FH Divisional Instructions

Judicial Practices and Procedures

Last updated 08/14/2026

Dina Keever-Agrama, Judge
Johanna Hochella, Judicial Assistant

Table of Contents

A. Communications with the Judicial Office

Method of Communication:

This office does not communicate via email. If you do not find the answer to your question in the FH Divisional Instructions below, please call Judicial Assistant Johnna Hochella at (561) 694-7420.

Ex parte Communications:

All communications with the judicial office must comply with Canon 3 of the Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits a judge from initiating, permitting, or considering ex parte communications and from considering other communications outside the presence of the parties concerning a pending or impending proceeding, unless authorized by law.

Unsolicited Communications:

Parties may only contact the judicial office in accordance with these practices and procedures. Unsolicited communications from non-parties will not be considered by the court.

Personal Correspondence: Our office CANNOT and WILL NOT accept any personal correspondence on a case. If you have a matter to bring to the Court's attention, please file the proper Motion with the Clerk of Court.

E-Filing Portal Contact Information:

All attorneys and self-represented litigants must make and receive service by e-mail, which is generally through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, unless excused. Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.516.

All attorneys and self-represented litigants must provide an e-mail address to receive signed orders electronically, unless excused. Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.516. It is the responsibility of attorneys and self-represented litigants to update their contact information using Form 2.603 any time there is a change in the e-mail account registered for electronic service.

Response to Inquiries:

The judicial assistant is not authorized to provide legal advice.

The judicial assistant strives to substantively respond to all inquiries within one business day. Please do not call multiple times on the same issue, as that may delay the response to your inquiry.

Other Communication Procedures:

Any e-mail sent to or from the judicial office may be a public record subject to disclosure.

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B. Scheduling Procedures

Court Schedule:

UMC hearings are non-evidentiary ONLY (allowing no more than two motions and five minutes per side) and must be scheduled through Online Services (OLS) with appearances via ZOOM. All testifying parties must be with their attorney so that the attorney can ensure proper ZOOM connectivity and protocol. All UMC attorneys and litigants must have BOTH audio and video connections or they will not be heard by the Court. The Court will not address scheduling matters at UMC. Parties may request a Case Management Conference pursuant to Rule 12.200 by filing the proper motion and contacting the Judicial Assistant to coordinate a hearing.

Requests for Special Set Hearing of up to 30 Minutes (30 minute hearings will be held in person; hearings under 30 minutes may be held via Zoom): Call the Judicial Assistant at 561-694-7420 for available dates and times, to be cleared with all interested parties. DO NOT USE THE UMC LINK FOR SPECIAL SET HEARINGS. Judge Keever-Agrama reviews all requests for a special set hearing. After calling the Judicial Assistant, your motion and request for hearing will be forwarded to the Judge for review. This procedure usually takes 24-48 hours; however, it may take a few days longer in the event the Judge is unavailable.

Scheduling Hearings:

Please upload your Motion or Petition and proposed Order 48 hours prior to the hearing OR YOUR MATTER MAY NOT BE HEARD (SEE ABOVE FOR HOW TO UPLOAD THESE DOCUMENTS). PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL THESE DOCUMENTS VIA THE CAD EMAIL AND PLEASE DO NOT SEND VIA U.S. MAIL.

Please DO NOT call the JA for assistance with Online Scheduling (OLS). If you have questions or issues regarding OLS, please refer to the 15th Judicial Circuit's YouTube page CourtHelp4You for assistance.

Uncontested Final Hearings for Dissolution of Marriage are the only evidentiary hearings that may be heard during UMC. Forty-eight hours prior to the hearing, you must upload and submit a proposed Final Judgment in Word format; all Exhibits/Attachments to the Final Judgment (if any), including Marital Settlement Agreement, Parenting Plan, etc.; and a legible scanned copy of the Petitioner's Florida Driver's License (and the Respondent's if a Simplified Dissolution Petition was filed) demonstrating proof of Florida residency for at least six months immediately prior to the filing of the Petition, in compliance with Florida law through e-courtesy attached to the date of your hearing.

Motions for Default may be set on the Court's UMC docket. However, when requesting a Default Final Hearing, please call the J.A. in order to obtain a special set hearing which will be set by Court Order. The Judge will not hear a Default Final Hearing on the UMC docket, only the Motion for Default.

Uncontested Paternity Matters: If you have an uncontested paternity matter, no UMC hearing is necessary. Simply upload the proposed Final Judgment, Parenting Plan, and Child Support Guidelines to the OLS system.

MOTION TO WITHDRAW AS COUNSEL: If you have your client's written consent, you may upload a proposed order with your client's written consent as an attachment via OLS and a hearing is not necessary. If you do not have written client consent, the motion must be set on the Court's UMC docket with notice to all parties and your client.

Requests for Special Set Hearing over 30 Minutes (hearing will be held in person).

Mail a written request with motion attached indicating how much time you are requesting for hearing. The Judge will review the request. Once approved for hearing, the J.A. will notify all parties via email and will request the moving party to call the J.A. for available dates and times to coordinate the hearing.

NOTICES FOR TRIAL: Please mail a courtesy copy of the trial notice to the Judge or the Judge will not be aware it has been filed. The Judicial Assistant will set a CMC to discuss the Notice For Trial. Both counsel and both parties MUST ATTEND the CMC conference.

TEMPORARY CUSTODY PETITIONS: Please see Administrative Order 5.111 (PDF) concerning procedures and Checklist. If you believe your matter is ready for final hearing, please call the J.A. The Judge must review the record in order to approve a Final Hearing date.

PETITION FOR NAME CHANGE; ADOPTION PETITIONS: If you believe your matter is ready for Final Hearing, please call the J.A. The Judge must review the record in order to approve a Final Hearing date. These hearings will be special set and will not be heard at UMC.

Notice of Hearing:

• A notice of hearing must be filed and served immediately after reserving hearing time. Please forward a courtesy copy to the Judge's office.
• A notice of hearing involving any remote appearance must list the judge's remote platform credentials.
• All notices of hearing must contain the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) notification required by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.540.
• All notices of hearing must include a certification that the moving party has complied with Local Rule 4 (PDF).
• All notices of hearing must include a statement that any party or witness in need of a language interpreter must supply their own interpreter for the hearing.

Submission Deadlines:

The Court must receive all materials for the hearing no later than three (3) business days before the hearing via U.S. mail, a commercial courier service, or hand delivery. Remember that processing of all mail and packages delivered to the Court will take at least three (3) business days to go through the screening and delivery process at the North County Courthouse. Please allow for processing time when calculating your delivery date.

Order of Proceedings:

• Matters will be heard in the order in which they appear on the docket.
• Matters involving parties represented by counsel will generally be heard before other matters.
• Matters involving in-custody defendants will generally be heard before other matters.

Continuance Procedure:

• Motions for continuance are disfavored and will be granted only upon good cause shown. Successive continuances are highly disfavored. Lack of due diligence is not grounds for granting a continuance. Except for good cause shown, the motion must be signed by the party requesting the continuance, as required by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.545(e).
• Motions for continuance must be submitted at least 5 business days prior to the scheduled court date for which the continuance is sought, barring exigent circumstances, and must state with specificity:
  1. the basis of the need for the continuance, including when the basis became known to the movant;
  2. whether the motion is opposed;
  3. the action and specific dates for the action that will enable the movant to be ready, including, but not limited to, confirming the specific date any required participants are available; and
  4. the proposed date by which the case will be ready to proceed and whether that date is agreed by all parties.
• A motion for continuance must be set on the Court's first available UMC docket prior to the hearing/trial date. If no UMC slots are available, please call the Judicial Assistant to request an additional slot for the motion to continue.

Cancelling Hearings:

Special Set Hearings and trials, once scheduled, may not be canceled without court approval. Please call the Judicial Assistant immediately if a matter is settled and a hearing or trial is no longer needed. The Court will not cancel a scheduled hearing or trial unless a written agreement has been reached and a proposed order resolving the scheduled matter has been submitted to the Court via OLS.

You must also immediately file and serve a notice of cancellation on opposing counsel and any self-represented litigant.

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C. Remote Appearance

Remote Appearance Procedure:

The following hearings will be held via ZOOM video conference:

• UMC hearings
• Case Management Conferences, and
• Uncontested Pro Se Dissolution of Marriage final hearings.

ALL OTHER HEARINGS SHALL BE HELD IN PERSON IN COURTROOM 3, NORTH COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 3188 PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410.

• Please be aware that hearings conducted via Zoom are Court hearings and must be treated as such. You must have both audio and video to appear at a Zoom hearing. Please dress appropriately, as you would for all court hearings. Minors may not be present during the hearing without prior court approval.
• In addition, all attorneys, parties, and witnesses shall be in a quiet and stationary place or you will be removed from the Zoom hearing.
• No children may be present during the Zoom hearing without prior court approval.
• This Court will not conduct Zoom hearings with anyone in a vehicle -- WHETHER THE VEHICLE IS MOVING OR STATIONARY. Zoom hearings demand full attention of the court and the litigants and reliable internet access. If you are unfamiliar with Zoom, you must become familiar with using Zoom prior to the scheduled Zoom hearing. This Court will not provide Zoom instructions to anyone at the hearing. If you are an attorney and wish to present your client's testimony, you must have the client appear with you at your office during the Zoom hearing.
• IF YOU DO NOT FOLLOW THESE ZOOM INSTRUCTIONS, YOUR HEARING WILL BE CANCELLED AND MAY BE RESCHEDULED IN PERSON.
• Persons who are interested in listening to court events via Zoom may contact the Court's Public Information Officer, Richalyn Miller, at 561-355-4098, to obtain the Zoom link.
• The court maintains a hybrid virtual courtroom, allowing parties to appear either in person or remotely, as provided by Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.530. Requests to use communication technology for an appearance must be made by written motion at least five (5) business days prior to the hearing.
• Any objection to the use of communication technology must be filed no later than three (3) business days prior to the hearing.

Platform Used:

The court uses Zoom for remote appearances.

Platform Meeting ID#:

To Attend Uniform Motion Calendar (UMC) Hearings via ZOOM: this link is for UMC Hearings only. All Special Set Hearings under 30 minutes will be given a Zoom link when the hearing date is given. The link must be included in the Notice of Hearing.

Zoom Meeting Information for UMC ONLY

Meeting Link: Zoom Link
Meeting ID: 945 4598 4958
Password: 883288

877 853 5257 US Toll-free
888 475 4499 US Toll-free

Requirements:

• Motions for Remote Appearance must be submitted at least 5 business days prior to the hearing or trial and must be in writing with a courtesy copy provided to the Judge's Office and opposing side.
• Certain hearings are eligible for remote appearance. These include non-evidentiary hearings and hearings less than 30 minutes.
• Any person appearing remotely must be in a private location that is quiet and free from distractions. Under no circumstances will a participant be permitted to appear remotely from a motor vehicle.
• Any person appearing remotely must dress and behave professionally in the same manner as if physically present in the courtroom. This includes: no hats, no sunglasses, no food or beverage, and no chewing gum.
• Any person appearing remotely must enable the person's camera when joining the proceeding and keep the camera turned on until instructed otherwise by the court.
• Any person appearing remotely must mute the person's microphone when joining the proceeding and keep the microphone turned off until instructed otherwise by the court.
• If a witness appears remotely, the party calling the witness must ensure the witness has a functioning camera and microphone and has tested the internet connection before the hearing. The oath will be administered in accordance with Florida Rule of General Practice and Judicial Administration 2.530.

Technology Needs:

All participants in a remote hearing must have a camera, microphone, and speaker to allow them to be seen and heard during a video conference. A smart phone or laptop usually is manufactured with all three installed. A PC with an external camera and headset will also work. If using a smart phone or tablet, you must download the Zoom app.

Other Remote Appearance Procedures

FOR ALL REMOTE HEARINGS AND TRIALS: All proposed Exhibits must be PREMARKED (including Exhibit Number, Case Style and Number, Date of Hearing, Judge's Name and Signature line, and Admitted or Not Admitted) and provided to the Court via U.S. mail or other delivery service AT LEAST FIVE BUSINESS DAYS prior to hearing to the North County courthouse dropbox. If Exhibits are not received by the Court at least FIVE business days prior to the hearing in compliance with the above requirements, they will not be accepted or considered. Emailed exhibits will not be accepted or considered.

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D. Submission of Orders and Judgments

All documents, including proposed orders, must be uploaded and submitted via the Court's Online Services no more than 48 hours prior to the hearing. Otherwise, your hearing may not be heard. Please be sure all documents are uploaded properly in OLS and are attached to the EVENT so your hearing can move forward. (If you do not submit the documents and then chose your hearing date, the documents will not be attached to the EVENT). The proposed Final Judgment or proposed Order must be uploaded first, followed by exhibits uploaded as attachments. If you do not submit a proposed order or proposed final judgment PRIOR to the UMC hearing, the Judge's ruling may not be reduced to writing.

If you submitted the required documents in a different manner, they do not comply with Division requirements and will not be accepted or processed by the court.

THIS DIVISION DOES NOT USE E-PORTAL FOR ACCEPTING DOCUMENTS AT THIS TIME.

Please upload your Motion or Petition and proposed Order 48 hours prior to the hearing OR YOUR MATTER MAY NOT BE HEARD (SEE ABOVE FOR HOW TO UPLOAD THESE DOCUMENTS). PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL THESE DOCUMENTS VIA THE CAD EMAIL AND PLEASE DO NOT SEND VIA U.S. MAIL.

Format:

• All proposed orders must be submitted as outlined above and provided to opposing counsel and any self-represented litigant.
• All proposed orders must be accompanied by a cover letter either (1) certifying that all parties agree to the order or (2) containing a statement identifying any disagreement of the parties as to the proposed order.

Submission Method:

All documents, including proposed orders, must be uploaded and submitted via the Court's Online Services no more than 48 hours prior to the hearing. Otherwise, your hearing may not be heard. Please be sure all documents are uploaded properly in OLS and are attached to the EVENT so your hearing can move forward. (If you do not submit the documents and then chose your hearing date, the documents will not be attached to the EVENT). The proposed Final Judgment or proposed Order must be uploaded first, followed by exhibits, etc.

Self-represented litigants excused from e-mail service may submit proposed orders to the court by U.S. mail or hand-delivered to the judicial office.

Deadline for Submissions:

All documents, including proposed orders, must be uploaded and submitted via the Court's Online Services 48 hours prior to the hearing or trial.

Other Procedures Relating to Submission of Orders and Judgments:

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E. Courtesy Copies of Case Law and Other Documents

When Required:

Courtesy copies of case law must be submitted to the Court for any hearing or trial 48 hours prior to the hearing or trial as attachments to the proposed order via the Court's Online Services.

F. Emergency and Other Urgent Matters

Requirements:

ALL EMERGENCY MOTIONS MUST BE TRUE EMERGENCIES as defined in A.O. 5.203-5/17. EMERGENCY MOTIONS WILL BE HANDLED BY THE NORTH COUNTY SIGNING DUTY JUDGE ON A ROTATION SCHEDULE.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SEXUAL VIOLENCE, REPEAT VIOLENCE, and STALKING PETITIONS must be filed through the Clerk of the Court. The North County Signing Duty Judge will review the filing and either deny it, issue a temporary injunction and set for final hearing, or set the matter for final hearing without issuance of a temporary injunction.

Judge Keever-Agrama holds Injunction hearings for Division FH on Thursdays at 9:30am IN PERSON ONLY.

ANY MOTION TO AMEND, TERMINATE, MODIFY, CLARIFY, OR CORRECT an injunction must be set for hearing on the Injunction docket and must be on the record. Do not send agreed orders on Injunctions through OLS. Any changes to injunctions must be on the record in court where any changes can be made directly on the written injunction which will be filed in the court file and served on the Respondent in Court. This requirement is for the protection of both the Petitioner and the Respondent.

Scheduling:

If the Court determines that an emergency exists, a hearing will be scheduled unilaterally by the Court. All parties shall make themselves available for the emergency hearing, barring exigent circumstances. The Court will determine whether the emergency hearing shall be in person or via Zoom based upon the circumstances.

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G. Exhibits for Evidentiary Proceedings

Submission Method:

Exhibits: FOR ALL IN-PERSON HEARINGS AND TRIAL: Please bring three copies of all PREMARKED Exhibits with you to the in-person hearing or trial. All Exhibits must be PREMARKED to include: the Exhibit Number, the Party Offering the Exhibit, the Case Style, the Case Number, the Date of Hearing, the Judge's Name and a place for the Judge's Signature, and whether the Exhibit was "Admitted" or "Not Admitted."

EXHIBITS: For Zoom hearing must be premarked as outlined above and must be submitted to the Judge's Chambers via U.S. mail or hand delivery at least five (5) business days prior to the hearing or trial.

H. Pretrial Procedures and Conferences

Case Management Conference (CMC):

• Any party may request a CMC when a case requires.
• The court strongly encourages the early use of CMCs in more complex cases, multiple-party litigation, or any case that might benefit from court intervention.
• Unless excused by the court in advance, all CMCs are mandatory for attorneys AND litigants.

Status Conference:

Any party may request a status conference by filing the proper written motion and providing a courtesy copy to the Judge's Chambers via U.S. mail or may call the Judicial Assistant once the proper motion has been filed.

Requirements:

Any request for a CMC or status conference must articulate the reasons for the necessity of the conference.

Scheduling:

If the court grants the request for a CMC or status conference, the moving party must file the Notice of Hearing once a date and time for hearing is confirmed with the Judicial Assistant and the opposing party.

Other Procedures Relating to Pretrial Procedures and Conferences

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I. Setting Case for Trial

Procedure:

Motion for Trial or Notice for Trial must be filed with the Clerk but may not be set for hearing online. File the original with the Clerk and provide a courtesy copy via U.S. mail for review by the Judge.

After the Judge's review, the case will be set for CMC by the Judicial Assistant, if appropriate, or the Judge may issue an Order on the motion.

J. Forms

Access:

Family forms are available on these Family Forms and Orders.

Florida Supreme Court approved forms are available on the Florida Court's website.

DIY Florida forms are available at insert link to forms.

Usage:

Family forms and/or Florida Supreme Court approved forms must be used for all relevant filings.

K. Other Division Procedures

ADA Accommodations:

If you need an ADA accommodation, please contact the ADA Coordinator at: ADA@pbcgov.org.

Information on ADA accommodations can be found on the Court's ADA page.

Interpreter Requests:

In the Family Division, interpreters are provided by the Court for Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Repeat Violence hearings ONLY. For all other hearings in the Family Division, it is the responsibility of the party needing an interpreter to bring to Court an interpreter who is certified, language skilled, provisionally approved or who is registered with the Office of State Court Administrator as required by Rule 2.560 and Rule 2.565 of the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration. For further information or for assistance locating an interpreter, please visit our Court Interpreters page.

Other Division Procedures:

Motions to Vacate General Magistrate Orders

Please see Rule 12.490 and Rule 12.491. The Moving Party must request a hearing from the Court (FROM THE JUDGE'S JUDICIAL ASSISTANT - NOT THE MAGISTRATE) at the time the Motion to Vacate is filed. You are required to provide the Court (hard copy only) with a record sufficient to support your Motion to Vacate or your motion will be denied. Unless waived by order of the Court prior to any hearing on the Motion to Vacate, the transcript of all relevant proceedings, if any, must be delivered to the Judge (hard copy only) and provided to all other parties at least 48 hours before the hearing.

Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs)

Please comply with Administrative Order 5.213-11/20 (PDF) when seeking entry of a QDRO.

After all requirements have been met pursuant to the A.O., please upload the proposed QDRO via OLS with the Motion for Entry of a QDRO and the letter of plan approval as attachments. The Judge will review the Motion and proposed QDRO and either sign and issue the QDRO, set the matter for hearing, or generate a rejection memo outlining any issues.

Child Custody Exchange Locations

Please take note that the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office has designated the neutral safe locations (a.k.a. "purple light" locations) for child custody exchanges pursuant to the Cassie Carli Law which went into effect on July 1, 2024.

The locations are as follows:

• District 1 - West Palm Beach - 3228 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33406
• District 3 - North County - 8130 Jog Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33412
• District 5 - Western Palm Beach County - 38840 State Road 80, Belle Glade, FL 33430-5617
• District 7 - Boca Raton - 17901 State Road 7, Boca Raton, FL 33498
• District 9 - Village of Royal Palm Beach - 11498 Okeechobee Blvd., Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411

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