Judicial Section Details

Unified Family Court Division Virtual Zoom Hearings

Zoom Meeting ID: 983 2123 9800 

Delinquency Detention and Dependency Shelter Hearing Information:
Delinquency Detentions will be heard daily as follows:
            9:00 AM
            1:30 PM

Dependency Shelter Hearings will be heard daily as follows:
            10:30 AM
            2:00 PM

All Weekend Shelter Reviews will be heard on Tuesdays at 10:30 AM

Delinquency Detention and Dependency Shelter Hearings Duty is rotated between the UFC Judges; therefore, Judge Martinez-Scanziani only has the above referenced duty on her assigned weeks.

All Delinquency Detention and Dependency Shelter Hearings will be heard at the Miami Dade Children’s Courthouse, Courtroom #2-1. 

If a youth has a Sounding scheduled before the UFC Detention Rotation Judge and either an Adjudicatory Trial or Disposition with the UFC Division Judge is already pending, Sounding will be heard by the UFC Division Judge.  If no petition has been filed in the pending Delinquency case and a reset has been requested, the Sounding shall be reset with the UFC Detention Rotation Judge in Courtroom #2-1.

Modifications of Placement in Dependency Cases:
OPEN CASES
Motions for Modifications of Placement (MOP) filed in open, active Dependency Cases will be handled by the assigned UFC Division Judge.  The moving party must file a copy of the Motion and Affidavit for MOP and a Request for Hearing with the Clerk of Courts, and e-mail a copy to the UFC Division Judge’s Judicial Assistant.

In the instance of an emergency which renders the UFC Division Judge unavailable, the MOP will be heard by the UFC Shelter Rotation Judge at MDCC, Courtroom #2-1.  The moving party must file a copy of the Motion and Affidavit for MOP and a Request for Hearing with the Clerk of Courts, and e-mail a copy to the UFC Judge’s Judicial Assistant assigned to Shelter Rotation coverage.  In order for all parties to have sufficient advance notice of the hearing, the Motion for MOP must be filed no later than 11:00 a.m. for it to be heard on the same day at 2:00 p.m., otherwise it will be calendared for the following day’s UFC Shelter Rotation Calendar, at 10:30 a.m.

The moving party is responsible for preparing a Notice of Hearing once the UFC JA has confirmed the date and time of the hearing. 

Note:  Filing the Motion for MOP in open, active cases with the Clerk of Courts is not sufficient for purposes of having the case heard on calendar.

CLOSED CASES/REOPENING
Motions for Modifications of Placement (MOP) in closed cases or cases that are being reopened by filing the MOP will be handled by the UFC Shelter Rotation Judge.  MOP’s will be set at either 10:30 a.m. or 2:00 p.m., in accordance with the Shelter calendar. 

Pick-Up Orders

DEPENDENCY CASES
Issuing Pick-Up Orders
The Motion and Affidavit to Issue a Pick-Up Order in a Dependency case will be sent to the UFC Judge’s Judicial Assistant assigned to Shelter Rotation for the week.  In order for all parties to have sufficient advance notice of the hearing, the Motion and Affidavit must be filed no later than 11:00 a.m. for it to be heard on the same day at 2:00 p.m., otherwise it will be calendared for the following day’s UFC Shelter Rotation Calendar, at 10:30 a.m.

Quashing Pick-Up Orders
When Pick-Up Orders need to be quashed, the requesting party shall coordinate with the UFC Division Judge’s Judicial Assistant to set the case before the UFC Division Judge. 

If the UFC Division Judge is unavailable, then the requesting party shall coordinate with the UFC Judge’s Judicial Assistant assigned to Shelter Rotation coverage so that the case may be set on the UFC Shelter Rotation calendar at 10:30 a.m. or 2:00 p.m.

DELINQUENCY CASES
Issuing Pick-Up Orders
The Motion and Affidavit to Issue a Pick-Up Order in a Delinquency case will be sent to the UFC Division Judge’s Judicial Assistant.  The requesting party shall coordinate with the UFC Division Judge’s Judicial Assistant to set the case before the UFC Division Judge. 

If the UFC Division Judge is unavailable, then the requesting party shall coordinate with the UFC Judge’s Judicial Assistant assigned to Shelter Rotation coverage so that the case may be set on the UFC Shelter Rotation calendar at 10:30 a.m. or 2:00 p.m.

Quashing Pick-Up Orders
When Pick-Up Orders need to be quashed, the Clerk of Courts will receive notification from the UFC Division Judge’s JA, Court Administration, or the youth was arrested, the Clerk of Courts will set the case before the UFC Division Judge. 

If the UFC Division Judge is unavailable, the COC will set the case before the UFC Division Judge covering UFC Detention Rotation calendar at 9:00 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.
Delinquency pick-up orders entered by the UFC Shelter/Detention Judge on rotation duty in Courtroom #2-1, which return to be either Vacated or Quashed that same day, shall be handled by the same UFC Judge on rotation duty in Courtroom #2-1.

Probation Violation Sounding and Probation Violation Trials:
All PVA Sounding and Trials will be scheduled before the UFC Division Judge.

When an affidavit for Probation Violation Affidavit (“PVA”) is received by the Clerk of Court, the Clerk of Court places the case before the assigned UFC Division Judge within twenty-four (24) to forty-eight (48) hours, after coordinating with the UFC Judge’s JA.

Direct File:
Once the State Attorney’s Office announces an intent to review for Direct File, all future hearing dates will be set before the UFC Division Judge.

Special Sets:
Motions and Requests for Hearing for any matter requiring a special set hearing must be filed with the Clerk of Court.  Self-represented litigants may seek assistance from the Family Court Self Help Program, located at the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center, 175 NW 1st Avenue, 24th Floor, Miami, FL 33128, or may file the Motion and Request for Hearing with the Clerk of Court, located at Miami-Dade Children’s Courthouse, 155 NW 3rd Street, 3rd Floor, Miami, FL 33128.  All Motions and Requests for Hearing must be filed at the Children’s Courthouse.  A courtesy copy of the Motion and Request for Hearing should be e-mailed to the UFC Judge’s Judicial Assistant.

The moving party is responsible for preparing a Notice of Hearing once the UFC JA has confirmed the date and time of the hearing.  

Judicial Bypass/Waivers:
Judicial Bypass or Judicial Waivers will be handled by the UFC Division Judge assigned after the blind file process is completed. 
If the UFC Division Judge is not available, then the case will be heard by the UFC Shelter Rotation Judge.

Orders to Take Into Custody (Arrest Warrants):
All cases falling into this category will be set before the UFC Shelter Rotation Judge.

Emergency Dependency/Delinquency Hearings:
Should an emergency hearing need to be scheduled in a Dependency/Delin