Heather Beato

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Procedures and General Information
The Honorable Judge Heather Beato
Highlands County Circuit Civil Division, Section 10
Judicial Assistant: Cassie Cook, ccook@jud10.flcourts.org
Address: 430 S Commerce Ave
Sebring, FL 33870
Hearing Room: 3B (Main elevator to 3rd floor, exit and go left)
Courtroom (Jury Trials): 2A (Main elevator to 2nd floor, exit and go right)
Docket Schedule: Three weeks of motions and two weeks of jury trials. Non-Jury
Trials are scheduled during motion weeks.
Administrative Orders: Copies of all Administrative Orders for this Circuit are available on
the Circuit’s website at www.jud10.flcourts.org/admin-orders.
Webpage: https://jud10.flcourts.org/judge-beato
I. SCHEDULING HEARINGS ON REGULAR MOTIONS DOCKET:
A. Pursuant to Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.202, parties must confer before filing any non-dispositive
motion and the motion must contain a Certificate of Conferral or it may be dismissed
without hearing.
B. Please check Judge Beato’s online scheduling calendar posted on the website to obtain
hearing times for a motion hearing once the motion has been filed with the Clerk’s
office and, if the case has been closed, once the case has been reopened. Once you and
opposing counsel agree on a time, send an email to the judicial assistant at
ccook@jud10.flcourts.org providing the following information:
a. The case number, style of the case, and the names of the attorneys involved;
b. The motion being set for hearing;
c. The agreed upon date and time for the hearing (it is recommended that you
provide back-up hearing date and time choices, as your first choice may have
already been booked by another matter);
d. The agreed upon length of time being reserved for the hearing (it is important
that you schedule sufficient time for each party to have a fair opportunity to be
heard regarding the issues—the court is disinclined to give extensions or
continuances without good cause);
e. Whether the matter is contested or uncontested;
f. Whether the hearing is being set for an in-person or virtual hearing; and
g. The name of the individual(s) with whom the time was cleared. All hearing
date/time slots shall be cleared with each opposing counsel or parties. If
counsel’s good faith attempt to clear a hearing has been unsuccessful, the
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following language shall be used: “The requested hearing date has not been
cleared with opposing counsel’s calendar because (factual statement).”
C. The parties, or counsel for the parties, will receive e-mail confirmation from the Court
advising that the motion has been scheduled or that the time is no longer available. If
the date and time is confirmed, the Notice of Hearing may be prepared.
D. A copy of the Motion that is being heard, along with the Notice of Hearing must be
emailed to ccook@jud10.flcourts.org at least 5 days in advance of the hearing.
E. Judge Beato does not have a Uniform Motion Calendar (UMC). If a matter is
uncontested, the motion and proposed order may be submitted for review (See Section
IV. Submitting Proposed Orders). The motion itself should reflect that the matter is, in
fact, uncontested.
F. Cross-Notices to add other motions are not permitted unless the addition has been
cleared with opposing counsel and with the judge’s office.
G. All contested evidentiary type hearings will be held in person (Hearing Room 3B). If
an in-person hearing is expected to involve many people in attendance (i.e. multiple
attorneys and parties and other personnel) which would make use of a smaller hearing
room difficult, please inform the judicial assistant of the specific issue at the time of
scheduling and use of a courtroom may be coordinated. Use of communication
technology for h

[Excerpt — full document at the official source link.]