FL 17th Circuit (Broward): Seventeenth Judicial Circuit (Broward) Administrative Order AO…
Chief Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips · Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of Florida (Broward County)
Verified April 27, 2026
- Citation
- Seventeenth Judicial Circuit (Broward) Administrative Order AO 2026-03-Gen: Use of AI in Court Filings
- Order date
- January 26, 2026
Summary
When AI has been used in preparation, research, drafting of pleadings, drafting of documents, filing of documents, and/or discovery requests, the document must identify the specific AI tool used.
What does the order require?
- When AI has been used in preparation, research, drafting of pleadings, drafting of documents, filing of documents, and/or discovery requests, the document must identify the specific AI tool used.
- Required certification: 'The undersigned hereby certifies that generative artificial intelligence was used to prepare this [TITLE OF DOCUMENT BEING FILED]. The undersigned has independently verified the accuracy of every citation to the law and/or the record, and the accuracy of any language drafted by generative artificial intelligence, including quotations, citations, paraphrased assertions, facts, and legal analysis.'
- Pro se litigants are subject to the same procedural rules as attorneys and must accept consequences of nondisclosure or AI hallucinations.
- Sanctions for noncompliance include contempt, striking of pleadings or dismissal, fines or attorney's fees, and referral to The Florida Bar.
Practice areas: state civil, state criminal, state family, state probate
What the order requires
Chief Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips of Florida’s Seventeenth Judicial Circuit (Broward County) issued Administrative Order AO 2026-03-Gen on January 26, 2026. The order’s disclosure-and-certification framework is similar to the Eleventh Circuit’s AO 26-04 but adds a tool-identification requirement:
- Tool identification. When AI has been used in preparation, research, drafting, filing, or discovery requests, the document must identify the specific AI tool used (not merely “AI was used”).
- Mandatory certification language. The certification must include the title of the document, an affirmation that the undersigned has independently verified every citation to law and to the record, and an affirmation that the accuracy of any AI-drafted language has been verified, including quotations, citations, paraphrased assertions, facts, and legal analysis.
- Pro se applicability. Self-represented litigants are subject to the same rules and consequences as attorneys.
- Sanctions toolkit. Contempt, striking pleadings or dismissal, fines and attorney’s fees, and referral to The Florida Bar.
How this differs from the 11th Circuit
Both Florida circuits require disclosure and certification, but the Seventeenth’s order goes further on tool identification: lawyers must name the specific AI tool used (e.g., “ChatGPT-4,” “Claude Opus,” “Westlaw AI Assistant”) rather than describing the use in generic terms. Firms operating across both circuits should standardize on the more demanding Seventeenth Circuit framework to avoid template drift.
The required certification text differs verbatim between the two orders. Use the Seventeenth’s exact language for Broward filings; use the Eleventh’s exact language for Miami-Dade filings.
Scope
Seventeenth Judicial Circuit only (Broward County). For Miami-Dade matters, see the Eleventh Circuit AO 26-04 entry; for Palm Beach, see the Fifteenth Circuit AO 2.109-4/26 entry.
Primary source
AO 2026-03-Gen (PDF): https://www.17th.flcourts.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/AO2026-03-GEN-Use-of-AI-in-Court-Filings.pdf