Enforcing Florida Family Court Orders
It’s exhausting to fight for something you already won. You don’t have to keep asking nicely. The order already says what should happen, and enforcement makes it happen.
What Can Be Enforced
| The violation | What the court can do |
|---|---|
| Unpaid child support or alimony | Contempt, income deduction from wages, a judgment for the arrears, driver’s license suspension. See § 61.1301 and § 61.13016. |
| Denied or interfered-with time-sharing | Make-up time, attorney’s fees and costs, a parenting course, community service, and a modified parenting plan. See § 61.13(4)(c). |
| Property terms ignored (house not sold, accounts not transferred, QDRO not signed) | Orders compelling compliance, contempt, and in some cases the court appointing someone to sign in the other party’s place. |
| Unauthorized relocation with the child | Contempt, an order to return the child, and fees. See § 61.13001 and our relocation guide. |
How Contempt Works
Civil contempt exists to get compliance, not to punish. For support cases, the rules are set out in Fla. Fam. L. R. P. 12.615:
- You file a motion showing the order and the violation.
- At the hearing, the court decides whether the other side had the present ability to comply and willfully didn’t.
- If so, the court sets a purge, which is what the violator must do to fix it, like paying a set amount by a set date.
- If the purge isn’t met, sanctions can include coercive fines and even jail until they comply. The court can also order the violator to pay your attorney’s fees.
That “ability to pay” requirement is where these cases are won or lost. A parent who claims they’re broke while spending freely is a common story. Proving what they can actually pay takes financial evidence, and that’s the work we do.
Don’t Take Matters Into Your Own Hands
This is the most important rule on this page. Florida law keeps support and time-sharing separate:
- If your ex doesn’t pay, you still have to follow the time-sharing schedule.
- If your ex denies your time, you still have to pay your ordered support.
Both rules are in § 61.13(4). Self-help turns a winning enforcement case into two violators in front of a judge. Keep complying, keep records, and let the court do the enforcing.
Building the Record
Enforcement cases are won with documents:
- A dated log of every missed payment, denied exchange, or broken term, written in facts, not feelings
- Payment records from the State Disbursement Unit or your bank
- Every message, ideally through a co-parenting app like OurFamilyWizard, which keeps time-stamped records judges trust
- The exact order language that was broken, which is why clear parenting plan wording matters so much
When Enforcement Isn’t Enough
Sometimes the violations point to a deeper problem. If a parent keeps interfering with time-sharing, the schedule itself may need to change. A documented pattern can support a modification in your favor. If the problem is that the order itself was a bad deal from the start, see fixing a bad divorce agreement.