The Florida Courts ePortal
eFiling Overview
ePortal Governance
The Florida Courts ePortal is housed
within a public entity called the “Florida
Courts E-Filing Authority”
The E-Filing Authority is a Chapter 163
Public Entity established by Interlocal
Agreement
The Florida E-Filing Authority contracts
with the FCCC for the development,
implementation, operation and
maintenance of the ePortal
Access the E-Filing Authority Homepage
www.myflcourtaccess.com
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eFiling Overview
E-FILING AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Hon. Tim Smith, Putnam County Clerk and Comptroller - Chair
Hon. Joseph E. Smith, St. Lucie County Clerk and Comptroller,
Vice Chair - District V
Hon. Tara Green, Clay County Clerk and Comptroller,
Secretary/Treasurer - District III
Hon. Thomas D. Hall, Clerk of the Supreme Court
Hon. Bob Inzer, Leon County Clerk and Comptroller - District II
Hon. Alex Alford, Walton County Clerk and Comptroller, District I
Hon. Don Barbee, Hernando County Clerk and Comptroller District IV
Hon. Karen Rushing, Sarasota County Clerk and Comptroller District VI
Hon. Sharon Bock, Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller District VII
How We Got Here
Development of the ePortal began in 2010
Civil eFiling capability was established in
January 2011
Criminal eFiling capability has been
established and will be implemented in a
phased approach throughout 2013
Appellate eFiling capability has been
established in 2013 and phased in,
beginning with the Supreme Court in
February
More than 3,500,000 case filings have
been electronically filed through the
ePortal in the first 7 months of 2013
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eFiling Overview
What is the ePortal?
www.myflcourtaccess.com
eFiling and eRecording capability
Single statewide login for all users
Single web access used to submit court
documents
Transmits to local Clerk case maintenance and
recording systems
Provides electronic notifications to the filer and
to the Clerks’ offices
Part of the Statewide Integrated Court System
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eFiling Overview
Statewide Integrated Court System
Filers
SA/PD Existing Systems
•STAC/Other Systems
•New Cases
•Existing Cases
ECF XML
Web
Statewide ePortal
Replaces 3 Delivery Methods
ECF
XML
1.
2.
3.
In Person
Mail
E Documents
67 Clerks of Court
•Case Initiation, Indexing, Docketing
•Official Court Record/Document Prep
•Fee Collection and Accounting
•Statewide Access/Standards
•Case Management Reporting
•Statewide Reporting
•Integration with Partners
Local Clerk CMS
Local/Statewide Integration
•Judicial
•Law Enforcement
•State Attorney/Public Defender
ePortal Usage Overview
Create case documents on your computer as normal
Login to the ePortal website
Complete the required information and attach your
document(s)
Pay, if required, and submit the filing
Receive automated filing confirmation from the
Clerk’s office
Access to all of your electronic filings on the ePortal
or at the Clerk’s website
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eFiling Overview
Document Types Supported
The ePortal supports document uploads MS
Word, WordPerfect, and PDF formats
The ePortal delivers documents to the
Clerk’s local Case Maintenance System in
PDF format
The ePortal can also convert documents to
TIFF format if the local Document
Management System cannot
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eFiling Overview
Timestamps
As defined in Standards for Electronic Access to the Courts (AO 09-30)
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.
All dates and times, including when the filing is received at the
ePortal and when the filing is accepted by the clerk, are stored in
the ePortal database to ensure the accuracy and consistency of
when the event took place.
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eFiling Overview
Fees
Authorized filers may access the ePortal and file existing
case filings at no charge. If a filing requires statutory filing
fees, the filer may pay using a credit card or ACH
transaction and will be charged a transaction fee which will
be used to cover the associated banking and merchant fees
as allowed by Florida Statutes.
The Florida Courts E-Filing Authority has set the following
transaction fees:
 Credit Cards = 3% of Filing Fee
 ACH = $3 flat rate
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eFiling Overview
Notifications
1)
2)
3)
4)
Receipt of subscriber registration
Activation of subscriber account
Changes to subscriber profile including login credentials
Receipt of a filing by the ePortal including:
a)
b)
c)
d)
Filing ID (reference) number
Court filed in (county and division)
Case Number (if existing case)
Date / Time
5) Acceptance of a filing by the Clerk’s system (including case
number if a new case)
6) Notification and explanation for correcting a filing
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eFiling Overview
Sample Notification Email
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eFiling Overview
Access to Filings & Case Information
The ePortal provides access to filings via the My Trial
Court Filings/My Appellate Court Filings page
Once the filing is accepted into the Clerk’s local Case
Maintenance System, this becomes the official court
record just like the former paper process
Permanent access to these documents and complete
case information will continue to be provided through
existing methods such as local Clerk web sites and
CCIS links
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eFiling Overview
User Account Administration
1. Filers can register online and manage their
own accounts
2. Law Firms or Agencies can be setup with an
administrator to manage all of the
organization’s users
3. Clerk’s offices can manage accounts
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eFiling Overview
Electronic Signatures
As defined in Standards for Electronic Access to the Courts (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.
 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
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eFiling Overview
Confidential Information
Compliance with Rule 2.420 for documents containing
confidential information
ePortal Documents Screen
ePortal Review & Submit Screen
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eFiling Overview
Document Submission Standards
Documents should be a standard size of 8 ½ x 11 inches (as defined in RJA 2.520)
Documents should leave blank a 3 x 3 inch space at the top right-hand corner
on the first page, and a 1 x 3 inch space at the top right-hand corner on each
subsequent page, to accommodate statewide standard date/time stamps (as
defined in RJA 2.520)
Where possible, documents should be electronically signed
Black and white, non-color documents are preferred
Scanned documents should be at a resolution of 300 DPI (as defined in the State of
Florida Electronic Records and Records Management Practices)
Multiple pleadings, motions, etc. should not be combined into one single file;
each individual document should be uploaded via the ePortal document
submission process
A deviation from these guidelines may result in the submitted filing being moved
to a Pending Queue with the filer being notified via email and requested to
correct the issue(s) with the document(s) and resubmit the filing
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eFiling Overview
Document Submission Standards (cont.)
Electronic submission of documents outside the ePortal
 For documents that exceed the 25 MB size limit or whose dimensions
exceed the 8 ½ x 11 inch standard, electronic transmission should be
accomplished using an electronic storage medium that the Clerk has the
ability to accept, which may include a CD-ROM, flash drive, or similar
storage medium as defined in SC11-399
Original Documents
 Documents that must be maintained in original form may be electronically
filed through the ePortal but must also be deposited with the Clerk and
maintained for safekeeping as defined in SC11-399. Examples include
wills, codicils, deeds, verified and sworn documents, original paper
judgments and sentences, etc. Questions regarding original documents
should be directed to your local Clerk’s Office.
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eFiling Overview
Correcting Filings
As specified in Standards for Electronic Access to the Courts (AO 09-30)
Any filing that contains incorrect information will be moved to a
Pending Queue by the Clerk’s office
The filer will be automatically notified of the corrections that need
to be made and the filing will show in a Pending Queue status
The filer has 5 business days from the time the filing is moved to
the Pending Queue to correct and resubmit the filing
If the filer does not submit a corrected filing, the Clerk’s office will
File it for Judicial Review and the filer will be automatically
notified; at this point, no further actions may be taken on this
filing
Attorneys may not “withdraw” filings; once submitted, a filing
must go through the Pending Queue process and be corrected
and resubmitted
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eFiling Overview
Current eFiling Status
65 counties support eFiling in the Civil divisions
 Clay and Sarasota will be live by 10/1/13 (AO SC13-12)
13 counties currently accepting eFilings on existing Criminal
cases
 All counties are actively testing for a go-live of 10/1/13
Appellate eFiling began with the Supreme Court in February
 The 2nd District Courts of Appeal went live in August 2013.
Other DCA’s will be phased in.
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eFiling Overview
Court Ordered Mandatory Dates
E-Mail Service by Attorneys
 September 1, 2012
Mandatory Civil eFiling
 April 1, 2013
Mandatory Criminal eFiling
 October 1, 2013
Mandatory Appellate eFiling
 Supreme Court: February 27, 2013
 District Courts of Appeal: Phased in from July 2013 to July 2014
Electronic Transmission of Records on Appeal
(Clerk’s office to Appellate Court)
 July 1, 2014
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eFiling Overview
ePortal Support
ePortal User Documentation




eFiler Manual (Filer Documentation link in footer of the ePortal)
Reviewer Manual (Reviewer Documentation link in footer of the ePortal)
County Administrator Manual (available on the Clerk Intranet)
Law Firm Administrator Manual (available on the Clerk Intranet)
Support for Attorneys & Paralegals
 support@myflcourtaccess.com
 850-577-4609
Support for Clerk’s Offices
 support@flclerks.com
 850-414-2210
21
eFiling Overview
Florida Courts E-Filing Authority Board
August E-Filing Update
E-Filing Portal Usage
Statistics
July Activity
July Portal Usage Statistics
Submitted
Category
Total
Filings
851,751
Documents
1,432,126
Total Registered E-Filing Portal Users as of 7/31/2013
49324
July E-Filings By Day
Weekday E-Filings - Average Per Hour
Criminal E-Filing
July Progress Report
Criminal E-Filing Status
53 Counties
Criminal Divisions are Enabled in the Test
Region
Single Session Verification is In Process
Limited CBI Integration Testing is Occurring
13 Counties
Accept single session criminal filings in the
production region
What’s Next
Criminal E-Filing
Mandatory Date to E-File is October 1, 2013
Standardized Docket Codes enable SA and PD to
automate their E-Filing
Each county must prepare now to enable SA and
PD to complete automation
Map local docket codes to Standardized
Criminal Docket Descriptions (SCDD)
Supreme Court AO 13-12
7/10/2013
County Readiness
by Circuit
County
SCDD Received
Divisions
Enabled in Test
Circuit
Divisions
Enabled in Prod
Escambia
COMPLETE
TBD
1st
TBD
Okaloosa
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
1st
10/1/2013
Santa Rosa
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
1st
COMPLETE
Walton
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
1st
COMPLETE
Franklin
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
2nd
10/1/2013
Gadsden
COMPLETE
TBD
2nd
10/1/2013
Jefferson
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
2nd
TBD
Leon
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
2nd
10/1/2013
Liberty
COMPLETE
TBD
2nd
10/1/2013
Wakulla
COMPLETE
TBD
2nd
10/1/2013
County Readiness
by Circuit
County
SCDD Received
Divisions
Enabled in Test
Circuit
Divisions
Enabled in Prod
Columbia
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
3rd
7/25/2013
Dixie
TBD
TBD
3rd
10/1/2013
Hamilton
TBD
TBD
3rd
TBD
Lafayette
New CMS
8/2013
TBD
3rd
TBD
Madison
New CMS
7/2013
TBD
3rd
TBD
Suwannee
COMPLETE
TBD
3rd
8/19/2013
Taylor
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
3rd
TBD
Clay
COMPLETE
TBD
4th
10/1/2013
Duval
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
4th
COMPLETE
Nassau
RETURNED
TBD
4th
10/1/2013
County Readiness
by Circuit
County
SCDD Received
Divisions
Enabled in Test
Circuit
Divisions
Enabled in Prod
Citrus
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
5th
10/1/2013
Hernando
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
5th
9/1/2013
Lake
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
5th
COMPLETE
Marion
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
5th
COMPLETE
Sumter
TBD
TBD
5th
TBD
Pasco
TBD
TBD
6th
10/1/2013
Pinellas
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
6th
10/1/2013
Flagler
COMPLETE
TBD
7th
10/1/2013
Putnam
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
7th
10/1/2013
St. Johns
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
7th
10/1/2013
County Readiness
by Circuit
County
SCDD Received
Divisions
Enabled in Test
Circuit
Divisions
Enabled in Prod
Volusia
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
7th
9/15/2013
Alachua
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
8th
8/15/2013
Baker
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
8th
10/1/2013
Bradford
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
8th
COMPLETE
Gilchrist
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
8th
TBD
Levy
COMPLETE
TBD
8th
10/1/2013
Union
TBD
TBD
8th
TBD
Orange
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
9th
9/10/2013
Osceloa
COMPLETE
TBD
9th
WAIVER
REQUEST
County Readiness
by Circuit
County
SCDD Received
Divisions
Enabled in Test
Circuit
Divisions
Enabled in Prod
Hardee
COMPLETE
TBD
10th
8/30/2013
Highlands
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
10th
9/2013
Polk
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
10th
10/1/2013
Miami-Dade
*COMPLETE
COMPLETE
11th
10/1/2013
Desoto
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
12th
ASAP
Manatee
N/A
N/A
12th
N/A
Sarasota
COMPLETED
12th
9/20/2013
Hillsborough
DEFER
DEFER
13th
DEFER
Bay
COMPLETE
TBD
14th
ASAP
Calhoun
New CMS
8/2013
TBD
14th
10/1/2013
County Readiness
by Circuit
County
SCDD Received
Divisions
Enabled in Test
Circuit
Divisions
Enabled in Prod
Gulf
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
14th
10/1/2013
Holmes
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
14th
10/1/2013
Jackson
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
14th
COMPLETE
Washington
New CMS
9/2013
TBD
14th
TBD
Palm Beach
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
15th
10/1/2013
Monroe
COMPLETE
TBD
16th
TBD
Broward
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
17th
10/1/2013
Brevard
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
18th
10/1/2013
Seminole
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
18th
10/1/2013
County Readiness
by Circuit
County
SCDD Received
Divisions
Enabled in Test
Circuit
Divisions
Enabled in Prod
Indian River
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
19th
10/1/2013
Martin
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
19th
COMPLETE
Okeechobee
COMPLETE
TBD
19th
TBD
St. Lucie
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
19th
COMPLETE
Charlotte
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
20th
10/1/2013
Collier
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
20th
8/12/2013
Glades
New CMS
9/2013
TBD
20th
10/1/2013
Hendry
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
20th
TBD
Lee
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
20th
COMPLETE
Criminal Batch
Interface Update
CBI Progress Report To Date
CBI State Attorney Report
Office
CMS
Development
Initiated
Development
Complete
Testing Status
Verification
with Clerk
SAO1
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
IN PROCESS
SAO2
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
SAO3
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
IN PROCESS
SAO4
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
SAO5
IN HOUSE
COMPLETE
TBD
TBD
TBD
SAO6
TYLER
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
SAO7
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
SAO8
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
IN PROCESS
SAO9
IN HOUSE
COMPLETE
9/1/2013
TBD
IN PROCESS
SAO10
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
CBI State Attorney Report
Office
CMS Type
Development
Initiated
Development
Complete
Testing Status
Verification
with Clerk
SAO11
IN HOUSE
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
SAO12
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
SAO13
IN HOUSE
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
DEFER
SAO14
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
SAO15
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
IN PROCESS
SAO16
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
SAO17
IN HOUSE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
TBD
SAO18
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
IN PROCESS
SAO19
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
SAO20
IN HOUSE
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
IN PROCESS
CBI Public Defender Report
Office
CMS Type
Development
Initiated
Development
Complete
Testing
Complete
Verification
with Clerk
PD1
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
PD2
IN-HOUSE
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
TBD
TBD
PD3
IN-HOUSE
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
TBD
TBD
PD4
IN-HOUSE
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
TBD
TBD
PD5
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
PD6
TYLER
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
PD7
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
PD8
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
IN PROCESS
PD9
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
PD10
IN-HOUSE
COMPLETE
TBD
TBD
TBD
CBI Public Defender Report
Office
CMS Type
Development
Initiated
Development
Complete
Testing
Complete
Verification
with Clerk
PD11
IN-HOUSE
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
PD12
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
PD13
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
TBD
TBD
PD14
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
PD15
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
IN PROCESS
PD16
IN-HOUSE
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
TBD
TBD
PD17
STAC
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
TBD
PD18
IN-HOUSE
COMPLETE
TBD
TBD
TBD
PD19
STAC
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
TBD
PD20
IN-HOUSE
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
IN PROCESS
IN PROCESS
Appellate Readiness
Report
Progress Report To Date
Appellate Readiness Report
Appellate Courts
Court
Florida Supreme Court
First District Court of Appeal
Second District Court of Appeal
Scanning
Automated
Redaction
COMPLETE
Yes
No
TBD
Yes
No
Yes
No
Optional E-Filing
August 2013
Mandatory
E-Filing
October 2013
Third District Court of Appeal
TBD
June 2013
No
Fourth District Court of Appeal
TBD
August 2013
No
Fifth District Court of Appeal
TBD
Yes
No
E-Filing Portal Projects
in Progress
Progress Report To Date
2013 Projects In Progress
Projects in Progress
Project
Release 2013.01
eService
2nd DCA, Map, Authority Website
Criminal Batch Filing/Criminal E-Filing
Release 2013.02
Status
Complete
Testing
Deployment 8/16
Implementation in Progress
Analysis
Closing
Questions / Comments / Suggestions
46
eFiling Overview