SB0452 • 2026

Family Court Report Cards

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Bernard
Last action: 2026-03-13
Official status: Senate - Died in Judiciary
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's status contradicts the provided metadata; it is marked as 'Passed Legislature' but actually died in committee.

Family Court Report Cards

This bill requires the Office of the State Courts Administrator to create and publish annual report cards for each family court judge in Florida.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Office of the State Courts Administrator to make an annual report card for every family court judge.
Includes information like how long cases take, how many are settled without going to trial, and other performance metrics.
Makes these reports available online so anyone can see them.
Does not include personal details about people involved in the cases.

Who It Names or Affects

Family court judges
People who use family courts

Terms To Know

Judicial circuit: A specific area where a group of courts operate, like a county or set of counties.
Litigants: People who are involved in legal cases as parties.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill did not pass the legislature and died in committee.
It does not specify how judges will be evaluated or what happens if they do poorly on their report cards.

Bill History

2026-03-13 Senate
• Died in Judiciary
2026-01-13 Senate
• Introduced
2025-12-01 Senate
• Referred to Judiciary; Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice; Fiscal Policy
2025-11-12 Senate
• Filed

Official Summary Text

Family Court Report Cards; Requiring the Office of the State Courts Administrator to prepare and publish on its website an annual family court report card for each family court judge in each judicial circuit; requiring the office to maintain a publicly accessible online database of the report cards and to submit an annual summary to the Legislature; prohibiting the report cards from containing certain personal identifying information, etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Florida Senate
-
2026

SB 452

By
Senator Bernard

24-00735A-26 2026452__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to family court report cards; creating
3 s. 25.396, F.S.; requiring the Office of the State
4 Courts Administrator to prepare and publish on its
5 website an annual family court report card for each
6 family court judge in each judicial circuit; providing
7 a purpose for the report card; requiring that the
8 report card include specified information; requiring
9 the office to maintain a publicly accessible online
10 database of the report cards and to submit an annual
11 summary to the Legislature; prohibiting the report
12 cards from containing certain personal identifying
13 information; authorizing the Supreme Court to adopt
14 rules; providing an effective date.
15
16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
18 Section 1. Section 25.396, Florida Statutes, is created to
19 read:
20
25.396
Family court report cards
.—

21
(1)

ANNUAL PUBLICATION.—Beginning July 1, 2027, and

22
annually each July 1 thereafter, the Office of the State Courts

23
Administrator shall prepare and publish on its website an annual

24
family court report card for each individual family court judge

25
in each judicial circuit.

26
(2)

PURPOSE.—The report card is intended to promote

27
transparency, accountability, and public confidence in the

28
family law system by providing standardized performance metrics

29
regarding case management, timeliness, and outcomes.

30
(3)

METRICS.—At a minimum, each report card must include

31
all of the following:

32
(a)

The average time to final judgment in dissolution and

33
time-sharing cases.

34
(b)

The percentage of cases resolved through mediation or

35
settlement.

36
(c)

The number and percentage of cases requiring court

37
appointed psychological evaluations.

38
(d)

The average cost to parties for court-appointed

39
professionals, if such data is available.

40
(e)

The rate of post-judgment modifications within 3 years

41
after entry of final judgment.

42
(f)

Compliance rate with statutory timeframes for rulings

43
on motions and reports.

44
(g)

The aggregate reversal rate on appeal in family law

45
cases.

46
(4)

PUBLIC ACCESS.—The Office of the State Courts

47
Administrator shall maintain a publicly accessible, searchable,

48
online database of report cards and submit an annual summary to

49
the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of

50
Representatives.

51
(5)

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.—Report cards may not contain

52
personal identifying information about litigants or minor

53
children.

54
(6)

RULEMAKING.—The Supreme Court may adopt rules to

55
implement this section, including data collection and reporting

56
standards.

57 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.