Back Child Support & Parental Rights

by Holly from Crawfordville, Florida, Wakulla County

Back Child Support & Parental Rights:
Child support arrearage and parental rights revocation. The child support is $54,000.

Never paid child support and had parental rights revoked. He abandoned the children several years ago. No contact, no support.

Can I sue him for the arrearages up to the time his rights were revoked or by taking him to court for revocation of his parental rights, did I lose that as well?

Answer to Florida Court Forms Child Support Question

Dear Holly,

Yes. Generally in Florida, child support arrears are owed until paid; and he owes up until the time his parental rights were terminated. A child support order tells the parents what they must do to support their children. Enforcing child support orders means getting the parent to do what the order says.

The following is stated on the Florida Department of Revenue's website:

Some of the ways we get parents to pay are:

• Notify the parents when they miss payments
  
  
• Suspend Florida driver licenses
  
  
• Take IRS tax refunds
  
  
• Take tax refunds to pay past due support
  
  
• Take Florida Lottery winnings if over $600
  
  
• Take support payments from unemployment and worker's compensation
  
  
• Tell employers to take payments from paychecks
  
  
• Place liens on the parent's car, boat, or other property
  
  
• Report past due support to credit agencies
  
  
• Place a hold and take money from bank accounts
  
  
• Take the case to court because the parent did not do what the order says
  
  
• Work with the court to issue a writ, also known as an arrest warrant.

If you would like to see if there is a writ on your case, please use the Department of Revenue's Writ Search page. Parents can avoid these actions by paying their child support and doing what the order says.


Department of Revenue's Contact Information

Florida's Child Support Enforcement Customer Service can be contacted toll free at 1-800-622-KIDS (5437) from 7:00AM to 7:00PM EST, Monday thru Friday.

To obtain information about payments and collections, the Department's Automatic Payment Line (APL), 1-800-226-6777, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the State Disbursement Unit's phone line at 1-877-769-0251 (toll free) is available during business hours.

Dade County's Child Support Enforcement Customer Service phone number is (305) 530-2600.

Manatee County's Child Support Enforcement Customer Service phone number is (941) 741-4039.

The State Program Office mailing address is:
The Florida Department of Revenue, Child Support Enforcement,
P.O. Box 8030,
Tallahassee, FL 32314-8030.

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.
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Our Self Help Guide, Modifying Child Support in Florida, helps you navigate the court process and procedures once you file your documents with easy to follow checklists, links to websites, important addresses & phone numbers, and much more. Modifying Child Support In Florida

See These Related Florida Child Support Pages

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Go to Florida Child Support

Go to Florida Child Support FAQs

Go to Florida Child Support Forms

Back to Florida Back Child Support Questions

Go to Modifying Child Support Documents Preparation Service

Back to Florida Court Forms from Back Child Support Parental Rights

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