Is mediation required before litigating a real estate dispute in Florida?

It depends on the forum and the contract. Florida courts frequently order civil cases to mediation before trial as a matter of case management, and many circuits will not set a final hearing until mediation has occurred. In addition, a great many real estate contracts — including standard Florida Realtors/Florida Bar forms — contain a clause requiring the parties to attempt mediation before filing suit. If your contract has such a clause, attempting mediation is typically a contractual precondition to litigation. Even where it is not strictly required, mediation is almost always worth attempting first, given the cost and delay of real estate litigation.