The Florida Small Claims Hearing

Claim limit

$8,000

Court

County Civil Court

File online

Yes (statewide)

Appeal window

30 days

What a Pretrial Conference is

Florida requires a Pretrial Conference before a small claims case is tried. At it, the court typically:

• Confirms both sides were properly served and are present
• Finds out whether the dispute can be settled without a trial
• Identifies what is actually in dispute, and narrows it
• Sets the trial date if the case does not resolve

Not appearing at the Pretrial Conference can end the case against you, even though it is not the trial.

How the date is set

The court sets the first date once the case is filed and the defendant has been served. In Florida the Pretrial Conference comes first, and the trial only if the case does not resolve there. If the defendant loses, they have 10 days to move for a new trial and 30 days to appeal.

What decides it

Small claims hearings turn on evidence far more than on argument:

• The written agreement, if there was one, and the messages that show what was agreed if there was not
• Proof of what you paid: receipts, transfers, cancelled cheques, card statements
• Photographs, estimates and invoices showing the loss and what it costs to put right
• A short, ordered account of what happened and when

Bring copies for the court and for the other side. A judge cannot rely on a document nobody else has seen.

We cannot tell you whether your evidence is enough, or what a court will make of it. We prepare the filing; the hearing is yours.

Common questions

What happens at a Florida small claims hearing?

The first date is a Pretrial Conference: the court checks service, asks whether the case can settle, narrows what is in dispute, and sets a trial date if needed.

Is the first court date the trial in Florida?

No. Florida requires a Pretrial Conference first. The trial happens later, and only if the case does not resolve.

What should I bring?

Your agreement or messages, proof of payment, photographs, estimates and invoices — with a copy for the court and a copy for the other side.

What happens if the other side does not turn up?

If they were properly served, you can ask the court to enter judgment in your favour by default. Proof of service is what makes that possible.

Do I need a lawyer at the hearing?

No. Small claims is built for people representing themselves.