From the Honorable Dale Ross, Chief Judge
Did you ever wonder how your child support order was determined? The Florida Legislature has established certain guidelines that we as judges take into account when determining how much child support should be paid for your case. Things taken into account include wages of both parties, actual day care expenses, health insurance premiums, etc. After this amount is determined it is put into your Final Judgment along with how often payments should be made, when they should start, and who they should be paid to. Often child support is made payable through the Broward County Support Enforcement Division. This can be to your benefit because SED will maintain a record of all payments that have been made to them, as well as the date, and amount disbursed.
If all goes well, the party ordered to pay will make the payments as ordered, and chances are you won't have to revisit our courthouse. However, there are times when it will be necessary for you to come back to court. One of these is if you wish to change your child support order. Until your Final Judgment is modified, child support payments must be made in accordance with this order. This holds true even if you have your own agreement with your ex-spouse. Having this agreement made into a new order will protect the interests of everyone.
Another time you might find yourself back in court is if your ex-spouse does not make the ordered payments in whole or in part. The unpaid portion adds up and is called an arrearage. Your ex-spouse may be taken back to court for contempt. The Judge or General Master will listen to testimony and may order an additional payment to be made along with the current support to satisfy back due amounts, and, in some cases if they find the party had the financial ability to make these payments, the payor can be ordered to go to jail.
What you need to remember as a parent is that your children are too young to support themselves. It is your responsibility to support your children. Child support should not be used as a reason to interfere with visitation, nor should it be used to create a negative image of either parent. Children need to be supported by both of their parents both financially and emotionally and must be given the opportunity to develop a meaningful relationship with both parents.
Judge Ross has been the Chief Judge of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit since 1990. He has served as a Circuit Court Judge for eight years, and currently serves in the Family Division of the Circuit Court. Judge Ross initiated the Domestic Violence Court in Broward County. He graduated from Stetson University College of Law.
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