Maria de Jesus Santovenia — Circuit Probate PMH 04

Maria de Jesus Santovenia

• Division: Circuit Probate
• Section: PMH 04
• Court Location: Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center
• Phone: (305) 349-7105
• Room: OSJC 18.232
• Judicial Assistant: Jennifer Paz

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Inquiries may be directed to the Judicial Assistant at (Copy to all parties required) jpaz@jud11.flcourts.org

Courtroom: 18B

Alternate Judge:  Hon. Jose Fernandez

IMPORTANT MESSAGE:

All hearings must be specially set and are to be scheduled via courtMAP.   At the time of scheduling, if the "in-person" hearing type is selected, the hearing will be held at the SOTO Courthouse, Courtroom 18B; and, if the "Zoom" hearing type is selected, the hearing will be held via the Zoom platform, which is free to you.  A Zoom link will be created by the Court upon scheduling of the virtual hearing.  Parties may participate by video or by calling the phone number listed in the invitation.  Video appearance is required for any participant whose testimony is necessary so the judge can administer the oath.

When submitting supporting documents for your proposed order, kindly note that SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ARE NOT EXHIBITS. Please do not categorize any supporting documents as an "Exhibit."   This will cause a glitch in the system and a delay in your order appearing on the docket.

SELF-REPRESENTED PERSONS:

Lay persons are required to follow the Florida e-Portal instructions for e-filing and e-service of documents.  See here, Florida e-Filing Portal.  For more information on checklists, rules and statutes and approved forms, please refer to the 11th Judicial Circuit’s website for further instructions.  See here, 11th Judicial Circuit Website.

For setting hearings, a self-represented person is also responsible for doing so via courtMAP.  See here, courtMAP.  If you resolve your matter prior to hearing, please cancel it by e-mailing the judge’s judicial assistant.

The Clerk of Courts website should have information regarding Petitions for Summary Administration and for handling Small Estates.  See here, Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts.

REQUIRED CHECKLIST CERTIFICATION FORMS:

As of September 1, 2020, filings of petitions with proposed orders in courtMAP must include established checklist certification forms as supporting documents with your submissions.   A list of existing checklists can be found on our circuit website in the Probate Corner, along with the corresponding Administrative Memorandum.  See here, Probate Checklists.  The checklist certification forms must be filed through the e-Portal and also uploaded as a supporting document to the petition through courtMAP. Failure to include the checklist certification form will result in summary rejection of your submission.

COURTESY COPY SUBMISSIONS:

Please submit courtesy copies via courtMAP immediately upon scheduling hearing.  Parties wishing to submit a response to a matter must e-file said response with the Clerk of Courts and submit the response via courtMAP to chambers, at least ten (10) days prior to the hearing date.

PETITIONS TO WAIVE ACCOUNTING FEES FOR GUARDIANSHIPS:

Please note that accounting fees will not be waived unless an Affidavit of Indigency has been filed with the Clerk of Courts.  The Clerk of Court will review the affidavit to determine if the petitioner qualifies.  The Clerk makes that determination.  If they find that petitioner does not qualify for indigent status, accounting fees must be paid.  Indicate in your petition whether the Clerk has made the finding.

APPOINTMENT OF GUARDIANS AD LITEM, CURATORS, OR OTHER FIDUCIARIES FROM WHEELS:

Proposed orders with blanks for appointments by the Court (for minor settlement, etc., professional guardians, etc.) should be submitted first to the Judicial Assistant directly via e-mail at jpaz@jud11.flcourts.org.  From a wheel, the name of a person eligible must be obtained, then the Court will confirm if the appointment is accepted by the proposed person from the wheel, before the proposed order can be submitted via courtMAP.

MOTIONS FOR SUBSTITUTION OF COUNSEL OR WITHDRAWAL:

If you are submitting an order on a Stipulation for Substitution of Counsel, you must submit the written consent of the client.  Additionally, the name and bar number of the substituted attorney must be included within the body of the proposed order.

On Motions to Withdraw as Counsel, you must use our form order found on our website below under "Documents."

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS:

For any mental health matter, please call the Mental Health Clerk, Mr. Hoari Chiong, for Section 04 at tel. (305) 349-7476.

A party seeking to obtain audio recording transcript for mental health proceedings, shall visit the following website: Court Reporting Services and follow the instructions accordingly.

• Admin Order 22-02 (Establishing Requirements for Index No to Orders and NOH)
• Admin Memo as to Electronic Submission of Evidence
• Order on Motion to Withdraw (Div. 04) - Updated Feb. 2026
• Inactive Order - Pending Resolution

Judge	Section	Room	Telephone
Fernandez, L Jose	PMH 06	OSJC 18.253	305-349-6108

Additional Instructions

If you have an Emergency Petition/Motion, it must be filed with the Clerk of Courts and appear on the case docket prior to submitting via CourtMAP.  Once filed, submit a copy of the filed Emergency Petition/Motion and your proposed emergency order to Chambers via CourtMAP.

Your Petition/Motion must contain the following:

- a certification that the matter is a true emergency and cannot wait to be heard during a special set hearing.

- a statement indicating that opposing counsel has been notified in an attempt to resolve the matter in an amicable manner. 

Once the Court reviews the Emergency Petition/Motion, the parties will either receive an e-mail with instructions, a signed Court Order, or a Notice of Hearing via CourtMAP.

For Mental Health cases, please e-mail the e-filed Emergency Petition and Response, if applicable, directly to the Judicial Assistant at jpaz@jud11.flcourts.org  AND the Bailiff, copying all parties. If applicable, also email the proposed order directly to the Judicial Assistant  AND Bailiff.

Go to courtMAP Hearing Documents

• Admin Memo as to Electronic Submission of Evidence

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Additional Instructions

To submit Notices of Readiness for Trial, please e-mail to Judicial Assistant at jpaz@jud11.flcourts.org.

Go to courtMAP Hearing Documents

• ORDER ON ATTORNEY'S FEES

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Additional Instructions

Do not submit proposed orders related to a hearing prior to that hearing taking place.

All proposed orders must be submitted via CourtMAP, except for Mental Health cases.  The Case Manager will review your submission for accuracy and legal sufficiency, and either reject your submission if it fails review or forward it to the Judge for final review and execution. 

For Mental Health cases, please e-mail the proposed Order, in Word, to Judicial Assistant, copying all parties.

If the matter has been heard by the Court, include the words “Post Hearing” in the title of your proposed order and include the hearing date in the first sentence of the body of the order.  That signals to the case manager that the Court has considered and ruled upon any issues during the hearing.

When submitting supporting documents for your proposed order, please do not categorize any supporting documents as an "Exhibit." This will cause a glitch in the system and a delay in your order appearing on the docket.

Please do not submit proposed orders to approve a minor settlement, please set the matter for hearing with the Guardian and GAL present via Zoom.

To check the status of a proposed order, please log on to CourtMAP and access the Workbench folder.  A list of all pending, approved and rejected submissions appear in the Workbench folder.

Motions for Clarification, Rehearing, Reconsideration:  Submit a "Proposed Order" with supporting documents (including a cover letter) via CourtMAP.   Court will review and advise if a response is needed and/or if a hearing should be set.

HARD COPIES or BINDERS ARE NOT ACCEPTED.

Go to courtMAP Hearing Documents

• Request for Special Set Hearing (Div. 04)

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Additional Instructions

No Motion Calendar is held for this Division.  

No unilateral scheduling allowed.  In-person hearings will be held at the SOTO Courthouse, Courtroom 18B.

Motion(s) to Withdraw filed in guardianship cases with outstanding memorandum, audit findings, and/or annual reports must be scheduled at the end of the Court’s docket.

To schedule a special set hearing, please refer to the on-line scheduling system (CourtMAP).  See here, CourtMAP.  The moving party MUST coordinate the date/time with opposing counsel based on the Court's availability, which is found on CourtMAP.  Please ensure that the petition/motion to be heard at the special set hearing has been e-filed, appears on the Clerk of Court's docket, and is attached to the request as a supporting document. ONE MATTER PER CASE, including related cases, unless parties have Court approval beforehand.  For special set hearings that require more than thirty (30) minutes, please e-mail request for approval of hearing form to Judicial Assistant at jpaz@jud11.flcourts.org. MSJ hearings can be scheduled through courtMAP for twenty (20) minutes. Any adversary proceedings or approval of minor's settlement must be scheduled for a minimum of twenty (20) minutes. For more information, please see below.

**AO 22-02 requires the inclusion of docket/index identifiers in orders and notices of hearing.** Please list the docket index number next to the title of the pleading that is being set to be heard when entering the information in CourtMAP.

Specially set hearings are NOT scheduled until they are approved by the Court.  If the submission is rejected, the moving party will receive a rejection notice which will detail the reason for the rejection (this rejection will also appear in the submitter's workbench/rejected folder). Once the Court has approved the submission, the parties will receive an email from CourtMAP indicating same.  A Notice of Hearing will be generated by the system, e-filed and served upon the parties via CourtMAP.

HEARING REQUEST OVER THIRTY (30) MINUTES:

For an evidentiary hearing or hearing that requires more than thirty (30) minutes, please e-mail Judicial Assistant at jpaz@jud11.flcourts.org, the completed request for hearing form, and make sure to include all parties.  Indicate approximately how much time you believe will be needed for the hearing, and if there are certain dates on which the parties are unavailable. Special set hearings that require more than thirty (30) minutes are unilaterally set by the Court based off of the Court's availability.

COURTESY COPIES:

Please submit all supporting documents via CourtMAP immediately upon scheduling hearing.  Parties wishing to submit a response to a matter set on the special set calendar must e-file said Response with the Clerk of Court’s and submit the Response at least ten (10) days prior to the hearing date. 

SPECIAL SET CANCELLATIONS:

All special set cancellations must be approved by chambers as the parties will not be able to cancel a special set hearing directly through CourtMAP.  To cancel a special set hearing, please request cancellation by e-mailing Judicial Assistant at jpaz@jud11.flcourts.org and copying all parties.  Upon the Court’s confirmation of cancellation of the special set hearing, the requesting party shall file a Notice of Cancellation via the ePortal.

"ADD ONS"  ARE NOT ACCEPTED.

Go to courtMAP

Documents and forms this judge posts

• Admin Order 22-02 (Establishing Requirements for Index No to Orders and NOH)
• Admin Memo as to Electronic Submission of Evidence
• Order on Motion to Withdraw (Div. 04) - Updated Feb. 2026
• Inactive Order - Pending Resolution
• Admin Memo as to Electronic Submission of Evidence
• ORDER ON ATTORNEY'S FEES
• Request for Special Set Hearing (Div. 04)