The next session of Judge McEwen's mentoring program for lawyers new to the practice of bankruptcy law is scheduled virtually for Wednesday, September 27, 2023, from Noon to 1:15 p.m. by Zoom. Login Information will be provided to the first 100 who RSVP. Judge McEwen's special guests for this program are: Guy Van Baalen, Assistant U.S. Trustee, Tampa Division; and Nathan Wheatley, Trial Attorney, U.S. Trustee's Office.

Program Title: COMING TO A COMPUTER NEAR YOU! MEETING OF CREDITORS VIA ZOOM IN CHAPTER 7, 12, AND 13 CASES

Click HERE to view the full announcement.

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida is soliciting bids for a cyclical maintenance project in the Orlando Division for flooring and painting.

To be considered, all Bids must be received by Wednesday, September 20, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.

Click HERE to view the full Public Notice.

Due to Hurricane Idalia, the Jacksonville Division of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, including the intake window, will close on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. All hearings scheduled for August 30, 2023, are cancelled and will be rescheduled. For information on creditors' meetings in Jacksonville cases, please contact the trustee assigned to the case.

Due to Hurricane Idalia, the Orlando Division of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, including the intake window, will close on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. All hearings scheduled for August 30, 2023, are cancelled and will be rescheduled. For information on creditors' meetings in Orlando cases, please contact the trustee assigned to the case.

Due to Tropical Storm/Hurricane Idalia, the Tampa Division of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, including the intake window, will close on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 29 and 30, 2023. All hearings scheduled for August 29 and 30, 2023, are cancelled and will be rescheduled. For information on creditors' meetings in Tampa and Fort Myers cases, please contact the trustee assigned to the case.

Due to Tropical Storm/Hurricane Idalia, the Tampa Division of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, including the intake window, will close on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 29 and 30, 2023. All hearings scheduled for August 29 and 30, 2023, are cancelled and will be rescheduled. For information on creditors' meetings in Tampa and Fort Myers cases, please contact the trustee assigned to the case.

The U.S. Trustee Program will implement virtual meetings of creditors (via Zoom) in chapter 7, 12, and 13 cases in the Middle District of Florida for § 341 meetings in cases filed on or after September 1, 2023. For more information, including joining a meeting and what documents to provide to the trustee prior to the meeting, Click HERE.

The judges of the Tampa and Fort Myers Divisions have today entered an Amended Order Establishing Presumptively Reasonable Debtor's Attorney's Fees in Chapter 13 Cases.

Click HERE to view the Amended Order.

The Local Rules Lawyers' Advisory Committee invites interested parties, including members of the Bar and Court employees, to submit their suggestions, comments, and proposals for proposed new Local Rules or revisions to our current Local Rules. Suggestions should be submitted no later than September 15, 2023.

Click HERE to submit recommendations to the Committee.

Revisions to the Middle District of Florida's Local Rules are effective today, August 1, 2023.

Click HERE to view a memorandum from Judge Lori V. Vaughan summarizing the changes.

Local Rule 1074-1(b) requires non-individual debtors to file a certificate of authorization to file the bankruptcy petition.

Click HERE for a sample certificate. Debtor's counsel should docket the certificate using a new CM/ECF docket event: "Certificate of Authorization to File Bankruptcy Petition."

Local Rule 4001-1(c(2)(C) clarifies procedures for filing motions for relief from the codebtor stay in Chapter 12 and 13 cases. The Court's Negative Notice List has been updated to add the following motions in Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 cases:

• Motion for Relief from Codebtor Stay as to Codebtor Only
• Combined Motion for Relief from Stay as to the Debtor and Codebtor

Click HERE for an updated Negative Notice List.

Click HERE to view the July 2023 edition.

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida has posted proposed amendments to its Local Rules for public comment. The public comment period ends at 5 p.m. EDT on August 21, 2023.

Click HERE to view the proposed amendments.

The District Court's announcement and the link to submit a public comment may be found on the District Court's website, www.flmd.uscourts.gov, in the Announcements section.

The Court's CM/ECF application underwent a required upgrade and was offline from July 21-23, 2023. Due to the upgrade, certain areas of CM/ECF (case filing, adversary proceeding filing, claims register reports, etc.) and its related applications (ePoc, eBallots, eFin) remain inaccessible to ECF users. Our IT staff is diligently working to address all issues. In the meantime, if you encounter a filing issue with a deadline-related matter (case/adversary proceeding, claims, ballots, etc.), please refer to Local Rule 1001-2(m) and Local Rule 5001-2 for the alternatives to e-filing.

We appreciate your understanding.

Due to scheduled maintenance, the CM/ECF application will be offline and unavailable from 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 21, 2023, to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 23, 2023.

The Bankruptcy Judges of the Middle District of Florida have approved amendments to the Local Rules, effective August 1, 2023.

Please click HERE to view a memorandum from Judge Lori V. Vaughan summarizing the changes.

Click HERE to access new and amended Local Rules.

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida is soliciting bids for a cyclical maintenance project in the Tampa Division for flooring and painting in Chambers 8B.

To be considered, all Bids must be received by July 14, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.

Click HERE to view the full Public Notice.

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida is soliciting bids for a cyclical maintenance project in the Tampa Division for flooring and painting in Chambers 8A.

To be considered, all Bids must be received by May 17, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.

Click HERE to view the full Public Notice.

Click HERE to view the April 2023 edition.

The judges of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida are considering proposed amendments to the Local Rules. The proposals are posted below for public comment commencing on April 24, 2023. The public comment period ends on June 2, 2023. When promulgated by the judges, the amended and new Local Rules will become effective on July 1, 2023.

Attorneys and parties who appear before the Court are encouraged to review the proposed amendments. The Court appreciates all comments and will consider them prior to the promulgation of the new and amended Local Rules.

Click HERE to review the proposed amended rules.

Click HERE to provide comments regarding the proposed amendments.

Effective April 19, 2023, Judge Colton will follow new Chapter 13 hearing procedures. These procedures only affect cases scheduled in front of Judge Colton and do not apply to any other Tampa division judge. A memorandum outlining these new procedures has been posted on Judge Colton's web page located under the Judges/Chambers tab.

Click HERE to read the full memorandum.

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida is soliciting bids for a cyclical maintenance project in the Jacksonville Division for flooring and painting.

To be considered, all Bids must be received by April 21, 2023 at 4:00 p.m.

Click HERE to view the full Public Notice.

Click HERE to view the January 2023 edition.

Effective January 5, 2023, Applications to Employ/Retain a Professional in Chapter 11 cases are no longer included on the Court's Accompanying Orders List and have been added to the Court's Negative Notice List. Applications in Chapter 11 cases require 14 days' negative notice. Attorneys may upload an order approving the application upon the later of (a) the expiration of the negative notice period, and (b) 21 days after the date of the petition. A new sample application has been added to the Court's Procedure Manual located in The Source (http://www.flmb.uscourts.gov/thesource/ ).

Click HERE for an updated Accompanying Orders List.

Click HERE for an updated Negative Notice List.

Click HERE for the new sample Application to Employ Professional - Chapter 11.