Barbara Areces — Circuit Civil CA 15

Barbara Areces

• Division: Circuit Civil
• Section: CA 15
• Court Location: Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center
• Phone: (305) 349-7065
• Room: OSJC 18.254
• Judicial Assistant: Millie Penichet
• Bailiff: Bonita Dor

---

Appearances -- Live vs. Zoom 

Live Hearings/Trials:  All evidentiary hearings and all trials are live in Courtroom 18D.
Zoom Hearings:   Motion calendars, FWOP calendars, Case Management Calendars and special set hearings are via Zoom.  [Note:  Non-evidentiary special set hearings are limited to 15 minutes.] 

Communication with Chambers:  NO EMAILS OR HARD COPIES - Do NOT email chambers unless specifically instructed to do so.  Unrequested emails will be deleted without a reply.  Inquiries must be made telephonically.   All other communications to the Court must be made via courtMap.  No hard copies are to be delivered to chambers unless specifically requested by the Court.

Dismissals/Settlements:  As soon as a case is voluntarily dismissed or settled, you must immediately email chambers attaching the appropriate Notice -- 11thCA15@jud11.flcourts.org.

Original Notes:   Do NOT deliver original loan documents to the court unless the motion for summary judgment of foreclosure is granted and you are specifically instructed to do so. 

• Bachelor of Business Administration, Florida International University, 1982
• JD, University of Miami, 1987
• Admitted to Florida Bar, 1988
• Private Practice, 1988 - 2004
• Circuit Court Judge, 2005 - Present

Judge	Section	Room	Telephone
Simon, Lourdes	CA 02	OSJC 24.260	305-349-7152
Walsh, S Lisa	CA 47, CA 20, CA 44	OSJC 16.261	305-349-7280

Additional Instructions

Updated:  January 14, 2026.

Setting Case for Trial
If a trial order has not been entered by the Court sua sponte, you may select an available calendar call/trial period and submit to courtMap the appropriate trial order - - jury, non-jury or foreclosure.

Calendar Call
An order will be entered which amends the Trial Order to, among other things, eliminate the Calendar Call.  All Calendar Calls will be cancelled. You must disregard the automatically generated courtMap reminders.  Cases to appear will be selected at random and you will be instructed to report via email.  Of course, there may be instances in which a case is specially set for trial.

Notices of Unavailability and Pending Motions regardless of when filed, do not alter court orders and do not excuse you from reporting for trial during the trial period.  You must obtain a court order.   

Settlements - If your case settles, you must immediately notify us by sending an email to 11thCA15@jud11.flcourts.org.

Go to courtMAP Additional Instructions

Submit the filed Emergency Motion via courtMap to Emergency, and simultaneously submit via courtMap to Proposed Orders, an order granting the relief sought.  The Court will process the order as it deems appropriate. 

Note:  Orders uploaded as supporting documents cannot be entered by the Court.  They must be uploaded to Proposed Orders.
If the submitted proposed order has not been processed, and you have not received a communication from the Court within 24 hours, follow up by calling chambers.

Go to courtMAP Motion Calendar Information

Type: Closed

Notice Before Hearing: 5 Business Days

Files at Hearing: None

Day	Time	Cap	From	To
Wednesday	9:30 AM	20	01/14/2026	Ongoing
Thursday	9:30 AM	20	01/15/2026	Ongoing

---

Hearing Documents

• Order Granting Attorney Withdrawal

---

Additional Instructions

Days/Time/Location: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 a.m., via Zoom.  It is the responsibility of counsel to provide the Zoom link to anyone not on the service list.  

Limits:  Motion Calendars are limited to 5 minutes per case.  Each case can only be scheduled once per calendar. Maximum two motions per case but both must be heard within the 5-minute time limit.

To Make Calendar:  Select available date via courtMap.  Upload the filed notice of hearing, motion and any other supporting documents to the selected calendar date.   IMPORTANT NOTE:  If appropriate documents are not uploaded, the hearing will be cancelled by the Court.  

Responses: Submit the filed Response, if any, via courtMap to the “Motion Calendar” case number and hearing date, prior to the hearing date.

Unilateral Settings:  Parties may unilaterally set hearings on motion calendar if reasonable attempts have been made to coordinate the hearing to no avail and opposing counsel is provided with at least 5 business days’ notice.

Orders:  After the hearing, an order reflecting the Court’s ruling must be uploaded to courtMap, Proposed Orders.  The order will be rejected if it does not reflect the hearing date.  

Cancellations:  The party that noticed the hearing may cancel the hearing via courtMap after it files its Notice of Cancellation.  The Notice of Cancellation must specify the reason for cancellation.

Go to courtMAP Hearing Documents

• Order Granting Attorney Withdrawal

---

Additional Instructions

Duplicate Submissions:
Do NOT upload a proposed order or agreed order more than once. Orders will reflect as pending until entered or rejected. If the order is time-sensitive or reflects as pending for more than two weeks, you may call chambers to assure it is timely entered or to check on the status.

Service List:
You must add physical street addresses to the service list for all parties that have not provided an email.

Submission of orders to courtMap:
All proposed orders submitted to “Proposed Orders” or to “Agreed Orders” MUST:

1. reflect the date of the hearing, if any;
2. be in Word format on the courtMap pre-generated blank order form; and
3. be accompanied with the motion, all pertinent supporting documents (i.e. returns of service, stipulations, etc.) and/or with a letter of explanation.

Notes: 
Do not submit an order prior to the hearing UNLESS the parties have resolved the motion and are submitting an Agreed Order.

CourtMap automatically adds the case style, the “done and ordered” language and the judge’s signature block.

Go to courtMAP Hearing Documents

• Hearing Request Form

---

Additional Instructions

DO NOT SEND HARD COPIES TO CHAMBERS.

Appearances:
15-minute hearings are via Zoom.
Evidentiary hearings are live in Courtroom 18D.

To Schedule Hearing:
1. Select an available date and time via courtMap after coordinating with, or reasonably attempting to coordinate with, opposing counsel.   Note:  Make sure to select the appropriate calendar - zoom or evidentiary.  All evidentiary hearings are in person, regardless of the length of hearing.  See Appearances above.
2. Submit ALL that apply [READ THE LIST] of the following to courtMap, separately, properly titled and specifically identified:
    a.  Completed Special Set Hearing Request Form [See form above.]
    b.  The motion(s) – WITHOUT exhibits.  NOTE:  Exhibits must be uploaded separately - see below.
    c.  All exhibits, if any.Each exhibit must be uploaded separately and must be properly titled and specifically identified –   

(i.e. Exh A –Affidavit of John Smith)                                                                                                                                     

 NOTE:  It is insufficient to identify the exhibits by just using a number or letter. 

     d.  Any other document, properly titled and specifically identified, that the Court should review before ruling, (i.e. the pleading for which dismissal is sought - complaint, counterclaim, the leading case that is controlling of the issue, etc.)

Hearing Approval:
Hearing dates beyond the first day of the trial period will not be approved.
If everything is in order, you will receive an email specifically reflecting the status of the hearing as “Approved,” and courtMap will automatically generate the notice of hearing. 

Responses: If the opposing party wishes the Court to consider a written Response, it must be filed and uploaded to the special set hearing event at least 5 business days prior to the scheduled hearing.  The Response, exhibits if any, legal authority, etc. must be submitted separately and identified specifically. (Refer Item 2 above.)

Add-ons:
No add-ons are permitted without prior approval from the Court.  Submit a motion with proposed or agreed order, via courtMap.  If approved, prepare an Amended Notice of Hearing and submit all pertinent documentation to the courtMap hearing event, separately in the manner required when scheduling a hearing.

Cancellations:
Cancellations must be approved by the Court.  The party requesting the cancellation must submit an email to 11thCA15@jud11.flcourts.org, stating good cause for the cancellation.  If the Court finds good cause, the COURT will cancel the hearing. 

Hearing Requests if Dates Not Available:
If you require a hearing sooner than what is available, or if all hearing dates/times are taken, you must call chambers and speak with Millie. 

Go to courtMAP

Documents and forms this judge posts

• Order Granting Attorney Withdrawal
• Order Granting Attorney Withdrawal
• Hearing Request Form