Fla. Fam. L.R.P. 12.020

(b) Other Family Law Forms. All additional Supreme Court approved forms shall be adopted by opinion of the Supreme Court of Florida and outside of the rulemaking procedures required by rule 2.140. These forms shall be designated “Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms.” Commentary 2000 Adoption. To help the many people in family law court cases who do not have attorneys to represent them (pro se litigants), the Florida Supreme Court added simplified forms and directions to the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure when adopting the rules in 1995. These forms initially had been adopted by the Court in In re Family Law Rules of Procedure, 663 So.2d 1049 (Fla. 1995); In re Petition for Approval of Forms Pursuant to Rule 10-1.1(b) of the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar—Stepparent Adoption Forms, 613 So.2d 900 (Fla. 1992), and Rules Regulating The Florida Bar—Approval of Forms, 581 So.2d 902 (Fla. 1991). In 1997, in an effort to fulfill the spirit of the Court’s directives to simplify the process of litigation in family law matters, the Family Court Steering Committee completely revised the existing forms and added new forms and instructions. The rules and forms then constituted more than 500 pages. Subdivision (b) of this rule was adopted in recognition that the forms would require continuous updating and that the rulemaking process was too cumbersome for such an undertaking. 2009 Amendment. In 2009, Subdivision (a)(20) was adopted to require the filing of a Cover Sheet for Family Court Cases, Form 12.928, in every proceeding to which the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure apply and to require the Family Law Rules Committee to be responsible for proposing amendments as necessary. RULE 12.020. DEFINITIONS For definitions of family law terms found in these rules, refer to the Family Law Glossary of Common Terms and Definitions Family Law Rules of Procedure October 1, 2025 25