First appearance and arraignment are two different hearings with two different purposes. One happens within a day of arrest; the other happens only after a prosecutor files a formal charging document.
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Six boxes, about thirty seconds. You pick when to be called back, and that is when the phone rings.
Or call (813) 588-6602Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.130 requires that every arrested person not otherwise released be taken before a judicial officer, in person or by electronic audiovisual device at the court's discretion, within 24 hours of arrest. The rule directs the judge to inform the defendant of the charge, provide a copy of the complaint, and advise the defendant of the right to remain silent, that anything said may be used against the defendant, and that the defendant has a right to counsel who will be appointed where the defendant is unable to pay.
Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.133(a)(1) provides that in all matters where the defendant is in custody, a nonadversary probable cause determination must be held before a judge within 48 hours from the time of arrest, unless such a determination was previously made by a judge and an arrest warrant issued for the specific offense charged. On a showing of extraordinary circumstance the judge may continue the proceeding for not more than 24 hours beyond that period, and on a further showing that an extraordinary circumstance still exists, for not more than 24 additional hours. The rule states the determination may be made at first appearance where the necessary proof is available, without changing its nonadversary character.
An arrest is not a charge. The Hillsborough County Clerk of the Circuit Court describes the felony sequence: the jail sends initial paperwork, the Clerk's felony department prepares the official court file, and the file is forwarded to the State Attorney, which decides whether to file formal charges. The Clerk states that when charges are filed the defendant is notified by mail of an arraignment date, that a bail bond agent is notified where applicable, and that all notices go to the address given at arrest. The Clerk states plainly that the department cannot change a court date, and publishes forms for designating a current mailing and e-mail address.
Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.160(a) provides that arraignment is conducted in open court or by audiovisual device at the court's discretion, and consists of the judge, clerk, or prosecuting attorney reading the indictment or information to the defendant, or stating orally the substance of the charge, and calling on the defendant to plead. The reading may be waived. Where the defendant is represented, the rule allows counsel to file a written not-guilty plea at or before the hearing, in which event the arraignment is treated as waived. Subdivision (b) provides that neither a failure to arraign nor an irregularity in the arraignment affects the validity of any proceeding where the defendant pleads to the charging document or proceeds to trial without objection.
Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.125 governs the notice to appear, defined as a written order issued by a law enforcement officer in lieu of physical arrest requiring a person to appear at a designated court or governmental office at a specified date and time. The rule permits an arresting officer to issue one for a misdemeanor of the first or second degree, a violation, or a county or municipal ordinance triable in the county, unless one of the listed exceptions applies, such as a refusal to sign, insufficient identification, or a prior failure to respond to a notice or summons.
This page is general information about Florida rules of criminal procedure and local practice. It is not legal advice and evaluates no charge. A person with a first appearance or arraignment ahead should speak with a licensed Florida attorney before that hearing.
First Appearance and Arraignment in Florida in Tampa. Call (813) 588-6602 and a Tampa lawyer reviews the claim and the deadline that applies. Nothing is signed on that call.
Call (813) 588-6602The Hillsborough County Clerk of Court states that after a felony arrest the county jail sends the initial paperwork to the Clerk's felony department. That department prepares the official court file, including the original arrest document and any release forms, and forwards it to the Office of the State Attorney. The State Attorney then determines whether to file formal charges. Once charges are filed with the Clerk, the defendant is notified by mail of an arraignment date, sent to the address provided at the time of arrest, and the bail bond agent is also notified if the defendant bonded out. The felony department cannot change a court date once notice has gone out.
Why it matters: An arrest is not a filed charge, and the gap between them is where people assume a case has gone away. The notice that resumes it goes to whatever address was recorded at booking, so anyone who moved, or who gave a temporary address, can miss a court date they never saw. Missing it does not pause the case.
Source: hillsclerk.com
Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.130 requires that every arrested person not already released in a lawful manner be taken before a judicial officer within 24 hours of arrest, in person or by electronic audiovisual device at the court's discretion. At that hearing the judge must state the charge, provide a copy of the complaint, and advise the person of the right to remain silent and the right to counsel. Rule 3.133 sets a separate 48-hour limit for a nonadversary probable cause determination when the defendant is in custody.
Why it matters: In Hillsborough County that hearing is normally run by video link from the county jail, and release conditions are addressed at it. Rule 3.130(c)(2) also requires the judge to allow a defendant who is hiring counsel reasonable time to send for that lawyer and, on request, to have an officer carry a message to a named lawyer inside the county at no cost. That makes the first day after an arrest the point at which counsel matters most.
Source: flcourts.gov
Administrative Order S-2025-063 of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit adopts the statewide uniform bond schedule for Hillsborough County without change, effective January 1 through December 31, 2026. The order states the schedule applies only to the booking officer and does not bind a judge. It also excludes a long list of arrests: capital, life, first- and second-degree felonies, homicide, felony battery, domestic battery by strangulation, and domestic violence under Florida Statutes 741.28. The list continues with stalking, robbery, burglary, carjacking, kidnapping, trafficking in a controlled substance, and violation of a protective injunction. It reaches anyone on pretrial release, probation or community control at the time of a felony arrest, and anyone arrested three or more times in the preceding six months.
Why it matters: It decides whether anyone can be bonded out at the jail counter or has to wait for a judge. For every excluded charge there is no pre-first-appearance release, and the judge then makes an individualized determination under Florida Statutes 903.011(6) and 903.046 and Rule 3.131. Prior supervision status and recent arrest history change the answer even when the charge itself is minor.
Source: fljud13.org
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