Supreme Court of Florida

Format

Type

Arial 14 pt, double-spaced

Margins

1-inch margins

Opening brief

13,000 words

Reply brief

4,000 words

What counts

Excludes caption, cover page, TOC, table of citations, certificates of compliance and service, signature block (9.045(e)); handwritten/typewritten: 50/50/15 pages

Rules

Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure — Fla. R. App. P. 9.045(b); Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.520; Fla. R. App. P. 9.210(a)(5)

Parts of the brief, in order

1. Cover — Required · Fla. R. App. P. 9.210(a)
2. TABLE OF CONTENTS — Required · Fla. R. App. P. 9.210(b)(1)
3. TABLE OF CITATIONS — Required · Fla. R. App. P. 9.210(b)(2)
4. STATEMENT OF THE CASE AND FACTS — Required · Fla. R. App. P. 9.210(b)(3)
5. SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT — Required · Fla. R. App. P. 9.210(b)(4) (max 5 pages)
6. ARGUMENT — Required · Fla. R. App. P. 9.210(b)(5)
7. CONCLUSION — Required · Fla. R. App. P. 9.210(b)(6) (max 1 page)
8. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE — Required · Fla. R. App. P. 9.210(b)(7)
9. CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE — Required · Fla. R. App. P. 9.210(b)(8)

Argument headings: Argument with separate headings for each issue and the applicable appellate standard of review for each issue

Standard of review: For each issue, within the argument (9.210(b)(5))

Record citations: Cite the electronic record on appeal by page (e.g., R. 123; T. 45); appendix (App. 12) - abbreviations customary, not set by rule

Appendix

Optional. Pages are numbered like App. 12. (Fla. R. App. P. 9.220)

• cover sheet
• index
• conformed copy of opinion/order being reviewed
• other record portions and authorities
• certificate of service

Mandatory for rules 9.100, 9.110(i), 9.120, 9.125, 9.130 proceedings; optional in plenary final appeals where the clerk's record is transmitted. Consecutively paginated starting with cover as page 1; text-searchable, bookmarked PDF

Certificates

• Compliance: Certify the brief complies with font requirements of 9.045 and word count of 9.210(a)(5); state word count
• Service: Certificate of service per Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin. 2.516

Good to know

• Computer-generated documents must use Arial 14-pt or Bookman Old Style 14-pt
• 1-inch margins from Rule 2.520 (not re-read this pass)
• Footnotes and quotations may be single-spaced, same typeface/size as text
• Paper documents not stapled or bound (9.045(c))
• Answer brief omits statement of case/facts unless disputing (9.210(c))
• Reply brief: argument in reply, conclusion, certificates (9.210(d))
• Discretionary-jurisdiction briefs (9.120) are short jurisdictional briefs with required appendix; limits not verified here
• Death-penalty and other mandatory-jurisdiction appeals may have different limits under 9.210(a)(5) - not verified

Filing: Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (mandatory for attorneys); text-searchable PDF per Rule 2.520