Board of Governors endorses nine sets of rule packages.

Rules, rules and more procedural rules.

Or so it must have seemed to the Bar Board of Governors during its February 4-5 meeting in Tallahassee. By the time the meeting was over, board members had reviewed and endorsed nine sets of procedural rules amendments, part of the four-year cycle of rule reviews.

The board approved of all the rules as presented. Under the review procedures, the board can endorse the rules, recommend against them or ask that a particular committee reconsider a proposed amendment.

The board, following earlier rules review at its December meeting, has now reviewed all rule amendments for the four-year cycle and the rules will now be presented to the Supreme Court.

Most of the rule changes presented to the board were minor editorial, grammatical or technical changes. Others were slight changes for forms and rules to clear up glitches. Some were in response to directions from the Supreme Court in various opinions or in response to legislative enactments.

Here's a quick look at the changes reviewed by the board:

* The Criminal Procedure Rules Committee has mostly minor changes, according to Chair Jerry Latimer. The more notable changes were undertaken at the request of the Supreme Court, he added.

Those include adding to Rule 3.800, a new category of incorrect sentences that can be appealed under that rule, and setting in Rule 3.851, a procedure in capital cases for raising on appeal the mental competence of the defendant.

The changes also address a problem with the speedy trial rule, Latimer said. Some lawyers were including speedy trial motions in a package of several motions and not clearly labeling the motion, resulting in it being overlooked. The pro posed new rule would require that speedy trial motions be clearly labeled and submitted separately from other motions and case paperwork.

Responding to a legislative request, the committee has created a form that allows a county judge to dismiss county appointed public defenders in a misdemeanor case when the judge determines no jail time will be imposed if the defendant is found guilty, Latimer said.

Another change, incorporated from appellate rules, requires the trial attorney to take steps to preserve records. Latimer said the committee felt it would be less confusing and less likely that the rule would be ignored by including it in the procedural rules.

* Small Claims Rules Committee Chair Faron Cajthaml said most changes were editorial, except for one that changed...