With several changes, the Florida Supreme Court has imposed overhead limits and disbursement time deadlines for IOTA funds received and distributed by The Florida Bar Foundation and said the funds should be used primarily for providing or enhancing direct legal services to low-income residents.

The approved changes to Bar Rule 5-1.1(g), which governs the IOTA program, were less restrictive than proposed by the court’s Task Force on the Distribution of IOTA Funds, including increasing the overhead limit for legal aid agencies from 10% to 15% and expanding the proposed time for the Foundation to award IOTA receipts. But Justice Jorge Labarga, who partially concurred and partially dissented from the majority opinion, agreed with several organizations that filed comments critical of the Task Force’s proposals that the changes could wind up limiting legal aid services to the poor.

The court issued its ruling on June 18 in In re: Amendments to Rule Regulating The Florida Bar 5-1.1(g), Case No. SC20-1543.