Laurie K. Weatherford, Chapter 13 Trustee
Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division

Our office will be closed from 12pm ET, Tuesday, October 8th, 2024 due to Hurricane Milton. We intend to re-open, weather-permitting, Friday, October 11th, 2024. All § 341 Meeting of Creditors scheduled for Thursday, October 10th, 2024 have been continued. You and your attorney should receive notices containing the date your Meeting of Creditors has been continued to in the next few days.

The Orlando Division of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida will also close on Wednesday, October 9th, 2024 and Thursday, October 10th, 2024. All hearings scheduled for Orlando cases on October 9th and 10th are canceled and will be rescheduled. Please monitor this website for updates on office and court openings and/or closures.

Take care and be safe.

The judges for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida have announced updated procedures governing court appearances, including remote access by video and telephone, on their respective webpages:

• Judge Grace E. Robson

• Judge Tiffany Geyer

• Judge Lori V. Vaughan

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida has announced it will adopt a revised Model Chapter 13 Plan effective December 4, 2023. The Court also entered an amended Administrative Order Prescribing Procedures for Chapter 13 Cases:

The Court has entered Administrative Order FLMB-2023-3, effective in Chapter 13 cases filed on or after December 4, 2023, The Court has also revised the Model Chapter 13 Plan and Order Confirming Plan, effective December 4, 2023. The revisions conform the Administrative Order, the Model Plan, and the Order Confirming Plan to the Middle District’s current Chapter 13 procedures; facilitate more uniform Chapter 13 procedures; and make the procedures more understandable for practitioners, debtors, and creditors.

Download the revised model plan.

Our first Zoom 341 Meeting date is this Thursday, October 5th, 2023.

Please sign in at least 10 minutes prior to your meeting time to allow for resolution of any technical difficulties.

Debtors, and when represented, debtors' attorneys are responsible for ensuring debtors can properly attend their § 341 meeting via Zoom.

Telephonic appearances for debtors are not an option absent extenuating circumstances such as incarceration or active military service. Exceptions need to be made in advance and approved by the United States Trustee. Joining using Zoom’s Audio only mode or joining the Zoom with camera off are also not options for debtors and their attorneys.

The United States Trustee Program’s goal for Zoom § 341 Meetings is that they be as close to the pre-pandemic in-person experience as possible.

Attorneys and Debtors are expected to be located in quiet spaces with adequate bandwidth to attend the Zoom video conference.

Debtors may not have anyone with them, around them, or talking with them during 341 meetings apart from a co-debtor, their attorney, or someone from their attorney’s office.

Both Debtors and their attorneys should be dressed appropriately. The United States Trustee has given Chapter 13 Trustees authority and discretion to determine whether someone is ready to appear for the meeting. If the debtor and/or their attorney are driving, in a noisy area, or otherwise appearing from an inappropriate place, the trustee can continue the meeting.

Please remember that if you need an interpreter of any kind, you must notify us at least 7 days prior to your scheduled § 341 Meeting. If you require a sign language interpreter, the United States Trustee’s office must be notified directly. If you fail to make these requests in advance, your meeting will be continued.

Photo ID’s and proof of Social Security Numbers must be uploaded via the Business Record and Tax Document Upload Portal at least 7 days prior to your § 341 Meeting. If we have not received these in time for your § 341 Meeting, your meeting will be continued as the Trustee’s office must be able to compare your photo ID to the person appearing at the § 341 Meeting.

The United States Department of Justice United States Trustee Program has announced that effective October 5th, 2023, and until further notice, all § 341 Meeting of Creditors will be held by Zoom video conference. To facilitate this transition, the U.S. Department of Justice United States Trustee Program has published helpful information including USTP Instructions for Joining a Zoom 341(a) Meeting of Creditors.pdf, USTP Best Practices for Debtors and Attorneys.pdf, as well as a USTP Acceptable ID and SSN Documents List.pdf.

Please note that you should continue using the BRAT Document Upload portal to provide our office with required documents and that, pursuant to the new Zoom 341 Meeting requirements published by the U.S. Department of Justice United States Trustee Program, you should upload required identification documents at least 7 days prior to your scheduled § 341 meeting. Debtors should provide clear, legible photos of required documents via the trustee’s BRAT Document Upload portal. If you do not provide copies of ID documents prior to your 341 meeting, the trustee’s office will continue your meeting.

Please stay tuned as we will announce more information as we learn more.

Just a friendly reminder that 2021 Income Tax Returns are due to the Chapter 13 Trustee’s office by April 30, 2022. Please note that 2021 Income Tax Returns will be required for 341 meetings scheduled after May 4, 2021 in order for the Trustee’s office to be able to conclude the 341 meeting.

Our website will be down for maintenance Friday, June 11th, 2021 as we work to complete the upgrades we began previously. Both our website and BRAT will be inaccessible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Our website will be down for maintenance Friday, April 9th, 2021. Both our website and BRAT will be inaccessible.

We previously announced we are moving to the National Data Center for case information access on October 1, 2020. However, we have extended the date for this transition to November 1, 2020. On November 1st we will discontinue creditor and creditor representative access to 13Network.

If you are a creditor or represent creditors, currently use 13Network to access information for Chapter 13 cases administered by our office, and do not already have an account with the National Data Center, please register for one right away to avoid any interruption to accessing case information.

As we announced previously, we are moving to the National Data Center for case information access. On October 1, 2020, we will discontinue creditor and creditor representative access to 13Network.

If you are a creditor or represent creditors, currently use 13Network to access information for Chapter 13 cases administered by our office, and do not already have an account with the National Data Center, please register for one right away to avoid any interruption to accessing case information.