Florida Form 12.928 Cover Sheet for Family Court Cases

Start with the free official Form 12.928

Florida Courts currently publishes Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.928, Cover Sheet for Family Court Cases, dated February 2024. The official PDF is six pages: four instruction pages followed by the two-page cover sheet. Read the complete packet before entering information.

Source checked September 24, 2026. Confirm the revision on the current Florida Courts forms index ↗ before starting.

What the official instructions say this form is for

The instructions state that the petitioner or party opening or reopening a domestic or juvenile case files the cover sheet with the first pleading or motion. The clerk uses it to report judicial workload data under section 25.075, Florida Statutes.

The packet expressly says the cover sheet does not replace or supplement pleadings, service, or other documents required by law. Sun State cannot determine whether Form 12.928 must be filed in a particular matter, identify the correct first pleading, or advise how a case should be classified.

What information appears on Form 12.928?

1. Match the case style

Organize the judicial circuit, county, case number, judge if one has been assigned, and the petitioner and respondent names. For a reopened case, use the existing court documents rather than creating a different caption.

Sun State cannot identify the proper court or county, assign a case number or judge, decide how parties should be named, or reconcile information that differs from court records.

2. Review the action or proceeding choices

The cover sheet first distinguishes an initial action or petition from a reopened case. Under “Reopening Case,” it provides choices for a modification or supplemental petition, a motion for civil contempt or enforcement, and other reopening actions.

The instructions say a separate cover sheet must be completed for each proceeding when more than one type is filed against the same party at the same time. Sun State cannot determine whether a filing opens or reopens a case, whether multiple proceedings are involved, or which selection applies.

3. Read the official case-type definitions

The packet provides definitions for its printed categories, including dissolution, violence injunctions, support, UIFSA, adoption, name change, paternity, juvenile delinquency, petition for dependency or shelter, temporary or concurrent custody by extended family, and emancipation matters. The form says to select the most definitive type when a case could fit more than one category.

4. Review the related-cases question separately

The second form page asks whether Form 12.900(h), Notice of Related Cases, is being filed with the cover sheet and initial pleading. Its two printed choices state either that no related cases are known or that all related cases are listed on Form 12.900(h).

Sun State cannot determine whether another case is legally related, whether Form 12.900(h) is required, whether all related matters have been identified, or how to complete that separate notice.

5. Leave the certification and manual fields for signing

The filer certifies that the cover-sheet information is accurate to the best of the filer's knowledge and belief. The form asks for the signature, printed name, email address, signing date, and an attorney's Florida Bar number when applicable.

Sun State leaves the signing date, signature, Florida Bar number, and complete nonlawyer-assistance section blank for manual completion. Review every selected category and entry before signing.

Filing and service remain separate steps

The official instructions state that a copy must be filed with the court and served on the other party or that party's attorney. They also contain separate e-filing and e-service information and point readers to Forms 12.914 and 12.915 and current court rules.

Sun State cannot select a delivery method, identify the recipient, determine whether service is sufficient, calculate a deadline, file the cover sheet, or confirm local circuit requirements. Review the official instructions and ask the clerk about administrative filing procedures.

Common factual questions

Complete the cover sheet already selected

The official blank PDF is free. Sun State's optional $19 self-service software transfers customer-supplied entries and selections into its configured Form 12.928 and delivers editable, print, and unchanged blank PDFs. It does not select the action, case type, or related-case answer, and it does not file or serve the form.

Official information and independent help

Prepared by Sun State Legal Forms. Published and substantively reviewed September 24, 2026 using the complete official Florida Courts packet. Read our content and source-review standards.