Court Communication Plan Implementation Report Released

A final Implementation Report of the 2016 Court Communication Plan for the Judicial Branch of Florida was released in early July. The report details how the aims of the Florida Court Communications Plan have been achieved, with a special focus on the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, the five-year-old Plan seems prescient. It laid the groundwork for one of the nation’s most successful court communications efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and has drawn the attention and praise of national court organizations.

Chief Justice Canady addressed Florida’s pandemic communication effort in his introduction to the report. “Florida’s court communications staff around the state has shone on a national stage," he said. "Our court public information officers went above and beyond the call of duty in the pandemic. They made sure the public could see and understand what we were doing to keep the courts at work administering justice. The Report details their achievement.”

Communication in support of the judicial branch’s mission today involves court staff in the 20 judicial circuits, five district courts of appeal, the Florida Supreme Court, and the Office of the State Courts Administrator. The Communication Plan is carried out by members of a statewide non-profit professional and educational association, Florida Court Public Information Officers (FCPIO). Members and other court staff meet annually for an education meeting. Meetings over the last five years covered many relevant topics, including crisis communications, emergency planning, general communication planning, social media best practices, media relations, web content, education, and outreach. FCPIO holds regular monthly conference calls to work together to advance goals outlined in the Plan. 

The Court Communication Plan took effect in January 2016 after unanimous approval by the Florida Supreme Court. It mapped a four-year implementation, including annual reports on progress. The final report is the last required by the plan, but further refinement and innovation will continue through the auspices of FCPIO and as directed by the Supreme Court. 

Read the report