Court Rules
Judge Helene L. Daniel
Judge

Judge Helene L. Daniel

Individual Rules, Standing Orders & Policies

Rules last changed:
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Hillsborough County

Limits & Logistics

Document Limits

DocumentsCourt-wide
10 pgs
BriefCourt-wide
25 pgs

Courtesy Copies

Motion

  • Email • Immediately Upon Filing

Chambers Copy

Court-wide

Courtesy copies

Court-wide

Extraordinary Writ Petition

Court-wide
  • Immediately Upon Filing

Adjournments

Court-wide

Request must include

Reason For RequestProposed New Dates
48Hoursnotice
5Working Daysnotice

Communication

Email

Chambers

gencivdivh@fljud13.org
Scheduling
Email
Court-wide

Clerk

legalbailbonds@hillsclerk.com
Email
Court-wide

Clerk

ilbonds@hillsclerk.com
Email
Court-wide

Clerk

bonds@hillsclerk.com
Email
Court-wide
Scheduling
Phone
Court-wide

Chambers

Scheduling
Filters:AllMandatoryImportantFormattingProposed OrdersConferencesLettersMemoranda

Document Format Requirements3 rules

Formatting

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026Mandatory

The Uniform Order Setting Trial and Pre-Trial must be submitted in PDF format only.

Upload the Uniform Order Setting Trial and Pre-Trial through the e-portal in pdf format ONLY.

Required Format

PDF

Formatting

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026Mandatory

Proposed orders are required to be in PDF format when uploaded to the e-portal.

Proposed Orders must be uploaded in pdf format through the e-portal. Proposed Orders uploaded in WORD are rejected automatically by the e-portal.

Required Format

PDF

Hillsborough:1ba073569ec8124a7c72899c · Apr 2021
|SecCircuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten
Formatting

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026Mandatory

An agreed pretrial conference order must be emailed to the judicial assistant in Word format before the pretrial conference date.

An agreed Pre-Trial Conference Order shall be emailed to the JA in word format before the date of the PTC.

Required Format

DOCX

Document Filing Requirements6 rules

Filing Requirements

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026Mandatory

An agreed proposed order must be uploaded through the portal in PDF format with a cover letter identifying the hearing date and confirming party agreement.

Proposed orders that are agreed upon by the parties are to be uploaded through the portal in PDF format. Please include a reminder of the date of the hearing in the cover letter, and if the Order is agreed to by the parties.

Document Type

Proposed Order

Specific requirements detailed in rule text.
Hillsborough:1ba073569ec8124a7c72899c · Apr 2021
|SecCircuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten
Filing Requirements

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026Mandatory

Every notice of hearing must include the hearing date and time, reserved duration, motion titles and document numbers, and the appropriate Zoom or in-person location information.

All Notices of Hearing shall include: Date and time to be heard Amount of time reserved for the hearing Title of each motion and doc # to be heard Zoom or In Person – Zoom hearings should only include the zoom info and not the courthouse address. In Person hearings should include the courthouse address and should not include any zoom info.

Document Type

Notice Of Hearing

Specific requirements detailed in rule text.
Hillsborough:1ba073569ec8124a7c72899c · Apr 2021
|SecCircuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten
Filing Requirements

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026Mandatory

Every notice of hearing must include the filing date and docket number of the matter scheduled for hearing.

In all notices of hearing, please put the date filed and docket number of the matter being called up for hearing.

Document Type

Notice Of Hearing

Specific requirements detailed in rule text.
Hillsborough:1ba073569ec8124a7c72899c · Apr 2021
|SecCircuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten
Filing Requirements

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026Mandatory

Any attorney or pro se party that used AI in preparing a filing must disclose that use in a clear factual statement and certify that all legal and record citations were verified as accurate.

If any attorney or pro se party has used Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) in the preparation of any complaint, answer, motion, brief, or other paper filed with the Court, and assigned to Judge Daniel, MUST, in a clear and plain factual statement, disclosure that AI has been used in any way in the filing, and CERTIFY, that each and every citation to the law or the record in the paper, has been verified as accurate.

Document Type

Filing

Content & Formatting
Ai Disclosure
Filing Requirements

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026Mandatory

For disputed orders, one email to the judicial assistant must include a cover letter describing the differences, the hearing date, and Word versions of the competing orders.

In the case of orders NOT agreed to, please submit one email to the JA at gencivdivh@fljud13.org containing a cover letter which describes the differences in the Orders, a reminder of the hearing date, and WORD versions of the competing orders for the Court’s review and editing; the Court will upload and sign an order on the hearing.

Document Type

Proposed Order

Specific requirements detailed in rule text.
Hillsborough:1ba073569ec8124a7c72899c · Apr 2021
|SecCircuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten
Filing Requirements

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026Important

The trial order must state that the pretrial conference is in person.

Insert that the PTC is IN PERSON in the trial order.

Document Type

Trial Order

Specific requirements detailed in rule text.

Filing & Service rules

Electronic Filing Rules

Proposed orders must be uploaded to the e-portal in PDF format, and Word versions are automatically rejected.

Proposed Orders must be uploaded in pdf format through the e-portal. Proposed Orders uploaded in WORD are rejected automatically by the e-portal.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026

Page 1 | Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

The Uniform Order Setting Trial and Pre-Trial must be uploaded through the e-portal in PDF format only.

Upload the Uniform Order Setting Trial and Pre-Trial through the e-portal in pdf format ONLY.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026

Page 1 | Schedule

Filing Timing and Cure Windows

Authority and other documents intended for the court's consideration must be filed at least three business days before the hearing or earlier if applicable rules require an earlier date.

All authority or other documents you would like the Court to consider MUST be filed in the Court file no fewer than 3 business days, prior to the hearing, or as specified by the applicable Rules, whichever is earlier.

We could not find this wording in the court's document. Open the source before relying on it.

Page 1 | Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

Courtesy Copy Requirements

After an emergency motion is filed and properly flagged, a courtesy copy must be emailed to the judicial assistant.

After the motion is filed with the clerk and properly flagged as an emergency pursuant to Administrative Order S-2024-046, Paragraph 19 (B), please email the JA with a courtesy copy so the Court is aware of the need to act on the Motion.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.

Page 1 | Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

Filing Bundling Requirements

For UMC Hearings lasting 5-7 minutes and CMC Hearings lasting 15 or 30 minutes, do not submit binders or other paper documents to Chambers.

For UMC Hearings 5-7 minutes, CMCHearings 15 and 30 minutes long (this includes all hearings that are 30 minutes or shorter): NO MORE BINDERS PLEASE. Do not submit any binders or other paper documents to Chambers for short hearing as outlined above.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.

Page 1 | Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

For hearings lasting 45 minutes or longer, hearing binders may be submitted by regular mail or courthouse drop-off at least three business days before the hearing, but not by email.

For Hearings 45 minutes and longer: Hearing binders may be provided to the Court at least 3 business days prior to the hearing and must be submitted via regular mail or dropped off at the courthouse. No Emails.

We could not find this wording in the court's document. Open the source before relying on it.

Page 1 | Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

Chambers Communication Rules

The party scheduling a hearing must promptly notify the judicial assistant, opposing party or counsel, and any scheduled court reporter if the hearing is cancelled or rescheduled.

If any hearing is being cancelled or rescheduled, the attorney or self-represented party that scheduled the hearing MUST notify the judge’s judicial assistant at gencivdivh@fljud13.org , the opposing counsel or opposing party and the court reporter, if one was reserved/scheduled as soon as possible.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 1, 2026

Page 1 | Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

The judicial assistant must be emailed to schedule a certain trial date for non-jury trials.

For Non-Jury trials, please email JA and we will schedule the trial date certain.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026

Page 1 | Schedule

Requests or messages to the judicial assistant must be sent by email with all other parties copied.

Please email the JA at gencivdivh@fljud13.org and copy all other parties with your request or message.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026

Page 1 | Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

The judicial assistant must be emailed to confirm availability for agreed trial and pretrial conference dates.

Email JA to confirm availability for agreed Trial and PTC dates.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026

Page 1 | Schedule

A request for a hearing longer than 30 minutes requires contacting the judicial assistant for availability.

Anyone requesting a hearing of longer than 30 minutes must contact the JA for availability.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 1, 2026

Page 1 | Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

Parties may email the judicial assistant to request an in-person hearing, non-jury trial, or evidentiary hearing.

Parties who need an in-person hearing, non-jury trial or evidentiary hearing may contact the JA at gencivdivh@fljud13.org.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026

Page 1 | Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

Pro se litigants may email the judicial assistant to obtain hearing availability.

Pro Se litigants may email the JA for hearing availability.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 1, 2026

Page 1 | Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

Pretrial conferences must be in person, each party must have at least one trial counsel present, and an agreed pretrial conference order must be emailed to the judicial assistant in Word format before the conference.

All Pre-trials will be in person only. At least one trial counsel per party must appear at the pretrial conference. An agreed Pre-Trial Conference Order shall be emailed to the JA in word format before the date of the PTC.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.

Page 1 | Additional Procedures

Court-wide rules

Applies court-wide

These 727 rules apply across Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Hillsborough County. Where this judge's own standing orders above address the same topic, the judge's requirement controls.

Filing Requirements

All 259
  • Applies to
    Notice of cancellation

    A foreclosure hearing notice of cancellation must explain the reason for cancellation.

  • Applies to
    Annual accounting

    The annual accounting submitted to VA must include an original and one copy, be balanced and notarized, and include Certificates of Balance on Deposit.

  • Applies to
    Annual accounting

    After its audit, VA must attach the VA Certification of Audit and Approval of Annual Accounting to the original accounting and forward it to the clerk for court filing.

Filing Timing

All 126
  • Deadline
    24 hours

    A hearing canceled more than 24 hours before its scheduled time must be canceled by the scheduling party through JAWS.

  • A hearing scheduled through the court's divisional email must be canceled by submitting a Notice of Cancellation through that email address.

  • A foreclosure hearing canceled fewer than 20 days beforehand requires a filed written notice explaining the cancellation.

Service

All 93
  • A copy of the Civil Cover Sheet and Addendum must be served on every party together with the original process.

  • Applies to
    Proposed order and final judgment

    An opposed proposed order or final judgment must be served on the opposing party and submitted to the judicial assistant by U.S. mail, courier, or hand delivery.

  • Applies to
    Motion

    The party must attach the clerk’s Statement of Available Registry Funds to the motion for disbursement of funds and file and serve the motion on all parties and the clerk’s legal counsel.

E-Filing

All 68
  • Applies to
    Proposed order and final judgment

    Unopposed proposed orders and final judgments, with an appropriate cover letter, should be submitted through the Portal for electronic signature when the stated agreement, objection, or contraband-forfeiture conditions are met.

  • Applies to
    Proposed order and final judgment

    Portal submission is unavailable for proposed orders and judgments when an entitled recipient cannot be served by email, except for the stated foreclosure-final-judgment exception.

  • Applies to
    Proposed order and final judgment

    A proposed order or final judgment must be submitted to the presiding judge only once; Portal and paper submissions may not both be used.

About Judge Helene L. Daniel

The Honorable Helene L. Daniel --- #### Year elected to the Bench: 2020 Commissioned in January 2021 #### Assignments: - General Circuit Civil – Division H - Tampa - General Civil and Family Law – Division R – Plant City - Administrative Judge, East Circuit – Plant City #### Education - Law School: Juris Doctor, Nova University College of Law - Undergraduate: Bachelor of Arts, Stetson University, Foreign Languages #### Professional Activities - American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) - Past President, Hillsborough Association of Women Lawyers - Member, Hillsborough Association of Women Lawyers - Member, Hillsborough County Bar Association - Member, Tampa Sister Cities Organization - Member, International Association of Women Judges - Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator - Judicial Chair, Southwest Region, Mediation Qualification Disciplinary Review Board, 2022-Present - Judicial Master, The William Reece Smith, Jr., Litigation Inn of Court, 2020-2021; 2023-Present - Barrister, Ferguson-White Inn of Court, 2009-2011 - Appointed to the Florida Bar Grievance Committee for the 13th Judicial Circuit, 2005-2008 - Director, National Conference of Women Bar Association, 2009-2011 - Rated AV-Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell® (while in private practice)

**Edgecomb Courthouse** - 800 E. Twiggs St., Room #521 - Tampa, Florida 33602 - Courtroom #502 - Judicial Assistant: Tammy Farina - Phone: (813) 272-6972 - Email: gencivdivh@fljud13.org

Common questions about Judge Helene L. Daniel's rules

Are courtesy copies required for Judge Helene L. Daniel?

Courtesy-copy rule applies for motions. Details: delivery immediately upon filing, by email. After an emergency motion is filed and properly flagged, a courtesy copy must be emailed to the judicial assistant.

View ruleSource: page 1, section Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

What formatting rules apply to filings before Judge Helene L. Daniel?

Judge Helene L. Daniel's formatting rule includes file format PDF. The Uniform Order Setting Trial and Pre-Trial must be submitted in PDF format only.

View ruleSource: page 1, section Schedule

What must be included with notice of hearing filings before Judge Helene L. Daniel?

The rule identifies required filing content or certificates. Every notice of hearing must include the filing date and docket number of the matter scheduled for hearing.

View ruleSource: page 1, section Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

What must be included with proposed order filings before Judge Helene L. Daniel?

The rule identifies required filing content or certificates. An agreed proposed order must be uploaded through the portal in PDF format with a cover letter identifying the hearing date and confirming party agreement.

View ruleSource: page 1, section Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

How may parties contact Judge Helene L. Daniel's chambers?

The rule addresses email communications with Judge Helene L. Daniel's chambers. The rule lists email gencivdivh@fljud13.org. The party scheduling a hearing must promptly notify the judicial assistant, opposing party or counsel, and any scheduled court reporter if the hearing is cancelled or rescheduled.

View ruleSource: page 1, section Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

Does Judge Helene L. Daniel require motion papers to be bundled?

No. The rule prohibits holding covered papers for bundling. For UMC Hearings lasting 5-7 minutes and CMC Hearings lasting 15 or 30 minutes, do not submit binders or other paper documents to Chambers.

View ruleSource: page 1, section Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten

Is electronic filing required before Judge Helene L. Daniel?

Yes. Electronic filing is required for the covered filings. The Uniform Order Setting Trial and Pre-Trial must be uploaded through the e-portal in PDF format only.

View ruleSource: page 1, section Schedule

What filing deadlines does Judge Helene L. Daniel set?

Authority and other documents intended for the court's consideration must be filed at least three business days before the hearing or earlier if applicable rules require an earlier date.

View ruleSource: page 1, section Circuit Civil Division H Preferences - The Top Ten
Complete rules summary for Judge Helene L. Daniel

The judicial assistant must be emailed to confirm availability for agreed trial and pretrial conference dates.

The trial order must state that the pretrial conference is in person.

The Uniform Order Setting Trial and Pre-Trial must be uploaded through the e-portal in PDF format only.

The Uniform Order Setting Trial and Pre-Trial must be submitted in PDF format only.

The judicial assistant must be emailed to schedule a certain trial date for non-jury trials.

Parties may email the judicial assistant to request an in-person hearing, non-jury trial, or evidentiary hearing.

Pro se litigants may email the judicial assistant to obtain hearing availability.

A request for a hearing longer than 30 minutes requires contacting the judicial assistant for availability.

Every notice of hearing must include the filing date and docket number of the matter scheduled for hearing.

Proposed orders must be uploaded to the e-portal in PDF format, and Word versions are automatically rejected.

Proposed orders are required to be in PDF format when uploaded to the e-portal.

An agreed proposed order must be uploaded through the portal in PDF format with a cover letter identifying the hearing date and confirming party agreement.

For disputed orders, one email to the judicial assistant must include a cover letter describing the differences, the hearing date, and Word versions of the competing orders.

Requests or messages to the judicial assistant must be sent by email with all other parties copied.

For UMC Hearings lasting 5-7 minutes and CMC Hearings lasting 15 or 30 minutes, do not submit binders or other paper documents to Chambers.

Authority and other documents intended for the court's consideration must be filed at least three business days before the hearing or earlier if applicable rules require an earlier date.

For hearings lasting 45 minutes or longer, hearing binders may be submitted by regular mail or courthouse drop-off at least three business days before the hearing, but not by email.

After an emergency motion is filed and properly flagged, a courtesy copy must be emailed to the judicial assistant.

The party scheduling a hearing must promptly notify the judicial assistant, opposing party or counsel, and any scheduled court reporter if the hearing is cancelled or rescheduled.

Every notice of hearing must include the hearing date and time, reserved duration, motion titles and document numbers, and the appropriate Zoom or in-person location information.

Pretrial conferences must be in person, each party must have at least one trial counsel present, and an agreed pretrial conference order must be emailed to the judicial assistant in Word format before the conference.

An agreed pretrial conference order must be emailed to the judicial assistant in Word format before the pretrial conference date.

Any attorney or pro se party that used AI in preparing a filing must disclose that use in a clear factual statement and certify that all legal and record citations were verified as accurate.

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