DEPENDENCY PETITIONS

(a) Contents. (1) A dependency petition may be filed as provided by law. Each petition shall be entitled a petition for dependency and shall allege sufficient facts showing the child to be dependent based upon applicable law. (2) The petition shall contain allegations as to the identity and residence of the parents or legal custodians, if known. (3) The petition shall identify the age, sex, and name of the child. Two or more children may be the subject of the same petition. (4) Two or more allegations of dependency may appear in the same petition, in separate counts. The petition need not contain allegations of acts or omissions by both parents. (5) The petition must describe what voluntary services, safety planning and/or dependency mediation the parents or legal custodians were offered and the outcome of each. (6) The petition shall identify each child who has a special need requiring appointment of counsel as defined in section 39.01305, Florida Statutes. (b) Verification. The petition shall be signed stating under oath the signer’s good faith in filing the petition. No objection to a petition on the grounds that it was not signed or verified, as herein provided, shall be entertained after a plea to the merits. (c) Amendments. At any time prior to the conclusion of an adjudicatory hearing, an amended petition may be filed or the January 1, 2026 Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure Page 178 of 469 petition may be amended by motion; however, after a written answer or plan has been filed, amendments shall be permitted only with the permission of the court, unless all parties consent. Amendments shall be freely permitted in the interest of justice and the welfare of the child. A continuance may be granted on motion and a showing that the amendment prejudices or materially affects any party. (d) Defects and Variances. No petition or any count thereof shall be dismissed, or any judgment vacated, on account of any defect in the form of the petition or of misjoinder of counts. If the court is of the opinion that the petition is so vague, indistinct, and indefinite as to mislead the child, parent, or legal custodian and prejudice any of them in the preparation of a defense, the petitioner may be required to furnish a more definite statement. (e) Voluntary Dismissal. The petitioner without leave of the court, at any time prior to entry of an order of adjudication, may request a voluntary dismissal of the petition or any allegations of the petition by serving a notice requesting dismissal on all parties, or, if during a hearing, by so stating on the record. The petition or any allegations in the petition shall be dismissed. If the petition is dismissed, the court loses jurisdiction unless another party adopts the petition within 72 hours. Committee Notes 1991 Amendment. (c) The time limit for amending a petition has been extended to be consistent with civil pleading procedures. The best interest of the child requires liberal amendments. The procedures for determining if a party has been prejudiced have not been changed. (e) This section has been reworded to provide a procedure for notice to all parties before dismissal and to allow adoption of a petition by another party. January 1, 2026 Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure Page 179 of 469