TBD | DOAH FACs (All-in-One)

28-106.101 FAC | SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

This chapter shall apply in all proceedings in which the substantial interests of a party are determined by the agency and shall be construed to secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every proceeding. This chapter applies to all proceedings under Chapter 120 except as follows:

(1) Where the agency has adopted rules covering the subject matter pursuant to Section 120.54(5)(a)2., F.S.;

(2) Agency investigations or determinations of probable cause preliminary to agency action; and

(3) Mediation conducted pursuant to Section 120.573, F.S. The notice provisions in Rule 28-106.111 and Part IV, F.A.C., of this subchapter apply to such mediation.

28-106.102 FAC | PRESIDING OFFICER

“Presiding officer” means an agency head, or member thereof, who conducts a hearing or proceeding on behalf of the agency, an administrative law judge assigned by the Division of Administrative Hearings, or any other person authorized by law to conduct administrative hearings or proceedings who is qualified to resolve the legal issues and procedural questions which may arise.

28-106.103 FAC | COMPUTATION OF TIME

In computing any period of time allowed by this chapter, by order of a presiding officer, or by any applicable statute, the day of the act from which the period of time begins to run shall not be included. The last day of the period shall be included unless it is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, in which event the period shall run until the end of the next day which is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. When the period of time allowed is less than 7 days, intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays shall be excluded in the computation. As used in these rules, legal holiday means those days designated in Section 110.117, F.S. Except as provided in Rule 28-106.217, F.A.C., five days shall be added to the time limits when service has been made by regular U.S. mail. One business day shall be added when service is made by overnight courier. No additional time shall be added if service is made by hand, facsimile transmission, or electronic mail or when the period of time begins pursuant to a type of notice described in Rule 28-106.111, F.A.C.

28-106.104 FAC | FILING

(1) In construing these rules or any order of a presiding officer, filing shall mean received by the office of the agency clerk during normal business hours or by the presiding officer during the course of a hearing.

(2) All pleadings filed with the agency shall contain the following:

(a) The style of the proceeding involved;

(b) The docket, case or file number, if any;

(c) The name of the party on whose behalf the pleading is filed;

(d) The name, address, any e-mail address, and telephone number of the person filing the pleading;

(e) The signature of the person filing the pleading; and

(f) A certificate of service that copies have been furnished to all other parties as required by subsection (4) of this rule.

(3) Any document received by the office of the agency clerk before 5:00 p.m. shall be filed as of that day but any document received after 5:00 p.m. shall be filed as of 8:00 a.m. on the next regular business day.

(4) Whenever a party files a pleading or other document with the agency, that party shall serve copies of the pleading or other document upon all other parties to the proceeding. A certificate of service shall accompany each pleading or other document filed with the agency.

(5) All parties, if they are not represented, or their attorneys or qualified representatives shall promptly notify all other parties and the presiding officer of any changes to their contact information by filing a notice of the change.

(6) All papers filed shall be titled to indicate clearly the subject matter of the paper and the party requesting relief.

(7) All original pleadings shall be on white paper measuring 8 1/2 by 11 inches, with margins of no less than one inch. Originals shall be printed or typewritten.

(8) A document shall be filed by only one method (e-filing, facsimile, courier, hand-delivery, or U.S. mail) and shall not be filed multiple times. A duplicate filing will not be docketed and will be destroyed.

28-106.105 FAC | APPEARANCE

(1) Counsel or qualified representatives who file a request for a hearing involving disputed issues of material fact with the agency have entered an appearance in the proceeding and shall be deemed counsel or qualified representative of record. All others who seek to appear shall file a notice of appearance as soon as possible.

(2) Service on counsel of record or on a qualified representative shall be the equivalent of service on the party represented.

(3) On written motion served on the party represented and all other parties of record, the presiding officer shall grant counsel of record and qualified representatives leave to withdraw for good cause shown. The motion shall contain the address, any e-mail address, and telephone number of the party represented.

(4) A qualified representative who has filed an initial pleading or notice of appearance for a party shall be deemed the qualified representative of record until the presiding officer makes the determination required by Rule 28-106.106, F.A.C.

28-106.106 FAC | WHO MAY APPEAR; CRITERIA FOR QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES

(1) Any party who appears in any agency proceeding has the right, at his or her own expense, to be represented by counsel or by a qualified representative. Counsel means a member of The Florida Bar or a law student certified pursuant to Chapter 11 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar. An attorney disbarred in any state shall not be authorized to serve as a qualified representative.

(2)

(a) A party seeking representation by a qualified representative shall file a written request with the presiding officer as soon as practicable, but no later than any pleading filed by the person seeking to appear on behalf of the party. The request shall identify the name, address, e-mail adress, and telephone number of the representative and shall state that the party is aware of the services which the representative can provide, and is aware that the party can be represented by counsel at the party’s own expense and has chosen otherwise.

(b) The presiding officer shall consider whether the representative is qualified to appear in the administrative proceeding and capable of representing the rights and interests of the party. The presiding officer may consider a representative’s sworn affidavit setting forth the representative’s qualifications.

(c) The presiding officer shall determine the qualifications of the representative within a reasonable time after the request required by paragraph (a) is filed.

(3) The presiding officer shall authorize the representative to appear if the presiding officer is satisfied that the representative has the necessary qualifications to responsibly represent the party’s interests in a manner which will not impair the fairness of the proceeding or the correctness of the action to be taken.

(4) The presiding officer shall make a determination of the qualifications of the representative in light of the nature of the proceedings and the applicable law. The presiding officer shall consider:

(a) The representative’s knowledge of jurisdiction;

(b) The representative’s knowledge of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure relating to discovery in an administrative proceeding;

(c) The representative’s knowledge regarding the rules of evidence, including the concept of hearsay in an administrative proceeding;

(d) The representative’s knowledge regarding the factual and legal issues involved in the proceedings; and

(e) The representative’s knowledge of and compliance with the Standards of Conduct for Qualified Representatives, Rule 28-106.107, F.A.C.

(5) If the presiding officer determines a representative is not qualified, the reasons for the decision shall be in writing and included in the record.

28-106.107 FAC | STANDARDS OF CONDUCT FOR QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES

The following standards of conduct are mandatory for all qualified representatives.

(1) A representative shall exercise due diligence to insure that any motion or pleading is filed and argued in good faith.

(2) A representative shall advise the client to obey the law.

(3) A representative shall not:

(a) Engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation;

(b) Engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice;

(c) Handle a matter which the representative knows or should know that he or she is not competent to handle;

(d) Handle a legal or factual matter without adequate preparation;

(e) Communicate, or cause another to communicate, as to the merits of the proceeding with the presiding officer except on the record or in writing with a copy promptly delivered to the opposing party; or

(f) Communicate with an adverse party regarding matters at issue in the administrative proceeding where the representative knows that the adverse party is represented by an attorney or other qualified representative.

(4) Failure to comply with these provisions shall authorize the presiding officer to disqualify the representative appearing in the administrative proceeding.

28-106.108 FAC | CONSOLIDATION

If there are separate matters which involve similar issues of law or fact, or identical parties, the matters may be consolidated if it appears that consolidation would promote the just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution of the proceedings, and would not unduly prejudice the rights of a party.

28-106.109 FAC | NOTICE TO INTERESTED PARTIES

If it appears that the determination of the rights of parties in a proceeding will necessarily involve a determination of the substantial interests of persons who are not parties, the presiding officer may enter an order requiring that the absent person be notified of the proceeding and be given an opportunity to be joined as a party of record.

28-106.110 FAC | SERVICE OF PAPERS

Unless the presiding officer otherwise orders, every pleading and every other paper filed in a proceeding, except applications for witness subpoenas, shall be served on each party or the party’s representative at the last address of record.

28-106.111 FAC | POINT OF ENTRY INTO PROCEEDINGS AND MEDIATION

(1) The notice of agency decision shall contain the information required by Section 120.569(1), F.S. The notice shall also advise whether mediation under Section 120.573, F.S., is available, and if available, that pursuit of mediation will not adversely affect the right to administrative proceedings in the event mediation does not result in a settlement.

(2) Unless otherwise provided by law, persons seeking a hearing on an agency decision which does or may determine their substantial interests shall file a petition for hearing with the agency within 21 days of receipt of written notice of the decision.

(3) An agency may, for good cause shown, grant a request for an extension of time for filing an initial pleading. Requests for extension of time must be filed with the agency prior to the applicable deadline. Such requests for extensions of time shall contain a certificate that the moving party has consulted with all other parties, if any, concerning the extension and that the agency and any other parties agree to or oppose the extension. A timely request for extension of time shall toll the running of the time period for filing a petition until the request is acted upon.

(4) Any person who receives written notice of an agency decision and who fails to file a written request for a hearing within 21 days waives the right to request a hearing on such matters. This provision does not eliminate the availability of equitable tolling as a defense.

(5) The agency may publish, and any person who has timely requested mediation may, at the person’s own expense, cause the agency to publish, a notice of the existence of the mediation proceeding in the Florida Administrative Register or in a newspaper of general circulation in the affected area. The mediation notice can be included in the notice of intended agency action.

1. A statement that the mediation could result in a settlement adopted by final agency action;

2. A statement that the final action arising from mediation may be different from the intended action set forth in the notice which resulted in a timely request for mediation;

3. A statement that any person whose substantial interests may be affected by the outcome of the mediation shall within 21 days of the notice of mediation proceeding file a request with the agency to participate in the mediation; and

4. An explanation of the procedures for filing such a request.

(a) The notice of the mediation proceeding shall include:

1. A statement that the mediation could result in a settlement adopted by final agency action;

2. A statement that the final action arising from mediation may be different from the intended action set forth in the notice which resulted in a timely request for mediation;

3. A statement that any person whose substantial interests may be affected by the outcome of the mediation shall within 21 days of the notice of mediation proceeding file a request with the agency to participate in the mediation; and

4. An explanation of the procedures for filing such a request.

(b) The notice shall also advise that in the absence of a timely request to participate in the mediation, any person whose substantial interests are or may be affected by the result of the mediation waives any right to participate in the mediation.

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Florida Administrative Codes
Division of Administrative Hearings
Section I: General

28-106.101 FAC | SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

28-106.102 FAC | PRESIDING OFFICER

28-106.103 FAC | COMPUTATION OF TIME

28-106.104 FAC | FILING

28-106.105 FAC | APPEARANCE

28-106.106 FAC | WHO MAY APPEAR; CRITERIA FOR QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES

28-106.107 FAC | STANDARDS OF CONDUCT FOR QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES

28-106.108 FAC | CONSOLIDATION

28-106.109 FAC | NOTICE TO INTERESTED PARTIES

28-106.110 FAC | SERVICE OF PAPERS

28-106.111 FAC | POINT OF ENTRY INTO PROCEEDINGS AND MEDIATION

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Florida Administrative CodesDivision of Administrative HearingsSection I: General

28-106.101 FAC | SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

28-106.102 FAC | PRESIDING OFFICER

28-106.103 FAC | COMPUTATION OF TIME

28-106.104 FAC | FILING

28-106.105 FAC | APPEARANCE

28-106.106 FAC | WHO MAY APPEAR; CRITERIA FOR QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES

28-106.107 FAC | STANDARDS OF CONDUCT FOR QUALIFIED REPRESENTATIVES

28-106.108 FAC | CONSOLIDATION

28-106.109 FAC | NOTICE TO INTERESTED PARTIES

28-106.110 FAC | SERVICE OF PAPERS

28-106.111 FAC | POINT OF ENTRY INTO PROCEEDINGS AND MEDIATION

Pages That YouMight Also Like

add a comment

thank you, come again!TBD 1.037

Submit a Quiz Question

That Will Test Another User's Page-Specific Knowledge

Florida Administrative Codes
Division of Administrative Hearings
Section I: General

Pages That You
Might Also Like

thank you, come again!
TBD 1.037