Child Support Orders

• An order for child support can be obtained through the local court. A judge will weigh the number of children in the family and the income of both parents before rendering a support order.
  
  

Child Support Enforcement

• Florida's Child Support Enforcement Division helps in enforcing a court order. If child support payments are not made, it can take the following actions on your behalf: paycheck garnishment, tax refund and lottery winning intercepts, liens on personal property, reports to the credit bureaus, suspension of driver's and other professional licenses, denial of passport and referral to the court for a contempt citation.
  
  

Continued Non-Payment

• Criminal action can be taken if there is a persistent pattern of non-payment of child support, according to Florida law. The first and second convictions are considered a misdemeanor and are punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. The third offense is considered a felony, and conviction can carry up to five years in jail and a $5,000 fine.
  
  

Interstate Regulations

• Florida has established reciprocal agreements with some states. This allows them to work with the authorities more closely there to uphold a child support order, and it allows the other state to uphold Florida regulations.
  
  

Federal Law

• The Child Support Recovery Act of 1992 has made non-payment of child support to a child living in another state a federal crime if the amount owed exceeds $5,000 and it has been owed for more than one year. It is up to the local prosecutor's discretion whether a particular case is referred to the federal authorities.