| 1 | House Resolution |
| 2 | A resolution recognizing the dedicated mediators of the |
| 3 | Florida court system. |
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| 5 | WHEREAS, for more than 25 years, the Florida court system |
| 6 | has dedicated itself to the practice of a method of alternative |
| 7 | dispute resolution that offers litigants court-connected |
| 8 | opportunities to resolve their disputes without judicial |
| 9 | intervention and which has become one of the most comprehensive |
| 10 | court-connected mediation programs in the nation, and |
| 11 | WHEREAS, in 1988, legislation took effect that allowed |
| 12 | civil trial judges to refer any or all of their civil cases to |
| 13 | mediation or arbitration in the areas of county, family, |
| 14 | circuit, and dependency disputes, thus providing a more |
| 15 | suitable, cost-effective alternative to litigation, and |
| 16 | WHEREAS, for the most part volunteers, Supreme Court |
| 17 | certified mediators must attend continuing education training, |
| 18 | must be of good moral character and adhere to high ethical |
| 19 | standards, and must renew their certification every two years; |
| 20 | in 2004, 12,650 individuals had completed the training programs; |
| 21 | and there are currently 4,872 individuals certified in one or a |
| 22 | combination of the areas of dispute, and |
| 23 | WHEREAS, mediators are neutral, do not give legal advice, |
| 24 | and do not dictate the outcome; instead, by acting as |
| 25 | facilitators and working with all parties involved, mediators |
| 26 | attempt to get the parties to devise their own mutually |
| 27 | acceptable agreement, and |
| 28 | WHEREAS, mediators, who usually volunteer to serve four |
| 29 | days a month, devoting about four or five hours and completing |
| 30 | an average of two to four cases each day, are indeed an integral |
| 31 | part of conflict resolution not only within the court system but |
| 32 | also in governmental and private sectors as well, NOW, |
| 33 | THEREFORE, |
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| 35 | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of |
| 36 | Florida: |
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| 38 | That Florida's mediators, who perform their invaluable |
| 39 | services on an entirely volunteer basis, are enthusiastically |
| 40 | commended for their commitment to their communities and for |
| 41 | their dedication to a program that, through their untiring |
| 42 | efforts, has become a highly successful method of conflict |
| 43 | resolution. |