Staff/Boards/Committees

The Florida Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) was established in 1986 by Supreme Court of Florida Chief Justice Joseph Boyd and FSU College of Law Dean Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte as the first statewide center for education, training and research in the field of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). The DRC provides staff assistance to five Supreme Court of Florida ADR boards and committees; certifies mediators and mediator, parenting coordinator, and eldercaring coordinator training programs; approves arbitration training programs; sponsors an bi-annual conference; publishes Almanacs for mediation, parenting coordination, arbitration, and eldercaring coordination; provides basic and advanced county mediation training for mediators in trial court mediation programs; and assists the local court systems throughout Florida as needed.

Supreme Court Committee on ADR Rules and Policy

The Supreme Court Committee on ADR Rules and Policy was created in 2003 as a successor joint committee of previously separate rules and policy committees.

The committee provides the Supreme Court with recommendations relating to: all aspects of ADR policy and rules, legislation, model ADR practices, mediator certification and renewal requirements including continuing mediator education, and mediation training program standards and requirements.

Mediator Qualifications & Discipline Review Board

The Mediator Qualifications Discipline & Review Board (formally known as the Mediator Qualifications Board) was appointed in 1992 as the grievance board under the Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators.

The Board is comprised of members from four regions of Florida (North, Central, Southeast, and Southwest). The members include judges, county mediators, family mediators, circuit mediators, dependency mediators, appellate mediators, and attorneys who meet in complaint committees when grievances are filed against mediators.

Mediator Ethics Advisory Committee

The Mediator Ethics Advisory Committee was appointed in 1994. The nine member panel issues advisory ethics opinions for mediators. For the benefit of all mediators, the opinions are available on the Court's web page.

Mediation Training Review Board

The Mediation Training Review Board was appointed in 1997 to consider complaints against certified mediation training programs.

The members include judges, and county, family, circuit, dependency, and appellate mediators who meet in complaint committees and hearing panels when grievances are filed against certified mediation training programs.

Parenting Coordinator Review Board

The Parenting Coordinator Review Board (PCRB) was appointed in 2016 to consider complaints against qualified and court-appointed parenting poordinators.  The twenty members include judges, attorneys and parenting coordinators from across the state.

The DRC is staffed by:

Thomas A. (Tad) David
Chief of Alternative Dispute Resolution

Merribeth Bohanan
Senior Attorney

Kimberly Kosch
Senior Court Operations Consultant

Dawn Burlison
Senior Court Analyst I

Casey Henderson
Administrative Assistant III

Christian Harvey
Administrative Assistant I

Beshoy Kheir
Administrative Assistant I

Contact the DRC at:
Dispute Resolution Center
Supreme Court Building
500 S. Duval Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399

Phone: (850) 921-2910
Fax: (850) 922-9290
Email:  DRCmail@volamdolong.com