Three Florida Deadlines Solo Litigators Miss Most
After years of litigating in Florida, the deadlines that cause the most pain aren't exotic. They're three ordinary ones — and each has a rule worth memorizing.
<p>After years of litigating in Florida, I've noticed the deadlines that cause the most pain aren't the exotic ones. They're three ordinary deadlines that are easy to let slide — and each one has a rule worth committing to memory.</p>
<h2>1. Requests for admission — 30 days, and silence is fatal</h2>
<p>Under Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.370, you have 30 days to respond to requests for admission. What makes this the most dangerous deadline on the list is the penalty: if you don't respond in time, every request is <strong>automatically deemed admitted</strong>. No motion from the other side, no hearing — the admissions just happen by operation of the rule. I've seen the shape of a case change because a set of requests went unanswered for a few weeks. If they were served with the original process you get 45 days; by mail, add five. Either way, calendar it the day it arrives. <a href="/tools/florida-request-for-admissions-deadline">Calculate your response date →</a></p>
<h2>2. Attorney's fees — 30 days after judgment, or you waive them</h2>
<p>You won. Now you have 30 days from the filing of the judgment to serve your motion for attorney's fees and costs under Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.525. It is a bright line. Serve it on day 31 and you can forfeit an otherwise valid claim to fees — regardless of how clear your entitlement was under the contract or the statute. It's one of the quietest ways to leave money on the table, because the case already feels over. <a href="/tools/florida-attorney-fees-motion-deadline">Calculate your fee-motion deadline →</a></p>
<h2>3. Notice of appeal — 30 days, and there is no extension</h2>
<p>A notice of appeal is due 30 days from rendition under Fla. R. App. P. 9.110, and this deadline is jurisdictional. That word matters: unlike most deadlines, it cannot be enlarged. There is no "we'll ask for a few more days." And "rendition" means the date the signed, written order is filed with the clerk — not the day you happened to find out about it. A timely post-trial motion can postpone rendition, but once the 30 days run, they're gone. <a href="/tools/florida-notice-of-appeal-deadline">Calculate your appeal deadline →</a></p>
<h2>The thread that connects all three</h2>
<p>Each of these runs from an <strong>event you have to notice</strong> — a set of requests served, a judgment filed, an order rendered. Miss the event, and you miss the date, no matter how good your calendar is. That's the real failure mode for a busy solo practice: not forgetting a date you wrote down, but never writing it down because the triggering document slid past in a full inbox.</p>
<p>That's the part CourtFlow automates. It reads the incoming court email, recognizes the triggering event, and starts the right clock — so the deadline is on your calendar before you've finished reading the document. <a href="/pricing">Start a free trial</a> and try it on a real filing.</p>
<p><em>General information for Florida practitioners, not legal advice; confirm the current rules and any local orders for your court.</em></p>