Family Court Motions and Hearings in Pinellas County, Florida

Pinellas County hears family law motions at the Pinellas County Courthouse in Clearwater. The Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller also runs branch offices in St. Petersburg and north county for filing paperwork. Filing a motion does not automatically get you a hearing. A judge's judicial assistant sets the date and time, and you must notice the motion to the other party.

Florida does not use a Request for Order like some other states. In Pinellas, service runs through Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.516, and the underlying family law issues fall under Florida Statutes chapter 61. E-filing through the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal is required for attorneys and open to anyone representing themselves.

Many contested family matters filed in the Sixth Circuit, which covers both Pinellas and Pasco, go through the circuit's Court Programs mediation track before a judge sets a hearing. This practice varies by division. Other cases go to a general magistrate instead, an attorney appointed to take testimony and issue a recommendation. A circuit judge later reviews that recommendation and adopts, modifies, or rejects it.

The Clerk's own self-help pages for Pinellas block automated access, so they can be hard to load directly. Use the Sixth Circuit's shared self-help page instead as your starting point for finding the right motion form before a hearing.

Where hearings are held in Pinellas County, FL

Family court hearings in Pinellas County, FL are held at the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Pinellas County, with the county seat in Clearwater. Because courtroom assignments, remote appearance options, and local procedures change over time, use the Florida court clerk directory to confirm current details:

Find the Pinellas County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)

How a family court hearing works in Florida

In Florida, a party who wants the court to decide something while a family case is pending, such as temporary time-sharing, temporary support, or exclusive use of the home, files a written motion under the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure. Motions for temporary financial relief generally require a current Financial Affidavit (Florida Supreme Court approved family law form 12.902(b) or 12.902(c)). The core steps are:

1. File a written motion stating the relief you are asking for, with a current Financial Affidavit if money or support is at issue.
2. Serve the motion on the other party or their attorney.
3. Coordinate a hearing date, following your circuit's local procedure for setting family law motions (some circuits use a uniform motion calendar; others require you to contact the judicial assistant).
4. Attend mediation first if your circuit requires it for contested family law motions.
5. Attend the hearing and receive the court's order.

Local notes for Pinellas County, FL

If you filed a family law motion in Pinellas, don't wait for an automatic hearing date. The Sixth Circuit has no self-service scheduling tool, so the fastest path to a judge is usually a call to the judicial assistant listed on your case docket.

Attorneys must e-file, but paper filing is still available. The main location is the Clearwater Courthouse at 315 Court St. The Clerk also runs branch offices in St. Petersburg and north Pinellas that accept family law paperwork. Confirm current hours with the Clerk's office before you go, since its website has blocked automated checks in the past.

A general magistrate hearing looks much like a hearing before a circuit judge. The difference is the outcome: you get a written recommendation, not a final signed order, until a judge reviews it. Call the circuit's Hearing Officers and General Magistrates office to find out which category applies to your case.

Official hearing resources in Pinellas County, FL

Pinellas County Courthouse (Clearwater Courthouse) handles hearings filings, located at 315 Court St., Clearwater 33756.

The filing fee is $408. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. E-filing through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal is mandatory for attorneys under Fla. R. Jud. Admin. 2.525; self-represented parties may still file on paper at any Clerk office, including the Clearwater Courthouse, the St. Petersburg branch, or the North County branch.

Sixth Circuit Self-Help (Pinellas) (https://www.jud6.org/representing-yourself-in-court/) can help with procedure and paperwork. The Clerk's own family law and self-help pages at mypinellasclerk.gov returned an automated-access error when checked directly, so the circuit's shared self-help page is the more reliably reachable resource for Pinellas filers.

• Sixth Judicial Circuit - Representing Yourself in Court
• Sixth Judicial Circuit - Hearing Officers and General Magistrates
• Sixth Judicial Circuit - Court Programs
• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
• FloridaLawHelp.org

Local details reviewed August 2026. Offices and locations can change, so confirm with the official sites above before you file.

Pinellas County, FL Family Court Hearing FAQs