In Florida, Do I have to Pay Child Support If I Have No Visitation Rights?
Yes, if you have been ordered to pay child support, you cannot waive that responsibility. Even if you have no visitation rights, you must still pay your ordered child support. In Florida, child support and visitation rights are two separate issues, one not depending on the other. In fact, if you don’t have visitation rights and are hoping to obtain them if your child support payments are in arrears, a judge will not consider your request.
Child support is a court-ordered obligation for any couple who have created a child, whether the parents have married, lived together, or met for a one-night stand. The money adjudicated for child support is intended for the maintenance, care, education, and training of children ages birth to age l8. If a child cannot support themselves for physical or mental reasons, child support will continue past age l8. While there is no accountability to the court of how child support money is spent, if a case comes before a judge regarding custody, parenting plan, timesharing, or modification of child support, the use of child support money can become an issue. To be more specific, child support money is used for medical costs, educational expenses, food, clothing, and extra activities such as entertainment, extracurricular activities, and hobbies. It is a good idea to keep receipts of money spent directly on your minor child as you never know when proof of how child support money is spent might be needed.
In Florida, the Family Law courts have a motto: “In the best interest of the child.” Judges will firmly adhere to this motto when determining the care and nurturing of minor children. If you have been ordered to pay child support, do so! If you think there is a good reason that your child support payments should be modified, speak with a Family Law attorney who can advise and litigate your case if it would qualify for a modification. Do not try to change your child support obligation outside of a modification court order. This cannot be done legally, and you could be held in contempt. To read the entire Florida Child Support Law, go online and type in Florida Child Support Law 39.01.
For those needing an expert Family Law lawyer well experienced in Child Support law, and you live in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Miami-Dade, Broward, Orange, or Hillsborough Counties, New York, or Washington DC, you can contact Attorney Grant Gisondo. He has successfully been representing clients for over a decade and now is a board-certified Family Law attorney. He offers a free, in-office (his office is in Palm Beach Gardens) initial consultation to answer your questions regarding child support. You will also have a chance to get acquainted and learn about his fees. Please call (561) 530-4568 to make an appointment. Attorney Grant’s office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and for new clients on Saturdays from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM.