Judicial Section Details

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Miami-Dade Children’s Courthouse
155 N.W. 3rd Street, Courtroom #9-3
Miami, FL 33128
Telephone: 305-679-1742
Assistant to General Magistrate Email Address: EMAraujo@jud11.flcourts.org
E-Service Address: 11thfcgm15@jud11.flcourts.org
Division Zoom Instructions: If a hearing is set for Zoom appearance, please contact the Judicial Assistant at the phone number listed on this page for the Zoom Meeting ID. 

Most hearings before a General Magistrate in the Unified Family Division are non-jury trials or evidentiary hearings.  In accordance with the most recent Administrative Order and Unified Children’s Court Operation Procedures, hearings scheduled before General Magistrate PATRICIA MESA will be conducted in the manner prescribed by operation procedures and may be accommodated based on the preferable method of the parties, in-person or remote (Zoom). The Miami-Dade Children’s Courthouse has the capability to conduct hearings in a hybrid format, In-Person and Zoom. The format in which hearings will be conducted shall be set by the Court and may be changed upon agreement by the parties.
GENERAL MAGISTRATE AND STAFF COMMUNICATION:
The opposing party or their attorney (as well as any other necessary parties such as a Guardian Ad Litem or Assistant State Attorney for the Department of Revenue) must be included in all communications to the Court. Parties are Prohibited from contacting the General Magistrate or the General Magistrate’s staff to discuss facts of the case. The assistant to the General Magistrate should only be contacted to discuss scheduling matters. If a Recommended Order has been entered and a party feels there are discrepancies within the Recommended Order, the appropriate motion should be filed with the Circuit Court Judge.
ORDER OF REFERRAL AND SPECIAL SET HEARINGS:
All matters to be heard by the court MUST be filed the Clerk of Court, and a copy must be submitted to the other side or their attorney.  An Order of Referral to the General Magistrate must be entered for motions to be set before the General Magistrate. Parties have ten (10) days to object to the Order of Referral to the General Magistrate. Any motions sent directly to the General Magistrate that have not been properly referred will not be considered or set for hearing.
SCHEDULING HEARINGS:
Please email Emily Araujo at EMAraujo@jud11.flcourts.org to schedule a hearing date and be sure to include any necessary parties in the email communication. In the email, please provide a copy of the matter referred to the General Magistrate for which you are requesting a hearing, and provide the length of time requested for both sides to complete their presentation at the hearing.
The parties shall wait until (10) days after the date that the Order of Referral to General Magistrate is entered before requesting a hearing on the matter referred. Once the ten (10) day objection period expires (and if there was not a timely objection filed) the parties shall have fourteen (14) days to have the matter set for hearing.
Failure to schedule the hearing within fourteen (14) days from the date that the Order of Referral to General Magistrate objection period expires may result in the Court unilaterally scheduling the matter for hearing.
INTERPRETERS:
Interpreters are not provided by the court for hearings.  If you need an interpreter or your witness requires the use of an interpreter, you must arrange to have a certified interpreter present at the hearing. Failure to provide an interpreter will result in the hearing moving forward without your participation. The following is a link to the Florida Courts’ Resource Center that provides a list of Certified Interpreter Registries: Find an Interpreter / Florida Courts.
EXHIBITS:
An exhibit list must be prepared and submitted in advance (7 working days) of the hearing date, unless there is an order that specifically states otherwise. In addition, you must provide a copy of the exhibit list and proposed exhibits to the opposing party or their attorney (if they are represented by counsel). If you fail to provide a copy of the exhibit list and /or to file a copy of the exhibit list seven (7) days prior to the hearing, you may not be able to get the exhibits admitted on the day of the hearing. Prior to the hearing, you must contact the opposing attorney or party and agree to the exhibits that will be admitted and be ready to advise the Court of any stipulations or disagreements relating to the admissibility of evidence at the beginning of the hearing.
If the hearing is to take place by Zoom, the exhibits must be independently filed in accordance with the Family Division Administrative Memorandum No.  2020-01. Petitioner exhibits should be marked numerically (1, 2, 3, etc.) Respondent exhibits should be marked alphabetically (A, B, C, etc.).
PROPOSED RECOMMENDED ORDERS:
If the General Magistrate has instructed you to prepare the proposed Recommended Order of General Magistrate on their ruling, the proposed report must be submitted to the General Magistrate’s office via CourtMAP no later than fourteen (14) days after the date of the hearing. Failure to comply with timely submitting the recommended order may result in an Order to Show Cause.
Prior to submitting your proposed report, please contact the other attorney/party to agree to the form and content of the report.  If there is a disagreement regarding the proposed recommended order, please include that information in the cover letter to the Court advising that the matter is being submitted without being approved by the other side.
REQUEST FOR TRANSCRIPTS:
All hearings before a General Magistrate are recorded electronically.  The recordings are stored by a court reporter vendor, Absolute Digital Inc.  Please contact Absolute Digital (305-379-4741 or https://absolutedigitalinc.com) to arrange obtaining a transcript.  The cost of the transcript will be your responsibility.
CONTINUANCES:
Any request for continuance of a hearing before a General Magistrate must be heard by the General Magistrate.  A Notice of Cancelation of Hearing is insufficient and will not cancel a hearing.  If a Motion for Continuance is filed, pleas