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SB 452

Family Court Report Cards

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mack Bernard

Florida bill mandates family courts publish performance report cards tracking case timelines, outcomes, and judicial metrics to increase accountability and transparency.

Introduced
#judicialbranch
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 452

Legislative bill overview

SB 452 establishes a "Family Court Report Card" system requiring Florida family courts to publish performance metrics and outcome data. The bill mandates courts track and publicly report statistics on case processing times, case outcomes, judicial performance, and other accountability measures related to family law proceedings (custody, divorce, child support cases).

Why is this important

Family court decisions directly affect custody arrangements, child welfare, and financial support for thousands of Florida families annually. Transparency through report cards could help identify systemic inefficiencies, backlogs, and disparities in how courts operate across the state, potentially informing policy improvements and helping litigants understand court performance in their jurisdiction.

Potential points of contention

  • Judicial independence concerns: Publicizing individual judge performance metrics could create pressure to prioritize speed or appearance over careful deliberation, or incentivize judges to favor certain case outcomes to improve their ratings
  • Privacy and data sensitivity: Family court cases involve minors and sensitive personal information; aggregating and publishing outcome data risks exposing patterns that could identify families or compromise child safety and privacy
  • Implementation costs and burden: Developing standardized metrics, data collection systems, and reporting infrastructure across all Florida family courts requires significant fiscal resources and IT infrastructure investment

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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