are stored in the ePortal database to ensure
the accuracy and consistency of when the event took place.
AO 09-30 3.1.12
 An electronic filing may be submitted to the portal at any time of
the day or night, twenty four (24) hours a day seven days a week;
the portal shall place a time/date stamp. However, the filing will not
be official information of record until it has been stored on the
clerk’s case maintenance system.
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ePortal Frequently Asked Questions
Fees
Filer Costs: Describe any charges above and beyond the statutory fees.
(subscriptions, convenience fees, additional services).
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Authorized filers may access the ePortal and file existing case filings at
no charge. If a filer chooses to pay statutory filing fees using a
credit card or ACH transaction, they will be charged an additional
credit card transaction fee which will be used to cover the
associated banking and merchant fees as allowed by Florida
Statutes. The portal will accept MasterCard, Discover, and American
Express.
The Florida eFiling Authority has set the following fees:
Credit Cards 3% of Filing Fee
ACH
$3
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ePortal Frequently Asked Questions
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Access to Filings and Case Information
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The ePortal provides access to filings “in
progress” only.
Once the filing is accepted and filed in the
local CMS, this becomes the official court
record just like the current paper process.
Original filings are retained at the portal for a
brief period and then removed.
Permanent access to these documents will be
provided through existing methods – local
web sites and CCIS links.
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ePortal Frequently Asked Questions
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What are the Document Types Supported?
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Portal will accept filings in Word, WordPerfect,
or PDF.
If a document is submitted in Word or
WordPerfect, the portal will convert it to PDF
so that it cannot be altered.
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ePortal Frequently Asked Questions
Notifications Supported by the Portal?
1) Receipt of subscriber application
2) Acceptance/activation of subscriber account
3) Change of subscriber profile including login
credentials
4) Receipt of filing including filing id number
5) Acceptance of filing including filing id number
and case identification data
6) Pending status of filing including filing id
number, case identification data and rejection
reason
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ePortal Frequently Asked Questions
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Administration of User
Accounts/Authentications
2 Options
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Users can authenticate their own accounts
Law Firms can administer their users
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ePortal Frequently Asked Questions
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How are electronic signatures handled?
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ePortal supports electronic signatures as
outlined in AO 09-30:
A pleading or other document is not required to bear the electronic
image of the handwritten signature or an encrypted signature of the filer,
but may be signed in the following manner when electronically filed through
a registered user’s login and password.
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s/ John Doe
John Doe (e-mail address)
Bar Number 12345
Attorney for (Plaintiff/Defendant)
XYZ Company
ABC Law Firm
123 South Street Orlando, FL 32800
Telephone: (407) 123-4567
Original documents (Death Certificates, etc.) or those that contain original
signatures such as affidavits, deeds, mortgages and wills must be filed
manually until the court has determined the digital format by which these
issues are addressed.
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Eportal Recent Issues
Florida Supreme Court Standards for Electronic Access to the Courts
(Ver. 4) - Section 3.1.11
**Local Document Receiving Process**
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When information has been submitted electronically to the Clerk of Court’s
Office, via the Florida Courts E-Portal, the Clerk of Court will review the filed
document and determine whether it contains the required information for
placement into the clerk’s case maintenance system. If, during the local
document receiving process a determination is made that the filed
document conflicts with any court rules or standards, then the clerk shall
place the filed document into a pending queue. A filing may be placed in a
pending queue for any reason that prevents the filing from being accepted
into the clerk’s case maintenance system, e.g. documents that cannot be
associated with a pending case; a corrupt file or an incorrect filing fee.
Once placed in a pending queue, the clerk shall attempt to contact the filer
and correct the identified issue(s). The filing will remain in a pending queue
for no more than 5 (five) business days, after which time the filing will be
docketed, as filed, and processed for judicial review.
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Eportal Recent Issues
Non-Attorney Users
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Currently, only Florida Bar Members may register and obtain logins
to the eFiling Portal.
Paralegals, Legal Assistants, and Pro Se roles are being reviewed by
the Florida eFiling Authority. This issue will be addressed in the
future meetings
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Collier County Status on eFiling
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June 21, 2010 approval for 90 day test
March 26, 2012 approval to begin e-filing with conditions
June 13, 2012 approval by Chief Judge to go paperless
Goal of July 1, 2012 for paperless in criminal, probate,
traffic and juvenile with eFiling July 15, 2012
Goal of September 1, 2012 for paperless in county civil
and small claims with eFiling September 15, 2012
Circuit civil and Family cases will go paperless depending
on back-scanning
eFiling will become mandatory for attorneys 9 months
after the clerk begins eFiling.
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