A Brief Review of the Changes Effective September 1, 2026
Introduction to the Amendments
On June 11, 2026, the Florida Supreme Court adopted several notable amendments to the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure. In re: Amendments to Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure, No. SC2025-0241 (Fla. June 11, 2026). These changes, take effect on September 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m.
The New Jurisdictional Statement Requirement
The most significant alteration is an amendment to Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.210 (Briefs). The Court has added a new subdivision, (b)(3), which requires the inclusion of a jurisdictional statement within the initial brief.
Under the new rule, the jurisdictional statement must specify:
- The basis for claiming that the judgment or order being appealed is final.
- If the order is nonfinal, the basis for claiming it is otherwise appealable, including the exact procedural rule or statutory provision upon which jurisdiction rests.
- A concise statement of the relevant facts establishing jurisdiction.
Additional Briefing Standards and Standard of Review
Beyond the jurisdictional statement, renumbered subdivision (b)(6) of Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.210 requires specific citation to the record on appeal demonstrating where the issue was preserved, along with a clear statement of the applicable appellate standard of review.
Notably, practitioners in the Sixth District Court of Appeal will find these requirements familiar, as that court had already adopted similar “additional briefing requirements.” The Supreme Court’s amendment now standardizes this expectation across all Florida appellate courts, ensuring that jurisdiction is demonstrably clear from the outset of the appeal.
Furthermore, renumbered subdivision (b)(9) clarifies that certificates of compliance are only required for computer-generated briefs.
Modifications to Stays, Citations, and Forms
The opinion also introduced refinements across several other rules:
- Rule 9.310 (Stay Pending Review): To clarify the calculation of automatic stay bonds for money judgments, the rule now specifies that the bond must equal the amount of the judgment plus twice the statutory rate of interest in effect on the date the judgment is filed. According to the Florida Supreme Court, the change to this rule is “to clarify whether postjudgment interest can be awarded on the portion of the judgment that was prejudgment interest.
- Rule 9.800 (Uniform Citation System): Citation formats for slip opinions have been updated to replace two-digit year and varied case number designators with a standardized four-digit year and four-digit case number format.
- Rule 9.900 (Forms): The approved forms for Notices of Appeal of Nonfinal Orders have also been updated. Filers are now asked to cite the specific subdivision of the appellate rule upon which their review is based. The forms clarify that the required date is the date of the order being appealed.
