Web-based mapping services amendment making its way through the rules process
The Board of Governors has signed off on a proposal that, if approved, would permit Florida courts to take “judicial notice” of information gleaned from web-based mapping services, such as Google Earth.
At a July 29 meeting in Palm Beach, the board voted without objection to “accept” the Code and Rules of Evidence Committee proposal to adopt “Chapter 2022-100, Laws of Florida, to the extent it is procedural.”
The proposal goes next to the Supreme Court.
The move follows the Legislature’s approval in March of SB 634 by Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Orange Park. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it May 5.
Under the proposal, courts would be authorized to take judicial notice of information taken from “widely accepted web mapping services, global satellite imaging sites, and Internet mapping tools, upon a request from a party,” according to a staff analysis.
The moving party would be required to file a notice of intent, and parties would be permitted to object, “within a reasonable time frame,” according to a staff analysis.
During a Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this year, Bradley said the measure would increase judicial economy by making it easier to introduce into evidence information that is widely accepted as accurate.
“It will make the process a lot smoother for trials,” Bradley said.
Jacksonville attorney Curry Pajcic, who at the time chaired the Code and Rules of Evidence Committee, told lawmakers that in insurance disputes, satellite imaging can help confirm such things as the extent of roof damage from a windstorm.
“This is a common-sense bill that just adds to judicial economy,” he said.
