Charles L.W. Helm

All matters set for hearing in front of Judge Helm are held in person in Courtroom D.

The Court does not allow for participatory appearances by telephone or by Zoom unless a specific reason exists. Any request to appear telephonically or by Zoom must be filed in the form of a written motion and a hearing must be held a minimum of fifteen days prior to date requesting to gain authorization by the Court.

Interpreting services must be requested by the party that needs an interpreter well in advance of the hearing.

Click here to request an interpreter.

Motion to continue hearing

NO Unopposed Motions will be accepted. A written stipulation MAY be accepted for good cause and with reasonable notice (no less than 3 business days). If a continuance is granted, the moving party shall provide an Order of Continuance to the Court.

Cancellation of hearings

Noticed hearings may only be cancelled with the approval of the Court. If you wish to cancel a hearing that has been previously scheduled, you must e-mail Judge Helm’s Judicial Assistant at  ngugliotta@circuit5.org and state the reason for the cancellation. If the Court approves the hearing being cancelled, you will be asked to prepare and file a notice of cancellation.

Scheduling conflicts:

Attorneys occasionally have scheduling conflicts that require them to appear at the same time before two different judges. If that occurs, and the attorney cannot arrange for other counsel to represent the client’s interests, the attorney has an obligation to comply with Fla. R. Gen. Prac. and Jud. Admin. 2.550(c). That rule requires the attorney to give prompt written notice of the conflict to opposing counsel, the clerk of each court, and the presiding judge of each case.

If you are seeking a continuance based upon a scheduling conflict, you must comply with this rule of procedure. This will enable Judge Helm and the other judge to confer and undertake to avoid the conflict. Failure to comply with this rule may constitute grounds for denial of a motion for continuance.

Requesting a Hearing:

The Motion to be heard MUST be filed and a copy included with the request for hearing. Please e-mail Judge Helm’s Judicial Assistant at ngugliotta@circuit5.org and opposing counsel with the Case Number, Motion to be heard and amount of time requested. Our office will respond to both parties with open dates/times. Once date/time is confirmed by our office, party requesting hearing shall file Notice of Hearing. When preparing your Notice of Hearing, please include the docket number of the motion that will be heard.

ALL PROPOSED ORDERS shall be submitted for entry by email ONLY. Please do not send paper orders, as we endeavor to be a paperless office. The case style, including case number, shall be indicated in the subject line. PLEASE SUBMIT ORDERS IN WORD FORMAT (.docx) ONLY (NO PDF DOCUMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED).

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. This will allow for more expeditious consideration of the matter.

It is STRONGLY suggested that you do not send a proposed order until the matter has been heard.

Proposed orders may only be submitted in advance of scheduled hearings if the hearing date and time is specifically referenced.

Failure to follow these instructions shall 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 (Sumter 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: SumterJudgeHelmOrderSubmissions@circuit5.org

Please note that failure to comply with the above procedures shall result in the Proposed Orders being Rejected and a delay in processing your case(s).

Nancy Gugliotta, Judicial Assistant

Email: ngugliotta@circuit5.org

Please allow 48 hours for a response. Numerous, repeat e-mails are unnecessary and will only slow the response and processing of your hearing request or document processing.

It is necessary that you include opposing counsel on ALL correspondence to this office.