FLORIDA HUG COALITION MEMBERS RECEIVE FFLA GOLDSTEIN-VAN NORTWICK AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE FOR EVICTION ANSWER FORM

Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida (CCLA), Florida Legal Services, Legal Services of Greater Miami, Legal Services of North Florida, Three Rivers Legal Services, as members of the Florida Housing Umbrella Group (Florida HUG), are the recipients of the Funding Florida Legal Aid (FFLA) 2026 Goldstein-Van Nortwick Award for Excellence, which recognizes projects that make a significant impact on low-income communities, affect a substantial number of low-income individuals, and demonstrate a high level of professional legal advocacy.

The award was presented for the creation of Florida Supreme Court Form 1.947(b), a standardized residential eviction answer form designed to make the eviction response process more accessible for tenants throughout Florida. It enables tenants to select common defenses, provide factual support and file a motion to determine rent when disputing the rent owed. The form also protects a tenant’s constitutional right to demand a jury trial. This form is now used across the state, supporting access to justice by helping people appropriately respond to eviction lawsuits.

“Receiving an eviction lawsuit can be overwhelming for many tenants,” said Jeffery Hittleman of the Senior Citizen Law Project at CCLA. “This form provides a simpler way for individuals to respond and assert their rights. We are proud to be part of an effort that improves access to justice across Florida.”

Prior to the creation of the form, tenants who were served with an eviction lawsuit and wished to respond often had to visit the courthouse, where they were given a blank sheet of paper and instructed to write a letter to the judge explaining why they should not be evicted.

This process created several challenges, according to CCLA. Handwritten responses were often difficult for judges and clerks to read, and many tenants were unaware of the legal defenses available to them or how to properly raise those defenses. The process also placed significant fear, stress, and uncertainty on individuals facing the possibility of losing their homes.

To address these issues, Florida HUG — an informal association of more than 175 legal aid housing attorneys across Florida — collaborated to develop a fill-in-the-blank and checkbox eviction answer form. The form allows tenants to select common defenses, provide factual support for their claims, request a jury trial, and file motions related to disputed rent payments.

CCLA, Florida Legal Services, Legal Services of Greater Miami, Legal Services of North Florida, and Three Rivers Legal Services played an active role in the project by helping draft and edit the form, advocating for its approval, coordinating with the Housing Umbrella Group, presenting on the form, and supporting its implementation throughout Florida.

The Florida Supreme Court approved the form, and it became effective on July 1, 2024. Since then, it has been used across the state to help thousands of tenants more effectively respond to eviction lawsuits and access the justice system.

The Goldstein-Van Nortwick Award for Excellence is named in honor of two legal aid champions who were also friends and colleagues, Steven M. Goldstein and William A. Van Nortwick, Jr. Goldstein, who passed away in 1994 at age 49, was a professor of law at Florida State University College of Law and a tireless advocate of the legal rights of the poor and disadvantaged. Van Nortwick, who passed away in 2019 and was a former FFLA president, committed decades of his career to pro bono and legal services.

For more information, visit the FFLA website.