Hon. Dorothy Vaccaro — Judicial Procedures
County Civil
Quick operational summary based on publicly available court procedure materials. Always verify with the official court source before relying on this information.
Quick Rules
Courtesy Copies
Attorneys must provide the Court a courtesy copy of any motion filed through the E-Portal; copies may be provided by fax, email, or in open court.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Zoom Hearings
A request may be made under Rule 3.116(c)(1) to appear by Zoom for a non-evidentiary pretrial hearing scheduled for 30 minutes or less; it will be granted unless the Court has good cause to deny it.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
For other hearings, an attorney or defendant may appear by Zoom for good cause with prior court approval, which may be obtained by contacting the Judicial Assistant before the hearing date.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Discovery Disputes
Opposing counsel must confer and make a good-faith effort to resolve discovery matters before requesting a hearing.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Discovery hearings must be scheduled in open court with opposing counsel present or through the Judicial Assistant with opposing counsel’s prior agreement.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Cancellations
Motions to continue a motion hearing must be made as soon as practicable after counsel becomes aware of the need for a continuance.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Absent good cause, a written motion to continue trial must be filed at least one week before calendar call; the motion will be heard as soon as practicable and all parties, including the defendant, must appear.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Absent good cause, an infraction-trial continuance motion must be filed in writing at least one week before trial and include a proposed order with the proposed reset date and a speedy-trial waiver.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Other
Amended charging documents, witness lists, and evidence lists filed within seven days of trial require prior court authorization.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Attorneys not assigned to the division may sign up in court before the court session starts; emailed sign-up requests are not accepted.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
If an attorney is absent when the case is called, the Court will continue through the sign-in list and call the case when the attorney returns.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
A defendant’s presence at a pretrial conference may be waived under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.180, but the defendant must appear if required by the Court.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
A defendant’s presence should not be waived if counsel has not had an opportunity to discuss the case with the defendant.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
A defendant’s presence may not be waived when speedy trial has not or will not be waived and the case will be set for trial.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Plea offers should be placed on the record, and counsel should share negotiated terms with the Court and obtain agreement before approaching with a plea form.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
For the first two pretrials, attorneys may file a written request for a new traffic court date no later than 24 hours before the pretrial conference, with a speedy-trial waiver.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
After prior court approval, an original plea in absentia must be provided with a notarized signature and required fingerprints and filed in open court on the hearing date.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
The Court will not discuss case matters other than scheduling unless counsel for both the State and Defendant are present.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Absent good cause, specified pretrial motions and related matters must be filed at least two days before calendar call; motions filed on or after calendar call are not timely.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Ore tenus motions may be considered when appropriate with opposing counsel’s consent.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Suppression hearings will not be scheduled without a written motion filed and copies provided to the Court and the State.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
If a motion has not been heard before calendar call, attorneys must be prepared to litigate remaining issues on the calendar-call date unless good cause is shown.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Absent good cause, substantive motions will not be heard after calendar call.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Absent prior court approval and good cause, the defendant must be present for all motion hearings.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
A change-of-plea hearing should be set only after counsel has spoken with the client and has a good-faith basis to believe the defendant wishes to change the plea.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Parties should discuss motions in limine before requesting hearing time; matters requiring less than 15 minutes are generally heard the morning of trial, while longer matters require seeking hearing time at least one week before trial.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Attorneys must not make speaking objections at trial; an objecting attorney should stand and state only the legal basis.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Attorneys should address arguments and comments to the Court rather than to one another.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Attorneys must have the clerk pre-mark exhibits, show exhibits to opposing counsel before approaching a witness, and request permission to approach the bench, witnesses, or clerk.
Verified Aug 10, 2026
Contact Information
Judicial Assistant
Lisa Waters
Phone
(727)464-6902Courtroom
Ch. 24
Official Page
Court WebsiteLast Verified
August 9, 2026
Official Sources
Source: Official court page or published division procedure material.
Official court pageDivision procedures pageOther Pinellas County judges
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- Hon. Cathy McKytonCounty Civil
