County & Court GPS
Hillsborough County family court
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. Procedure notes below come from BenchPath verified sources — every card carries its citation, confidence level, and last-verified date.
Before you file here
- Confirm venue — this county is the right place for the case
- Confirm the current official forms at flcourts.gov
- Check signature / notary requirements per form
- Pick the correct e-filing case category on the portal
- Handle confidential information (SSNs, minors) per rule
- Note the filing fee — or the fee-waiver application
Before you appear here
- Confirm date, time, location — and Zoom vs. in person
- Check the assigned judge/division instructions below
- Confirm how evidence must be submitted for hearings
- Ask whether a proposed order is expected, and in what format
- Confirm courtesy-copy requirements
- Build the exhibit and witness lists in Hearing Prep
Uncontested in Hillsborough
Agreed on the terms? The path runs through this courthouse.
The qualifier reads your answers, the Assembly Line organizes the agreement, the Packet Composer names the official forms, and the tracker follows the clerk's acceptance loop — all county-aware. Filing fees are verified with the Hillsborough clerk (this platform never types a fee it can't source), and the division's published practice above controls hearing logistics.
Florida law generally bars entry of a final judgment of dissolution until at least 20 days after the petition is filed (§ 61.19, Fla. Stat.); a court may act sooner only on the statute's required showing. Clerk and court processing add county-varying time on top.
Judge & Division Playbook
Who hears family cases here — and their published practice
A playbook is published practice — calendars, conferral, order formats — with its citation and verification date. FamilyLawGPS does not and will not predict judicial outcomes.
Hillsborough County Court
Adam L. Bantner
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Alissa Ellison
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Barbara Twine Thomas
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Branden M. Henderson
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Caroline Tesche Arkin
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Catherine M. Catlin
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Chardean M. Hill
child_support_hearing_officer
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Charles A. Denton
child_support_hearing_officer
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Cheryl L. Mason
general_magistrate
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Cheryl Thomas
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Christine A. Marlewski
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Christine D. Edwards
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Christopher A. Phillips
child_support_hearing_officer
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Christopher Brown
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Christopher C. Nash
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Christopher C. Sabella
chief_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Christopher Saba
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Colleen O'Brien
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Cory L. Chandler
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Cynthia Oster
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Darren D. Farfante
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Daryl M. Manning
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Denise A. Pomponio
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Elizabeth G. Rice
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Emily Peacock
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Frances M. Perrone
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
G. Gregory Green
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Helene L. Daniel
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
J. Logan Murphy
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Jack Gutman
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
James S. Giardina
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
James S. Moody III
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Jeffrey M. Rich
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Jennifer Ann-Gill Sarmiento
general_magistrate
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Jennifer P. Johnson
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Jennifer X. Gabbard
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Jeremy R. Griner
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Jessica G. Costello
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Joseph Frank
traffic_hearing_officer
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Joseph M. Tompkins
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Katherine G. Essrig
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Kelly A. Ayers
circuit_judge
- No Final Hearing Without Mediation in the Past 6 Months — Family D13th Jud. Cir., Judge Ayers Procedures & Preferences (Fam. D)
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Kim Brennan
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Kimberly K. Fernandez
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Laura E. Ward
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Lawrence M. Lefler
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Leslie K. Schultz-Kin
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Lila Stello
child_support_hearing_officer
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Lindsay M. Alvarez
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Lisa A. Allen
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Lisa D. Campbell
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Lisa Phillips
general_magistrate
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Lyann Goudie
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Marc S. Makholm
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Margaret R. Taylor
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Mark D. Kiser
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Mark R. Wolfe
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Mary Lou Cuellar-Stilo
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Matthew A. Smith
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Matthew L. Felix
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Melissa C. Black
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Melissa M. Polo
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Michael C. Baggé-Hernández
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Michael J. Hooi
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Michael J. Scionti
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Michael S. Williams
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Michelle D. Sisco
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Michelle R. Blume
general_magistrate
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Miriam Valkenburg
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Hillsborough County Court
Monique M. Scott
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Nancy Neaves
general_magistrate
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Nancy W. Lawler
child_support_hearing_officer
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Nick Nazaretian
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Paul L. Huey
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Philip S. Wartenberg
general_magistrate
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Richard H. Martin
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Robert A. Bauman
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Robin F. Fuson
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Sabrina M. Frey
child_support_hearing_officer
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Sean Cadigan
general_magistrate
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Thomas N. Palermo
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Tracy L. Ellis
general_magistrate
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Wendy J. DePaul
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Wesley D. Tibbals
circuit_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Court procedure notes
Verified local intelligence
Court procedure data from BenchPath, compiled from official public court sources.
Emergency Motions
Domestic Violence Injunctions: Ex Parte Temporary Relief and Prompt Full Hearing — Fla. Fam. L. R. P. 12.610; § 741.30, Fla. Stat.
Rule 12.610 (October 1, 2026 edition): an injunction for protection may issue ex parte when it appears to the court that an immediate and present danger of violence exists; any temporary injunction is effective for a fixed period not to exceed 15 days, and a full hearing must be set for a date no later than the date the temporary injunction ceases to be effective. Section 741.30(2)(a), Florida Statutes, prohibits assessing a filing fee for a petition for protection against domestic violence.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney. If a specific order in your case says otherwise, that order controls over any county, division, or judge default shown here.
E-Filing
E-Filing Through the Statewide Portal — Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.525(b)
Rule 2.525(b) (July 1, 2026 edition): attorneys must file through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal or other designated electronic court filing facility. An unrepresented party who is not a Florida Bar member or an attorney admitted pro hac vice may elect to file through the portal, and once made the election may not be withdrawn without leave of court. No other method of filing is permitted except as subdivision (c) or the Florida Courts Technology Standards provide.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney. If a specific order in your case says otherwise, that order controls over any county, division, or judge default shown here.
Case Management
Mandatory Disclosure in Family Cases — Fla. Fam. L. R. P. 12.285
Rule 12.285 (October 1, 2026 edition): in initial and supplemental proceedings, required documents must be served within 45 days of service of the initial pleading on the respondent; the financial affidavit requirement cannot be waived by the parties; each party subject to automatic mandatory disclosure files a certificate of compliance (Form 12.932); and parties have a continuing duty to supplement. The rule excludes listed proceedings, and except for child support guidelines worksheets any portion may be modified by court order or agreement of the parties.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney. If a specific order in your case says otherwise, that order controls over any county, division, or judge default shown here.
Service
Service Through the Portal and by E-mail — Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.516
Rule 2.516 (July 1, 2026 edition): a document filed through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal must be served using the portal's e-service function, and service on each listed recipient is complete on filing; the filer must immediately serve, by any permitted means, any intended recipient the filer learns did not receive the document. An unrepresented party designates e-mail addresses for service on Form 2.602 unless an exception applies. An attorney who cannot be served at the signature-block e-mail address may be served at the attorney's official Florida Bar e-mail address. A certificate of service states the certification, the date, the persons served, their service addresses, and the method.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney. If a specific order in your case says otherwise, that order controls over any county, division, or judge default shown here.
E-Filing
Statewide AI-Era Certification: Every Signer Represents Cited Authorities Exist — Rule 2.515(d)(2)
Under rule 2.515(d)(2) as amended effective June 15, 2026, each signer of a Florida court filing represents that the signer has read the document, that there are good grounds to support it, that it is not interposed for delay, and that "the legal authorities identified exist and are accurately cited"; the court may impose sanctions after notice and an opportunity to be heard. The Court's 2026 commentary describes the amendment as a statewide, uniform replacement for circuit administrative orders that imposed disclosure and certification requirements about the use of artificial intelligence, and AOSC26-12 addresses the circuit- and judge-level requirements.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney. If a specific order in your case says otherwise, that order controls over any county, division, or judge default shown here.
MediationFamily Division D · Kelly A. Ayers · Hillsborough
No Final Hearing Without Mediation in the Past 6 Months — Family D
Judge Ayers will not schedule a final hearing or trial unless mediation occurred within the past six months (or new counsel appeared since) — and the Order Setting Final Hearing must hit JAWS 15 days before the date.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney. If a specific order in your case says otherwise, that order controls over any county, division, or judge default shown here.
Local Rules
Bankr. M.D. Fla. Local Rule 3002-1 — Deadlines for Filing Proofs of Claim in Reinstated Cases and for Rejection Damages; Late-Filed Proofs of Claim; Service of Proofs of Claim on Pro Se Debtors
Bankr. M.D. Fla. Local Rule 3002-1 — Deadlines for Filing Proofs of Claim in Reinstated Cases and for Rejection Damages; Late-Filed Proofs of Claim; Service of Proofs of Claim on Pro Se Debtors: the court's own rule, verbatim from LOCAL RULES OF THE UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA (WITH AMENDMENTS EFFECTIVE AUGUST 15, 2025), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida alongside the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure and any judge-specific procedures.
Court procedures change without notice. Verify urgent deadlines or unusual requirements with the court, the clerk, or a Florida attorney. If a specific order in your case says otherwise, that order controls over any county, division, or judge default shown here.