SESSION WATCH
Died HOUSE · SESSION 2026

No. HB 421

Performance Reports of Circuit and County Court Judges
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SPONSOR
Boyles
FILED BY
Nathan Boyles — District 3, Republican [search donations]
EFFECTIVE
7/1/2026
DIED IN
Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee

Filed under Local Government.

PROVIDED SUMMARY

Performance Reports of Circuit and County Court Judges; Requires each clerk of circuit court to prepare annual performance report with specified information regarding each circuit & county court judge; authorizes judges to prepare specified explanatory statement; requires such statements to be posted with relevant reports; provides for specified reporting period; defines "final disposition."

Full bill text →

Plain English Summary

AI-GENERATED
Creates public performance report cards for circuit and county court judges.

Clerks of court must publish an annual report on every circuit and county judge, showing caseload, how many cases closed, the clearance rate, average case age, and average delay between scheduling and holding a hearing.

Each report must be posted by April 1 on the clerk's website and the relevant court's website, and it stays online for as long as that judge remains on the bench.

A judge may write an explanatory statement about circumstances that affected their numbers, but the circuit's Chief Judge must approve it before it can be posted alongside the report.

The requirement does not really start until the 2028 calendar year, the first period the law covers, even though the underlying act takes effect July 1, 2026.

KEY PROVISIONS
§ 1 Clerks must publish annual judge-by-judge efficiency reports majors. 28.51

AIRequires each clerk of the circuit court to prepare an annual report on every circuit and county judge's caseload, disposition rate, case age, and hearing-scheduling delay, broken out by court division.

“Each clerk of the circuit court shall prepare an annual performance report regarding the judicial efficiency of each circuit and county court judge” bill text, line 24 →
§ 2 Reports stay posted for a judge's entire tenure majors. 28.51

AIRequires each report to be posted by April 1 on the clerk's website and the relevant court's website, and requires it to remain posted for as long as the judge whose performance it covers remains in office.

“shall remain posted for the duration of the tenure of the subject judge” bill text, line 53 →
§ 3 Chief Judge must approve a judge's explanatory statement before posting moderates. 28.51

AILets a judge write an explanatory statement about extenuating circumstances affecting the reported metrics, but only allows it to be posted alongside the report if the circuit's Chief Judge approves it first.

“Upon approval of the Chief Judge of each circuit, the explanatory statement shall be posted with the annual performance report” bill text, line 58 →
§ 4 First real reporting period is not until 2028 moderates. 28.51

AIDelays the substance of the requirement: although the law takes effect July 1, 2026, the first calendar year the report must actually cover is 2028, pushing the earliest published report to around April 2029.

“The first reporting period required by this section shall be the 2028 calendar year” bill text, line 61 →
TIMELINE
3/13/2026
Died in Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee
1/13/2026
1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
11/18/2025
Now in Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee
11/18/2025
Referred to Judiciary Committee
11/18/2025
Referred to Justice Budget Subcommittee
11/18/2025
Referred to Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee
11/13/2025
Filed
1 EARLIER →
STATUTES IT CHANGES
s. 28.51
+13 / −0
s. 28.51
+360 / −0