County & Court GPS
Liberty County family court
Second 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 Liberty
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 Liberty 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.
Liberty County Court
Christopher D. Bufano
county_judge
No judge-specific procedural notes verified yet — the division instructions on the official circuit site control.
Named in procedure notes
Carlos Rey
- Second Cir. — Judge Carlos Rey: HearingsSecond Judicial Circuit, » Criminal Court Procedures and Preferences; » Civil Court Procedures and Preferences (pp. 3, 2) — captured and sha256-hashed 2026-07-24
- Second Cir. — Judge Carlos Rey: Remote appearancesSecond Judicial Circuit, » Civil Court Procedures and Preferences (pp. 2, 4) — captured and sha256-hashed 2026-07-24
Named in procedure notes
J. Gordon Shuler
- Second Cir. — Judge J. Gordon Shuler: Remote appearancesSecond Judicial Circuit, » Judge Shuler Recurring Zoom Links (pp. 1) — captured and sha256-hashed 2026-07-24
Named in procedure notes
Jonathan Sjostrom
- Second Cir. — Judge Jonathan Sjostrom: HearingsSecond Judicial Circuit, » Judge Sjostrom's Civil Policies & Procedures; » Order Setting Pretrial, Jury Selection and Trial; » Order Setting Pretrial and Non Jury Trial (pp. 2, PART word/document.xml) — captured and sha256-hashed 2026-07-24
Named in procedure notes
LaShawn Donald
- Second Cir. — Judge LaShawn Donald: HearingsSecond Judicial Circuit, » Judge Donald Criminal Division Procedures and Preferences (pp. 6, 13) — captured and sha256-hashed 2026-07-24
- Second Cir. — Judge LaShawn Donald: Remote appearancesSecond Judicial Circuit, » Judge Donald Criminal Division Procedures and Preferences (pp. 3, 12, 13, 14) — captured and sha256-hashed 2026-07-24
Named in procedure notes
Nina Ashenafi-Richardson
- Second Cir. — Judge Nina Ashenafi-Richardson: HearingsSecond Judicial Circuit, » Information Sheet for Pro Se Small Claims Litigants; » Small Claims Mediation Services: A Treasure to be Told (pp. 2) — captured and sha256-hashed 2026-07-24
- Second Cir. — Judge Nina Ashenafi-Richardson: Remote appearancesSecond Judicial Circuit, » Tech, Zoom, Practice & Professionalism: Practicing in the Second Circuit; » Report on Implementation of the Florida Court Communications Plan; Recurring Zoom Links (pp. 1, 2, 4, 5, 29, 32, 47) — captured and sha256-hashed 2026-07-24
Named in procedure notes
Stefanie M. Newlin
- Second Cir. — Judge Stefanie M. Newlin: HearingsSecond Judicial Circuit, » Criminal Court Procedures and Preferences; » Civil Court Procedures and Preferences (pp. 2) — captured and sha256-hashed 2026-07-24
- Second Cir. — Judge Stefanie M. Newlin: Remote appearancesSecond Judicial Circuit, » Civil Court Procedures and Preferences (pp. 3, 5) — captured and sha256-hashed 2026-07-24
Court procedure notes
Verified local intelligence
Court procedure data from BenchPath, compiled from official public court sources.
MediationSecond Judicial Circuit
Second Circuit — AO 2018-09 establishes the circuit's Alternative Dispute Resolution program
Administrative Order 2018-09 (Second Judicial Circuit Alternative Dispute Resolution Program) establishes the circuit's ADR/mediation framework; it remains active per the live ledger. Family mediation contract mediators and parenting coordinators are published on the court's mediation pages (in BenchPath custody).
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
E-Service of Pleadings and Documents — Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.516
Service of pleadings and documents after the initial pleading is made by e-mail — in practice through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal's e-service feature — to the designated service addresses on file.
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.
Emergency Motions
Domestic Violence Injunctions: Ex Parte Temporary Relief and Prompt Final Hearing — Fla. Fam. L. R. P. 12.610
A DV injunction petition is reviewed promptly; the court may issue a temporary injunction ex parte, and when it does, a full evidentiary hearing is generally set within 15 days. There is no filing fee.
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 — Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
Florida attorneys must file court documents electronically through the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (myflcourtaccess.com). Self-represented litigants may e-file through the same portal. Local circuits layer their own formatting and routing quirks on top.
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
Parties in dissolution and most family financial cases must exchange a financial affidavit and specified financial documents within 45 days of service of the initial pleading, file a certificate of compliance, and supplement as circumstances change.
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-FilingFranklin
Second Cir. — at-filing / case-initiation requirement: Filing
1 verbatim requirement on filing.
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.
Special Set HearingsCarlos Rey · Leon
Second Cir. — Judge Carlos Rey: Hearings
2 verbatim requirements on hearings.
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.
Remote / Zoom HearingsCarlos Rey · Leon
Second Cir. — Judge Carlos Rey: Remote appearances
3 verbatim requirements on remote appearances.
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.
Remote / Zoom HearingsJ. Gordon Shuler · Franklin
Second Cir. — Judge J. Gordon Shuler: Remote appearances
1 verbatim requirement on remote appearances.
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.
Special Set HearingsJonathan Sjostrom · Leon
Second Cir. — Judge Jonathan Sjostrom: Hearings
3 verbatim requirements on hearings.
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.
Special Set HearingsLaShawn Donald · Leon
Second Cir. — Judge LaShawn Donald: Hearings
2 verbatim requirements on hearings.
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.
Remote / Zoom HearingsLaShawn Donald · Leon
Second Cir. — Judge LaShawn Donald: Remote appearances
5 verbatim requirements on remote appearances.
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.
Special Set HearingsNina Ashenafi-Richardson · Leon
Second Cir. — Judge Nina Ashenafi-Richardson: Hearings
2 verbatim requirements on hearings.
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.
Remote / Zoom HearingsNina Ashenafi-Richardson · Leon
Second Cir. — Judge Nina Ashenafi-Richardson: Remote appearances
12 verbatim requirements on remote appearances.
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.
Special Set HearingsStefanie M. Newlin · Leon
Second Cir. — Judge Stefanie M. Newlin: Hearings
2 verbatim requirements on hearings.
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.
Remote / Zoom HearingsStefanie M. Newlin · Leon
Second Cir. — Judge Stefanie M. Newlin: Remote appearances
3 verbatim requirements on remote appearances.
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.