Rule 8.000. SCOPE AND PURPOSE

RULE 8.000. SCOPE AND PURPOSE

These rules shall govern the procedures in the juvenile

division of the circuit court in the exercise of its jurisdiction under

Florida law.

Part II of these rules governs the procedures for delinquency

cases in the juvenile court. Part IV governs the procedures for

families and children in need of services cases in the juvenile court.

The Department of Juvenile Justice shall be referred to as the

“department” in these parts.

Part III of these rules governs the procedures for dependency

cases in the juvenile court. The Department of Children and Family

Services shall be referred to as the “department” in that part.

These rules are intended to provide a just, speedy, and

efficient determination of the procedures covered by them and shall

be construed to secure simplicity in procedure and fairness in

administration.

They shall be known as the Florida Rules of Juvenile

Procedure and may be cited as Fla. R. Juv. P.

When appropriate the use of singular nouns and pronouns

shall be construed to include the plural and the use of plural nouns

and pronouns shall be construed to include the singular.

Committee Notes

1991 Amendment. All rules have been edited for style and to

remove gender bias. The rules have been reorganized and

renumbered to correspond to the types and stages of juvenile

proceedings. Cross-references have been changed accordingly.

1992 Amendment. Scope and Purpose, previously found in

rules 8.000, 8.200, 8.600, and 8.700, has been consolidated into

one rule. Designations of subparts within the delinquency part of

the rules have been changed accordingly. Reference to the civil

January 1, 2026

Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure

Page 19 of 469

rules, previously found in rule 8.200, has been removed because

the rules governing dependency and termination of parental rights

proceedings are self-contained and no longer need to reference the

Florida Rules of Civil Procedure.