Recent amendments to the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure and the Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration are ushering in a new era for discovery practice in the Sunshine State—and practitioners who aren't paying attention could face serious consequences.
In an article for the Daily Business Review, Gunster attorneys Laura Riff, Rebecca Maturo, and Chuck Ragan break down the sweeping changes, including mandatory initial disclosures, tougher certification requirements, new proportionality standards modeled on the federal rules, and expanded sanctions that can range from striking filings and adverse inference instructions to dismissal or default judgment. The authors also highlight how the Florida Supreme Court's 2026 amendment to Rule 2.515 now requires signers to certify that legal authorities in court filings "exist and are accurately cited"—a move driven in part by concerns over AI-generated content and hallucinated case citations.
But the article isn't just a warning. Riff, Maturo, and Ragan offer practical guidance for navigating the new landscape, from engaging IT professionals early and leveraging federal precedent, to fostering good-faith dialogue with opposing counsel to streamline the discovery process.
Laura Riff has significant experience with large-scale litigation, which allows her to help clients develop and execute effective, defensible approaches to eDiscovery issues. She draws on her prior experience as a litigation partner at a global firm, where she represented clients in a broad range of complex disputes and regulatory matters. Laura regularly speaks on eDiscovery topics, and she designed a course in eDiscovery for Indiana University’s McKinney School of Law.
Rebecca Maturo is a member of Gunster’s Business Litigation group. She practices in the firm’s Jacksonville office, where she combines creative problem-solving with fine attention to detail to meet clients’ needs. Prior to law school, Rebecca specialized in insurance and financial fraud investigations. Rebecca graduated number one in her class, summa cum laude, from Florida State University College of Law. Following the completion of a federal clerkship in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida Rebecca joined Gunster.
Charles R. Ragan advises Fortune 50 companies and other organizations on information governance, e-discovery, records management, cloud data risk, and vendor management. He is a recognized thought leader and contributor to The Sedona Conference, whose publications are frequently cited by courts as “the leading authorities on electronic document retrieval and production.”
