We are now dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Many attorneys and litigants lost—and some remain without—power in their homes and offices, and could be dealing with temporary and permanent loss of property, including, potentially, electronic and paper files. Many South Florida courts, including Broward and Miami, remained closed through Sept. 15 and did not re-open until Sept. 18. This begs the question: what is the impact of Florida court closures on filing deadlines, and in particular, the deadline to timely file original civil actions and appeals?
As Irma was approaching and courts were closed, Florida Supreme Court Justice Jorge Labarga signed an administrative order on Sept. 6, which relieved parties in “all pending cases” statewide by “extending legal time limits that they otherwise would have been unable to meet due to Hurricane Irma.” The order states that “all time limits prescribed or allowed by rule of procedure, court order, statutes applicable to court proceedings, or otherwise pertaining to court proceedings are extended from the close of business on Thursday, Sept. 7, until the close of business on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017.”
