Appeals

The defendant/appellant has 30 days from the sentence or court order date to file an appeal.

To file an appeal, first visit the Florida Bar’s website to review the Rules of Appellate Procedure. There you can view a template Notice of Appeal to file.

An appeal can be filed in one of three ways:

• By an attorney on behalf of the defendant/appellant
• By the defendant/appellant in room 210 of the courthouse
• By the defendant/appellant by mail

Note that for some appeals, two separate fees are required, one to the Clerk’s Office and one to the 5^th District Court of Appeals.

In addition to the Clerk and/or 5^th DCA filing fees, the defendant/appellant will incur additional fees to have the court record prepared for appeal. An invoice will be sent to the defendant/appellant once the amount is determined (additional fees do not apply to Code Enforcement appeals).

Forms of Payment

• Cash, personal check, money order, cashier's check (payable to Orange County Clerk of Courts)

• MasterCard, Visa, Discover or American Express                                                                                                              

Once a Notice of Appeal has been filed, a case acknowledgement notice is sent to the defendant/appellant by mail.

If you are a pro se litigant, meaning to represent yourself, consider the following resources for those filing an appeal.

• The Florida Bar’s Rules of Appellate Procedure
  
  

• The Pro Se Appellant Handbook