Florida Planning Law, P.A.

08/11/2025

August is Make a Will Month! Even the County Extension Office knows! If you have been thinking about doing this, or putting it off, now is a great time to call my office to make sure your family is taken care of and for your peace of mind!

  Did you know that over 67% of Americans do not have a will? That means the majority of people are leaving some of life’s most important decisions up to chance — or the courts. National Make-A-Will Month is the perfect time to take control of your future. Whether you’re just starting a famil...

11/23/2021

This dog is living the life!

"He lives in Madonna's former master bedroom," said real estate agent Ruthie Assouline. Gunther VI inherited his vast fortune, including the eight-bedroom waterfront home once owned by the singer.

04/01/2020

Circuit Judge David Gooding presiding over adoption hearings and other proceedings from home.

03/30/2020

The recently passed CARES Act may assist small business owners. This is different from the originally passed Disaster Relief Act in that it has a ‘forgivable’ component to the funding; meaning that it would not have to be repaid.

The SBA should have their process in place to apply by this Thursday or Friday. This act is for the sole purpose of covering payroll for a 8 week period and if used in this manner, it will be forgiven. You may also borrow for additional items under this act such as interest for company debts, etc. but these items would not be forgivable and would have a 10 yr. repayment period with a maximum rate of 4%.

The amount of principal that may be forgiven is equal to the sum of expenses for payroll, and existing interest payments on mortgages, rent payments, leases, and utility service agreements. Payroll costs include employee salaries (up to an annual rate of pay of $100,000), hourly wages and cash tips, paid sick or medical leave, and group health insurance premiums. If you would like
to use the Paycheck Protection Program for other business-related expenses, you can, but that portion of the loan will not be forgiven.

Hopefully this will be a help to some of my friend and clients who own small businesses.

The Paycheck Protection Program prioritizes millions of Americans employed by small businesses by directing $349 billion towards job retention and business operating expenses.

03/25/2020

Dear Friends,

Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our community. We are in the office for the most part with some staff working remotely in order to do our part to protect our community, including our loved ones, friends, professional colleagues and others at risk of contracting the devastating COVID-19 virus. SSC remains fully operational with the ability to do virtual meetings, court hearings, and more. Now, perhaps more than ever, we at SSC are determined to preserve our court system through which societal order is maintained. Each aspect of our judicial system is necessary to fulfill the pursuit of our constitutional rights. While there will inevitably be some delays, we cannot let COVID-19 be an impediment to an operational justice system. We will use our resources to continue to pursue our cases and assist the courts in which we practice to press forward with the administration of justice. We may have to employ new methods of accomplishing an operational justice system, but we can certainly do so and, in fact, must do so given its foundational role in our democracy. Thank you in advance for helping us keep our communities safe and joining us in the preservation of the judicial system.

Please do not hesitate to contact us by phone at 904-853-6268 or any of us by email at:

Judi Cowart - [email protected]
Cathy Espinosa - [email protected]
Sue Cregger - [email protected]
Kris Robinson & Emma Amos - [email protected]

03/14/2020

Due to COVID-19, most jury trials in the state courts will be suspended for a minimum of two weeks starting March 16 under a statewide order issued by Florida Chief Justice Charles Canady. The order takes effect Monday.

Also, Canady authorized local judges to use remote electronic means of conducting other legal proceedings whenever possible. The order will be extended or modified as needed in the future and is subject to existing constitutional requirements.

This is the first time jury trials have been ordered since Florida’s state courts system was unified by a constitutional amendment approved by state voters in 1972.

In the Friday order, Canady said these measures are needed because a public health emergency exists in the state courts. The emergency requires social distancing to reduce person-to-person transmission of the COVID-19 virus, the order said.

“Social distancing” is a public health measure designed to slow the spread of infectious disease by eliminating face-to-face meetings. It includes holding meetings using remote technology.

Under the Florida Constitution, the state’s chief justice is the chief administrative officer of the state courts system and can issue orders with statewide effect.

Canady’s order follows other emergency orders issued by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state and national officials. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic earlier this week.

Florida’s state courts system first began extensive emergency preparedness planning for infectious diseases in 2002 following the anthrax attacks in Florida a year earlier. Those plans were updated and deployed during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic.

State court officials recently updated those planning materials again after the virus that causes COVID-19 emerged in China late last year. https://www.floridasupremecourt.org/

02/27/2020

Roy Allela, a 25-year old engineer and inventor from Kenya, has found the ultimate solution to bridging the communication barrier between deaf and hearing people. He has invented the Sign-IO gloves that can translate signed hand movements to audible speech so deaf people can "talk" even to those who...

02/26/2020

Remembering February 26, 2014 when Congress stood still and listened to Seth Rogen testify about Alzheimer's.

Seth Rogen visited Capitol Hill on Wednesday not to discuss the legalization of ma*****na, nor to shoot the third season of Netflix's "House of Cards."

02/23/2020

“His tiny heart was beating within 16 days of conception, pumping his own blood. That is usually before anyone knows that they are pregnant."