Represent Myself in a Child Support Hearing

by Alicia from St. Petersburg, Florida, Pinellas County

I have been trying to get child support for 3 years. I formally started the process back in September 2008.

Then the process was stopped because my divorce had been filed and it had to be settled through my divorce hearing which was not resolved until July 2009.

At that time my ex-husband was ordered to pay child support in August. He has not paid a dime.

Then I requested in August to have his driver's license suspended, only to receive a letter in September stating the Clerk of Court has stopped the driver's license suspension process, because the Department of Revenue is now a party to the case, and they will be handling all enforcement of the case.

When I called the Department of Revenue I was then told they have to go through this long process before they can suspend his license. It is now almost the end of November and there has not been any action taken and no child support paid at all. I need to have this case presented in court as soon as possible.

Answer to Florida Child Support Question

Dear Alicia,

You may start a proceeding for Civil Contempt and Enforcement by filing the Motion for Civil Contempt/Enforcement. Make sure you fill in the case number information from your Final Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage you received when the divorce was finalized.

You can request a copy from the court. Read and follow the instructions to this form carefully. You should have your ex personally served by a sheriff by using the Summons: Personal Service on an Individual and the Process Service Memorandum. Also, you should mail a copy of the filed Motion for Civil Contempt/Enforcement to the Department of Revenue. Once your ex has been served call the clerk of court's family law intake staff to find out how to get a date for a hearing.

When you get the date for the final hearing, fill out the Notice of Hearing on Motion for Contempt / Enforcement and send a copy to your ex, and the Department of Revenue. Be sure to read and follow the instructions for this form carefully. See below for resources and links for more information.

Florida Child Support Resources

Florida Child Support Information

Legal Services in Florida

Florida Court Forms Search

Florida Courts Family Law Self Help

Notice: We provide these answers to the general public and our website visitors as a means to further their online legal research. These answers are merely suggestions and should not be regarded as legal advice.

If you need legal advice, we recommend LagalMatch's free Lawyer Referral Service. Many lawyers offer free initial consultations. Get the legal advice you deserve.
Free Family Lawyer Referral

You Are Here → Home › Child Support FAQs › Represent Myself in a Child Support Hearing