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How does Florida enforce a parent’s child support obligations?

On Behalf of | Jan 6, 2021 | Child Support

After a Florida family court orders your co-parent to pay child support, you probably feel relieved. Many other single parents feel the same way. Regrettably, receiving an order to make child support payments does not always mean that co-parents will comply. When this happens, your relief may quickly turn into a fear that you cannot provide for your child alone.

Unfortunately, many parents across the nation fail to meet their child support obligations. However, single parents in the Daytona Beach area can trust that the state will do all it can to help. Like other states, Florida relies on several techniques to encourage parents to pay child support.

Common enforcement methods

The enforcement techniques below are typically effective at deterring nonpayment of child support:

  • Garnishing wages
  • Intercepting tax refunds
  • Placing liens against properties
  • Freezing bank accounts
  • Intercepting lottery winnings
  • Denial of a passport
  • Suspension of professional licenses
  • Suspension of driver’s license
  • Reporting the delinquency to credit report agencies
  • Legal consequences like costly fees and time behind bars

Many parents want to make sure child support keeps coming, even if the amount is less than initially ordered. In these cases, the custodial parent may request a modification of the original child support amount. An effective way of requesting such a change is to have a legal advocate assist you with the petition and represent your child’s interests before the court.

In the end, nothing matters more than providing and caring for your children. It may also comfort you to know that state and federal governments are always on the side of children regarding legal issues affecting their safety and wellbeing.