10. FLORIDA CASES
These rules apply to case citations in legal documents. For guidance on case citations in scholarly works, consult Bluebook Rule 10.
10.1 Reporter
Cite to the official Southern Reporter whenever possible, but for Florida Supreme Court cases decided before 1886, cite to the official Florida Reports. For new opinions that do not yet appear in the Southern Reporter, cite to the Florida Law Weekly.
10.2 Unpublished Opinions
Cite to the slip opinion if the decision has not been published in the Southern Reporter or Florida Law Weekly. Reference to a commercial electronic database is optional, see Fla. R. App. P. 9.800(a)-(c), but we recommend it.
10.3 Courts
When referring to a court in text, capitalize according to FSM Rule 1 or Bluebook Rule 8.
10.4 Citation Forms
(a) Florida Supreme Court
Citation to Southern Reporter, Southern Reporter Second, or Southern Reporter Third:
► Sawyer v. State, 113 So. 736 (Fla. 1927).
► Lanier v. State, 908 So. 2d 332 (Fla. 2005).
► State v. Dorsett, 158 So. 3d 557 (Fla. 2015).
Citation to Florida Reports:
► Livingston v. L’Engle, 22 Fla. 427 (1886).
Citation to Florida Law Weekly (for Opinions Not Yet Published in an Official Reporter):
► Hojan v. State, 42 Fla. L. Weekly S117a (Fla. Feb. 2, 2017).
► Singh v. State, No. SC10-1544, 2014 WL 7463592 (Fla. Dec. 30, 2014).
► Johnston v. State, No. SC09-839, 2010 Fla. LEXIS 62 (Fla. Jan. 21, 2010).
(b) Florida District Courts of Appeal
Identify the district court by number in the citation’s date parenthetical:
► Morris v. State, 228 So. 3d 670 (Fla. 1st DCA 2017).
► Paramo v. Floyd, 154 So. 3d 477 (Fla. 2d DCA 2015).
For recent opinions not yet published in an official reporter:
► Myers v. State, 16 Fla. L. Weekly D1507 (Fla. 4th DCA June 5, 1991).
► Williams v. State, No. 2D14-2438, 2014 WL 3418358 (Fla. 2d DCA June 12, 2014).
(c) Florida Circuit Courts and County Courts
Cite to the Florida Law Weekly Supplement. For opinions and orders entered 1950-1991, cite to the Florida Supplement. If the case is not published in these official reporters, cite to the slip opinion. Citations to trial court orders may include an explanatory parenthetical describing the order.
► Davis v. State, 24 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 595a (Fla. 11th Cir. Ct. Nov. 4, 2016).
► Alberti v. Gangell, No. 51-2008-CA-0198-WS/H, 2014 Fla. Cir. LEXIS 55 (Fla. 6th Cir. Ct. Apr. 16, 2014).
► State v. Powell, 24 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 633a (Fla. Flagler Cnty. Ct. Oct. 19, 2016).
► Age of Empire Inc. v. Ocean Two Condo. Ass’n, No. 2022-006298-SP-05, 2022 WL 20726260
(Fla. Miami-Dade Cnty. Ct. Oct. 11, 2022) (order granting motion to dismiss with
prejudice).
10.5 In Text
Case citations meant to stand alone in citation sentences or footnotes are abbreviated according to Bluebook Table 6. In all other circumstances, however, case names are not abbreviated, except for certain widely known acronyms: “Ass’n,” “Bros.,” “Co.,” “Corp.,” “Inc.,” “Ltd.,” “No,” and “&.”
Citation Sentence:
► Am. Ins. Ass'n v. Fla. Dept. of Ins., 646 So. 2d 784 (Fla. 1st DCA 1994).
Textual Reference:
► American Insurance Ass'n v. Florida Department of Insurance, 646 So. 2d 784 (Fla. 1st DCA
1994).
► American Insurance Ass'n v. Florida Department of InsuranceFN
After a case is referenced in a textual discussion, subsequent references in the same discussion can refer solely to one party’s name or a readily identifiable abbreviation thereof:
► Bevel v. State, 983 So. 2d 505 (Fla. 2008) is inapposite. In Bevel, the Florida Supreme Court
ruled that …