Requirements & Information

Zoom vs. In-person

Zoom is a platform by which people can appear by telephone or by video. More information about the platform is available on the Zoom website. Visit Judge Doyle’s Zoom page for meeting information.

You may use Zoom for the following court appearances:

• Pretrial Conference,
• Pleas and motions,
• VOPs (for defendants who admit to violating their probation and who will receive a non-jail sentence),
• Docket Sounding,
• Evidentiary hearings if the parties comply with Rule 2.530 of the Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration.

You may not appear by Zoom for the following court appearances, unless you are given permission from the Court in advance:

• Arraignments,
• Jury Trials,
• VOP appearances if there could be a VOP hearing and you have not secured a continuance by the Court in advance,
• If ordered to appear in person by the Court,
• Evidentiary hearings where one party objects

Prior to scheduling any evidentiary hearing or hearing more than the Rule’s requisite time frame, the moving party shall ensure the opposing party is agreeable to the Zoom appearance and that the request is otherwise in compliance with the Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration and the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure. A filed stipulation is not required on this issue.

If using Zoom, please adhere to the following rules in place for all Manatee County Criminal Court Judges. Failure to follow these rules may result in the termination of your court appearance and/or revocation of the privilege to appear remotely at future hearings:

• All participants must have their audio and video (if applicable) working and know how to mute/unmute and turn their camera on and off before the appearance begins.
• If Zooming in with audio and video capability, the participant should name themselves using their true legal first and last name. Failure to be properly named will result in the Court not allowing you into the courtroom.
• When in the Zoom courtroom, the participant should remain muted with their video camera off until their case is called.
• Participants must be present in a building, with minimal background noise. Participants must not be moving from room to room.
• Participants cannot be outdoors, or in a vehicle, even if the vehicle is stopped. Participants cannot be in motion in any way.
• When a case is called, the participant shall then enable their microphone and unmute themselves in a timely fashion.
• Any documents that would normally be filed with the clerk shall be filed with the clerk 3 business days in advance of the hearing. This includes, but is not limited to, plea in absentia forms, acknowledgment and waiver of rights forms, exhibits, etc. Please do not send any documents to the judicial assistant by email or hardcopy that you would normally file with the clerk had your appearance been in person. Please contact the clerk’s office for further instruction on the number of days in advance documents must be filed with the clerk for them to be “seen” by the judge electronically.
• Appearing remotely on Zoom carries with it the same requirements for professionalism, decorum, and civility to all participants and the court as if physically present. All participants shall be wearing attire as if they were physically in the courtroom. As in any courtroom, there is to be no eating, drinking, gum chewing, smoking, or engaging in any activity other than participation in the court appearance.
• Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the revocation of zoom appearance privileges.
• Please Note: If a lawyer has a client who violates these rules, it will be treated as if the lawyer violated the rules, and the lawyer can have their privileges revoked.
• These rules will be strictly enforced.

Pleas

The plea cutoff date for all cases set on a trial docket will be on the Friday before the trial period. Thereafter all pleas will be open pleas to the court unless there has been a significant change with the case.

The Defense attorney is to schedule the plea time and do a Notice of Hearing indicating the format the plea will be done (i.e., plea in absentia). Paperwork will need to be prepared as normal, notarized and fingerprints (if required) will need to be submitted and filed with the clerk prior to the plea date.

Please do not email or send Acknowledgement and Waiver of Rights forms and Pleas in Absentia to the judicial assistant. Instead, file these documents with the clerk 3 business days in advance of the hearing.

Pleas by Zoom

Pleading by Zoom

Please file the plea form with the clerk 3 business days in advance of the hearing. Please do not email or send the plea form to the judicial assistant.

Pleas in Absentia

If pleading in absentia, please file the appropriate forms with the clerk 3 business days in advance of the hearing. Please do not email or send the Plea in Absentia documents to the judicial assistant.

Fingerprints

If the charge to which the defendant is entering a plea is one that requires fingerprints, and the defendant is unable to obtain those fingerprints prior to the plea then an additional condition of probation will be for the defendant to procure fingerprints and file them with the Clerk of Court.

Scheduling/Canceling Pleas, Motions and Hearings

Filed Motion Required

All motions must be filed prior to reserving hearing time. Failure to file a motion but noticing an issue for hearing may result in the cancellation of hearing time.

Types of Hearings and How to Schedule

Judge Doyle has four kinds of hearing time, each with its own requirements for scheduling. All dates and times for these hearings are listed on the Court’s calendar, which is posted on the Criminal Division page and regularly updated. Below is the information on each court appearance and how to schedule:

Out of Custody Pleas and Motions

These are for hearings where your client is (a) out of custody or in custody and you waive your client’s presence, and (b) the length of the hearing is 30 minutes or less. This hearing can be scheduled either in Court or through the Judicial Automated Calendaring System (JACS). Hearings should not be scheduled last minute and JACS will not permit it online. All parties should be given at least two days’ notice before a hearing is set absent exceptional circumstances.

In Custody Pleas and Motions

This hearing time is for when your client is (a) in custody and (2) you wish for your client to be present via video feed from the jail. This hearing can be scheduled either in Court or through the Judicial Automated Calendaring System (JACS), under the hearing time specific for jail hearings. Hearings should not be scheduled last minute and JACS will not permit it online. All parties should be given at least two days’ notice before a hearing is set absent exceptional circumstances.

Special Set Pleas and Motions

This hearing time is for hearings (1) more than 30 minutes in length and/or (2) clients who are in jail and need to be transported to the courtroom for hearings. You must contact the judicial assistant to obtain a time slot for this court appearance. The moving party must first confer with opposing counsel to ensure all witnesses are available for the designated time slot. You may not use JACS to schedule this court appearance.

Court Scheduled Hearings

This hearing time is for hearings that both parties wish to schedule due to a time sensitive issue or a scheduling issue. The hearing can be of any length. The moving party must first get the agreement of opposing counsel for the date and time, then contact the judicial assistant to schedule. If the parties wish for an inmate Defendant to be present on video, the Court will make its best efforts to accommodate.

Caselaw and other Legal Authority

For any hearing, the party wishing the Court to consider legal authority shall submit their authority in hard copy format to Chambers at least three days prior to the hearing. A copy of the same shall be given to the opposing counsel within the same time frame. Parties may also submit hard copies of legal authority in person at the hearing.

Interpreters

If an interpreter is needed, you must arrange for the interpreter. The Twelfth Judicial Circuit provides interpreters for all court events, if requested properly in advance. Please see the Court Interpreter page for further guidance.

Traffic infractions (TR cases – Defendant last name A-K & O)

Judges Steele and Inman preside over all in – court traffic appearances. However, Judge Doyle handles all written orders and written requests from parties, including Motions to Consolidate infractions with County Criminal cases, for Defendants whose last name begins with A-K & O.

Pretrial Conference Continuance Form

Criminal pretrial conferences can be continued twice without the need for defense counsel to appear, provided the defense attorney has filed the pretrial conference continuance request form prior to the scheduled pretrial conference. Forms are available under the Manatee County tab on the Criminal Division page.

If you have continued the case twice before, you cannot continue it a third time without filing a Stipulation to Continue which sets forth the reason for the continuance. The Court will review the stipulation and indicate whether it is granted or denied, in which case the parties may schedule a Motion to Continue for hearing.

Should you file a continuance form, and the case has been continued numerous times, at the discretion of the Court, the case may be set for trial.

The Court will accept pleas at pretrial conference. The plea can be in person or on zoom.

In Person or Zoom

Defendants must appear at docket sounding. The appearance can be by Zoom unless otherwise ordered.

No motions of any kind, including motions to continue, will be heard at docket sounding. The purpose of docket sounding is to enter a plea or announce ready for trial. If the case is ready for trial the attorneys shall be prepared to advise the Court as to how many days the trial will last, the number of witnesses to be called and any witness scheduling conflicts.