FL 19th Circuit (Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, St. Lucie): Nineteenth Judicial Circui…
Chief Judge Charles A. Schwab · Nineteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida (Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie Counties)
Verified April 30, 2026
- Citation
- Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Administrative Order 2025-10: Use of Artificial Intelligence in Court Filings
- Order date
- December 1, 2025
Summary
Any filing drafted in whole or in part with the assistance of AI technology must contain a clear disclosure on the face of the document specifying AI technology was used (e.g., drafting, editing, citing, cite-checking).
What does the order require?
- Any filing drafted in whole or in part with the assistance of AI technology must contain a clear disclosure on the face of the document specifying AI technology was used (e.g., drafting, editing, citing, cite-checking).
- Each such filing must also include a certification that the attorney of record (or pro se litigant) has personally reviewed the filing and verified the accuracy of all factual statements, legal arguments, and case citations in substantial conformity with Exhibit A attached hereto.
- Sample disclosure language: [TITLE OF DOCUMENT TO BE FILED] (AI was used in the preparation and/or generation of this document.)
- Attorneys remain fully responsible for their work product and must comply with all obligations under the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar, including but not limited to Rule 4-1.1 (Competence), Rule 4-1.6 (Confidentiality), Rule 4-3.3 (Candor to Tribunal), Rule 4-5.1 (Supervision), and Rule 4-5.3 (Nonlawyer Supervision).
- Sanctions for non-compliance may include striking pleadings, filings, or dismissing actions; monetary fines; imposition of attorneys' fees and costs; contempt sanctions; mandatory continuing legal education in ethics or technology; referral to The Florida Bar for disciplinary proceedings.
- This Order applies equally to pro se litigants.
Practice areas: state civil, state criminal, state family, state probate
What the order requires
Chief Judge Charles A. Schwab of Florida’s Nineteenth Judicial Circuit signed Administrative Order 2025-10 in December 2025 (the executed date in the published PDF is left blank). The order brings the 19th Circuit (Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie Counties) into line with the Florida circuit-court trend of disclosure-plus-certification AI orders.
- Disclosure on the face of the filing. Any filing drafted in whole or in part with AI must include a face-of-the-document disclosure naming the function (drafting, editing, citing, cite-checking).
- Certification. Each AI-assisted filing must also include a certification that the attorney or pro se filer has personally reviewed the filing and verified the accuracy of all factual statements, legal arguments, and case citations.
- Required certification text. Exhibit A prescribes a four-paragraph certification beginning “I hereby certify that I am the attorney of record or pro se party in this matter.”
- Florida Bar Rules cross-referenced. Order paragraph 3 explicitly invokes Rules 4-1.1 (Competence), 4-1.6 (Confidentiality), 4-3.3 (Candor to Tribunal), 4-5.1 (Supervision), and 4-5.3 (Nonlawyer Supervision).
- Sanctions toolkit. Striking filings, dismissal, monetary fines, attorneys’ fees, contempt, mandatory CLE, referral to The Florida Bar.
- Pro se equally bound. A dedicated paragraph confirms the order applies equally to pro se litigants.
Notable distinctions from sister Florida circuits
The 19th Circuit’s order has two notable features compared to the 11th, 15th, and 17th Circuit orders:
- Whereas-clause guidance for pro se litigants. Unique among Florida circuit AI orders, AO 2025-10 includes a whereas clause specifically warning pro se litigants that AI tools “have the ability to generate outputs containing fictitious and unfounded legal arguments and/or citations to legal authority” and that they must ensure such content does not appear in filings.
- Broader “AI technology” framing. The disclosure trigger is “AI technology” generally, not “generative AI” specifically (though the certification refers to “generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology”). Practitioners should disclose conservatively when any AI tool was used in any phase of drafting.
Practitioner workflow
For matters in Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, or St. Lucie counties, build the Exhibit A certification into your filing template now. The disclosure can be a single sample-language line on the cover page; the certification is a separate block tied to the signature page. Pro se clients should be advised in writing that the order applies to them.
Scope
Nineteenth Judicial Circuit only (Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie Counties). For neighboring Florida circuits, see Eleventh Circuit AO 26-04 (Miami-Dade), Fifteenth Circuit AO 2.109-4/26 (Palm Beach), and Seventeenth Circuit AO 2026-03-Gen (Broward).
Primary source
Administrative Order 2025-10 (PDF): https://www.circuit19.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2025-10.pdf