George L. Singeltary II

Parties requesting a hearing shall send an email request to Erika Torres at etorres@circuit5.org as hearings are not scheduled by telephone.  The e-mail should be copied to all other parties in the action and include the case number, county where the case is pending, the name of the motion to be heard, and the total length of time requested.  You will then receive a list of available dates and times for the hearing.  Only upon each party’s agreement to a specific date and time should you send an email to Erika Torres at etorres@circuit5.org confirming the selection of a date and time.  Hearing times are set on a first come, first served basis.  The coordinating party must provide the Court with a courtesy copy of the Notice of Hearing to finalize the hearing selection. The Notice of Hearing should include the following: the parties name, case number, the name, filing date, and docket number for each motion to be heard, the amount of time reserved, and lastly the Courtroom location (Courtroom D (subject to change)) and/or the Zoom information (provided during scheduling).

In cases where the parties are unable to obtain agreement as to when a motion should be heard, the moving party shall file a motion, copied to opposing counsel, memorializing the interactions of the parties and the previously relayed dates and times proposed.  The Court will then select a date and time that allows for reasonable preparation while avoiding unnecessary delay for the parties or the case.  See Florida Rule of General Practice and Procedure 2.545.

Each party is responsible for guaranteeing that enough time has been requested to allow all parties to reasonably present their case.

Virtual Hearings
To request a Zoom link, email the Judicial Assistant at etorres@circuit5.org with the party’s name and case number, the reason for the request, and the date of the proceeding.

To cancel a hearing or trial

1. You must contact the Judicial Assistant at etorres@circuit5.org to notify the Court of the cancellation and state the reason for cancellation.

2. If a Notice of Hearing has been filed, you must prepare a Notice of Cancellation and file it with the Clerk’s office and notify the other parties.

3. You must also send a copy of the Notice of Cancellation to the Judge’s office to etorres@circuit5.org.

To continue a hearing or trial

1. You must contact the Judicial Assistant at etorres@circuit5.org to notify the court of the request to continue.

2. The proper motion must be filed with the Clerk’s office.

3. You must schedule a hearing on your motion or have consent from all parties to continue. There is no guarantee the court will continue the hearing or trial.

4. The Judicial Assistant will provide you with alternative dates and times to coordinate with the other party or parties, if appropriate.

5. Once the date is coordinated, you must contact the Judicial Assistant to actually put it on the calendar.

6. You must prepare an Amended Order Setting Trial.

In-Person hearings: All evidence must be available at the start of the hearing and ready to be submitted. All evidence shall be hard copies and the party wanting to submit said evidence is required to have a minimum of three (3) copies to present (one for yourself, one for the opposing party, and one for the court, if admitted).

Virtual/Zoom hearings: All evidence must be pre-marked by the Citrus County Clerk’s Office. To do so, you will need to call (352) 341-6424 (please listen to all options and select the option that says “Evidence and Jury”) and set up an appointment for you to come in-person. Once completed, you will then need to mail in said evidence at least ten (10) business days in advance of the hearing. If your evidence exceeds fifty (50) pages, then you will need to mail in evidence fifteen (15) days in advance as follows: Attn: Circuit Judge George L. Singeltary II at 110 North Apopka Avenue #101, Inverness, FL 34450. If you are unable to do make an appointment to pre-mark your evidence, you will need to mark/tab and provide an index of your evidence as follows: The petitioner’s evidence should be marked for identification using a numerical designation, and if admitted, it will then receive an alphabetical designation. The respondent’s evidence should be marked for identification using an alphabetical designation, and if admitted, it will then receive a numerical identification. Please be aware our office will not be responsible for printing, copying, tabbing, and indexing your evidence.

The Court will not review submitted evidence prior to the trial and will not review the evidence unless properly admitted. See Wilson v. Armstrong, 686 So. 2d 647, 648 (Fla. 1st DCA 1996) (“Canon 3 excludes all ex parte communications with all judges in all judicial proceedings, except when expressly authorized by law” (citing Inquiry Concerning Miller, 655 So. 2d 75, 78 (Fla. 1994); Inquiry Concerning Clayton, 504 So. 2d 394, 395 (Fla. 1987))).”

ALL PROPOSED ORDERS shall be submitted for entry by email ONLY. Please do not send paper orders. The case style, including case number, shall be indicated in the subject line. PLEASE SUBMIT ORDERS IN WORD FORMAT (.docx) ONLY (The only PDF documents accepted will be the attachments for your order, such as Exhibits, Marital Settlement Agreement’s, Parenting Plan’s, etc.).

PLEASE DO NOT FORMAT THE PROPOSED ORDERS WITH THE CODES FOR SUBMISSION THROUGH THE E-PORTAL.

Proposed orders must include a copy of the motion, a cover letter that identifies the hearing it relates to and whether the order is agreed-upon by all parties.

Failure to follow these instructions may result in your e-mail/proposed order being rejected.

ALL PROPOSED ORDERS shall include a certificate of service in compliance with Florida Rule of General Practice and Procedure 2.516.  The certificate of service shall contain language substantially similar to the following:

“I HEREBY CERTIFY that a true and correct copy of the foregoing has been provided through electronic service and/or regular U.S. mail to the following parties.” The parties shall then be listed. Please do not split the certificate of service on 2 pages.

Failure to provide the required certificate of service shall result in the Court’s rejection of the proposed order.

Please double-check your orders to ensure the caption includes the correct circuit (Fifth Judicial Circuit) and county (Citrus County).

In cases involving a self-represented litigant who is not participating in electronic service through the e-filing portal, the proposed order must include language that the represented party will serve the order through regular U.S. mail on the self-represented party and certify said service through a filed notice of service within five (5) days of the entry of the order.  This provision is an effort to eliminate the costs of providing copies and self-addressed stamped envelopes to the Court with proposed orders.  Failure to include this language shall result in the Court’s rejection of the proposed order and request for a new order.

For Order submission, please email: JudgeSingeltaryProposedOrders@circuit5.org

Please note that failure to comply with the above procedures may result in the proposed orders being rejected and a delay in processing your case(s).

All other parties to the case (or their attorneys, if they are represented) must be copied on all correspondence to the Judicial Assistant at etorres@circuit5.org. These guidelines apply to all communications with the Judicial Assistant, including scheduling hearings and submitting proposed orders.

The Code of Judicial Conduct governing behavior by judges forbids judges from discussing pending cases with the public. Please do not call or email the court expecting to speak with a Judge about any case. The court is only allowed to consider arguments made in the courtroom and in documents properly filed by actual parties in the case as authorized by law and the Rules of Court. The court cannot ethically read or consider any other opinions or arguments about the case. Communications that do not meet these legal requirements cannot be forwarded to the Judge.

The Judicial Assistant is not authorized to provide legal advice. When the judicial assistant is out of the office, your message will be acknowledged as received with an indication of when to expect a substantive response.

• Order Setting Trial