Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz described the sweeping changes that went into effect on January 1 as a work in progress, “and we will be studying things closely so we can continue to address anything that needs addressing, including any unintended consequences of our work.”

The recent amendments to Florida’s civil justice system are designed to ensure more efficient case management from the outset, impose meaningful deadlines, and create a fairer discovery process, Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz told those gathered for the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society’s Annual Dinner January 17 in Tallahassee.

“Our goal is to minimize what one judge has labeled ‘process exploitation’ — which can cause civil litigation to be unreasonably slow and which can make the process itself a form of punishment,” Muñiz said, highlighting the importance of streamlining civil cases to better serve both litigants and the legal system.