WHEREAS, the Florida Supreme Court issued administrative orders AOSC21-17, Amendment 3, and AOSC 22-51 regarding COVID-19 HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS AND EMERGENCY OPERATIONAL MEASURES FOR FLORIDA APPELLATE AND TRIAL COURTS and TERMINATION OF SPECIFIED COVID-19 EMERGENCY OPERATIONAL MEASURES TO ACCOUNT FOR NEW RULES ON REMOTE CONDUCT OF COURT PROCEEDINGS, and

          NOW THEREFORE, I, LEAH R. CASE, Chief Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, hereby order as follows:

1. COVID EMERGENCY ORDERS:
   1. 1. The provisions and requirements outlined in AOSC 21-17, Amendment 3, and AOSC22-51 govern all court proceedings within the Seventh Judicial Circuit, regardless of whether they are restated within the body of this Order.
      2. Administrative Order G-2022-031-SC is hereby rescinded.
2. HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS¹:
   1. 1. Unless mandated by federal, state, or local laws, rules, or regulations, wearing face masks or physical distancing is not required within courthouses.
      2. Any person entering a courthouse may choose to wear a face mask, and a face mask will be provided upon request. Likewise, any person entering a courthouse may request to be physically distanced, and such requests will be addressed as appropriate under the circumstances at the time of the request.

3. COURT PROCEEDINGS:
   1. 1. The Florida Supreme Court, on July 14, 2022, adopted amendments to multiple rules of procedure, which amendments provide permanent and broader authorization for the remote conduct of certain proceedings.²
      2. All court facilities in the Seventh Judicial Circuit are open to participants and the public. Court proceedings presided over by a judicial or quasi-judicial officer, even those where all or part of a proceeding is to be conducted remotely, are to occur in/from a judicial or quasi-judicial officer’s courtroom or hearing room.

4. EFFECTIVE DATE, DURATION AND AMENDMENT:

This Administrative Order takes effect immediately and remains in effect until further order of the Chief Judge.

          TO BE RECORDED in Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, and Volusia Counties, Florida.

DONE AND ORDERED in Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida, this 20th day of November 2023.

¹This language tracks AOSC 21-17, Amendment 3.

²In re: Amendments to Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration, Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, Florida Probate Rules, Florida Rules of Traffic Court, Florida Small Claims Rules, and Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure, 47 Fla. L. Weekly S187 (Fla. July 14, 2022), and In re: Amendments to Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure, and Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms, 47 Fla. L. Weekly S188 (Fla. July 14, 2022).