E-Filing

Please be aware that the E-Filing Portal may require a Microsoft Silverlight plugin installation.

For Chrome users, please note that as of April 2015, NPAPI support will be disabled by default in Chrome, meaning all plugins will be blocked by default. (Chrome is providing temporary overrides, however, it is expected to remove all override and NPAPI support by September 2015.) You are encouraged to work in alternate browsers, such as Internet Explorer, to access the E-Filing Portal site, as at present, it supports the required plugin installation.

For Firefox users, please see Advisory (PDF) regarding Firefox discontinuing Silverlight.

Information for Attorneys and Self-Represented (Pro Se) Litigant Filers:

Electronic filing of court documents, or E-Filing, allows attorneys and self-represented (pro se) litigants to submit court documents electronically 24 hours a day, seven days a week. E-Filing is mandatory for attorneys.

Do not file a paper copy of a document that has been e-filed. Limited documents as noted in the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rule 3.030, should be paper filed only, until further notice.

1. Attorneys
2. Self-Represented (Pro Se) Litigant Filers

Get Help with E-Filing:

• Frequently Asked Questions regarding E-Filing
• Portal Document Submission Standards (PDF)
• Portal Filer User Manual (includes information about filing as a Self Represented Litigant) (PDF)
• E-Service User Guide (PDF)
• Training videos and Training manuals from the Florida Courts E-Filing Authority

Original Documents

• For civil, this includes death certificates and those documents that contain original signatures such as deeds, mortgages and wills.
• For criminal, any paper document that is a judgment and sentence or required by statute or rule to be sworn to or notarized shall be filed and deposited with the clerk immediately thereafter. The clerk shall maintain deposited original paper documents in accordance with Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.430, unless otherwise ordered by the court.

E-Issuance

Electronic issuance of documents ("E-Issuance") is currently available for summons filed by attorneys in all civil court divisions. Additionally, electronic issuance of clerk defaults and writs of garnishment are now available in all civil court divisions.

The following documents shall be manually submitted:

• Notice of Action
• Certificate of Title
• Writs (include check made payable to the sheriff) - Writs of Garnishment may be e-Filed as long as the Notice of Defendant of rights and Claim of Exemption are attached when the writ is submitted. Fees may be paid via the E-Filing portal.
• Documents to be mailed by the Clerk's office (for example, certified mailings in a delinquent tenant action) must be provided in paper form with the appropriate number of copies and self-addressed, stamped envelopes for mailing to the parties.

Summons Filed by Attorneys for New & Existing Circuit Civil, Domestic Relations, Probate, Juvenile and County Civil Cases

Upon electronic submission and payment of the summons, the Clerk will sign and seal the summonses. Once issued, the filer will be notified of the issuance and may choose to receive a copy via their Courthouse Box; pick-up at the Clerk's Office; print a copy directly from the portal; or include payment for postage in their submission for a copy to be mailed to them.

Clerk-Generated Summons

In small claims cases where a pre-trial date is set, the summons must be generated by the clerk. In these cases, you may pay for your summons through the portal. The Clerk will execute the summons. The filer will then be notified of the issued summons, and may choose to receive a copy via their Courthouse Box; pick-up at the Clerk's Office; print a copy directly from the portal; or include payment for postage in their submission for a copy to be mailed to them.

Clerk Defaults

Upon electronic submission of a motion for Clerk's default, the Clerk will produce the Clerk's default or Notice of No Default Entered and sign, seal and docket to the case record. If copies are to be distributed, self-addressed, stamped envelopes must be provided for all parties.

Writs of Garnishment

Upon electronic submission of a motion for writ of garnishment and writ of garnishment with notice to defendant of rights and claim of exemption attached to the writ, the Clerk will issue the garnishment. The filer must provide service instructions for the issued writ. The writ will not be issued until the $85 issuance fee is paid. This fee must be paid by check directly to the Clerk.

E-Don'ts - Never E-File the following documents:

• Proposed Orders
• Cover Letters
• Original Documents - refer to Original Documents section above

E-Tips

• File Date: the "file" date of an E-Filed document is the date and time the E-Filed document is received at the Portal.
• Docketing the E-Filed pleading: each page of an E-Document must still be individually reviewed and redacted. Martin County receives in excess of 2 million pages worth of documents each year. The docketing time for an E-Filed pleading is dependent upon the volume of filings received at any given time.
• E-Filing multiple documents: the Portal permits multiple documents for the same case to be filed at one time. NOTE: Do not scan multiple documents together and submit as a single document.
• Emergency Filings: must flag the emergency checkbox on the Portal and follow the requirements of the applicable Emergency Filing Administrative Order.
• Envelopes: remember to provide postage paid envelopes when required.
• DO NOT FILE A PAPER COPY OF A DOCUMENT THAT HAS BEEN E-FILED.
• Pro Hac Vice: Please refer to The Florida Bar links Letter from The Florida Bar (PDF) and Limited Appearance in Florida .
• Notice of Contest: When filing a notice of contest, indicate that it is an emergency by checking the emergency filing checkbox on the 'File Subsequent Document(s) into an existing case' screen in the E-Filing Portal.
• Civil cover sheets no longer need to be uploaded: Filers are no longer required to upload a Civil Cover Sheet in divisions Circuit Civil and Family/Domestic Relations. The E-Filing Portal now automatically generates the Civil Cover Sheet using data entered by the filer.
• E-Filing Portal Fails to Recognize Case Number: In adoption cases (due to cases being confidential) and in some other limited circumstances, the E-Filing portal may advise the filer on an existing case that the case number court not be found. If the filer has verified the case number, the filer should continue on with E-Filing the document, despite this message. The document will still be submitted to the Clerk's office for filing.
• E-Service FAQs

Additional Resources:

• AOSC14-1 In Re: Electronic Filing of Criminal, Juvenile, and Traffic Cases Via The Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (PDF)
• AOSC13-49 Electronic Service Via the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (PDF)
• Administrative Order 2.312 Electronic Filing Of Documents (PDF)
• Florida Supreme Court Standards for Electronic Access to the Courts (PDF)
• Florida Supreme Court Order SC13-1915 (PDF)
• Florida Supreme Court Order SC11-399 (PDF)
• Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rule 3.030, begins on Page 16 (PDF)

Self-represented litigants may choose to electronically file documents online using the statewide e-filing portal. You may access the portal 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to file documents. E-filing is not required for self-represented filers; our office will continue to accept paper filings from self-represented litigants.

What You Will Need to Start E-Filing

• A valid e-mail address and regular access to e-mail to receive electronically filed documents. NOTE: You may receive e-mail through your smart phone or tablet, but you will not be able to e-file using these devices.
• Access to a computer with an Internet connection and browser.
• Documents to be filed must be in one of the following formats. Microsoft Word 97 (or higher), WordPerfect or Adobe PDF.
• The case number you are filing to (for an existing case).
• The Florida Courts E-Filing Authority offers several helpful training videos and a E-Filing Portal User Manual (includes information about filing as a Self Represented Litigant) (PDF) .

Accessing the Portal:

• Access the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
• Scroll down to the Register Now! link. NOTE: You will need to have a valid e-mail address and regular access to e-mail in order to register through the portal and receive electronically filed documents.
• Select "Self-Represented Litigant" as your role and follow the on-screen instructions to set up your account.
• Once you are a registered user, type in your assigned User Name and Password to login to the portal. You are now ready to e-file!

Filing Your Documents:

• When you login to the e-filing portal, the e-filing map will display. Select a filing jurisdiction and "new" or "existing" case. Click FILE NOW.
• Enter the information as required on each tab. use the NEXT button to move from tab to tab.
• On the payment tab, you may pay any filing fees that are due. You many pay by credit card or electronic check.
• The final tab is REVIEW AND SUBMIT. Review the information entered. If correct, click SUBMIT. If you need to make changes, click on the appropriate tab and make the changes, before returning to this tab to SUBMIT.
• You will receive two e-mails from the portal regarding your filing: one e-mail when the filing is submitted and a second e-mail when the filing is accepted. If the filing is not accepted for any reason, it will be returned to you for correction. If this occurs, the portal will notify you via e-mail with the reason the document(s) is being returned to you, at which time you may log back into the portal to correct and resubmit. NOTE: If you e-file your documents, do not file the paper copy with the Clerk & Comptroller's office.