Florida Statutes 61.531 – Expedited enforcement of child custody determination
Current as of: 2023 | Check for updates
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(1) A petition under ss. 61.524–61.540 must be verified. Certified copies of all orders sought to be enforced and of any order confirming registration must be attached to the petition. A copy of a certified copy of an order may be attached instead of the original.
(2) A petition for enforcement of a child custody determination must state:
(a) Whether the court that issued the determination identified the jurisdictional basis it relied upon in exercising jurisdiction and, if so, specify the basis;
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 61.531
- Child: means an individual who has not attained 18 years of age. See Florida Statutes 61.503
- Child custody determination: means a judgment, decree, or other order of a court providing for the legal custody, physical custody, residential care, or visitation with respect to a child. See Florida Statutes 61.503
- Court: means an entity authorized under the laws of a state to establish, enforce, or modify a child custody determination. See Florida Statutes 61.503
- Issuing court: means the court that makes a child custody determination for which enforcement is sought under this part. See Florida Statutes 61.503
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Person: means an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, or government; governmental subdivision, agency, instrumentality, or public corporation; or any other legal or commercial entity. See Florida Statutes 61.503
- Physical custody: means the physical care and supervision of a child. See Florida Statutes 61.503
- State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See Florida Statutes 61.503
(b) Whether the determination for which enforcement is sought has been vacated, stayed, or modified by a court whose decision must be enforced under this part and, if so, identify the court, the case number, and the nature of the proceeding;
(c) Whether any proceeding has been commenced that could affect the current proceeding, including proceedings relating to domestic violence, protective orders, termination of parental rights, and adoptions and, if so, identify the court, the case number, and the nature of the proceeding;
(d) The present physical address of the child and the respondent, if known;
(e) Whether relief in addition to the immediate physical custody of the child and attorney’s fees is sought, including a request for assistance from law enforcement officers and, if so, the relief sought; and
(f) If the child custody determination has been registered and confirmed under s. 61.528, the date and place of registration.
(3) Upon the filing of a petition, the court shall issue an order directing the respondent to appear in person with or without the child at a hearing and may enter any order necessary to ensure the safety of the parties and the child. The hearing must be held on the next judicial day after service of the order unless that date is impossible. In that event, the court shall hold the hearing on the first judicial day possible. The court may extend the date of the hearing at the request of the petitioner.
(4) An order issued under subsection (3) must state the time and place of the hearing and advise the respondent that at the hearing the court will order that the petitioner may take immediate physical custody of the child and the payment of fees, costs, and expenses under s. 61.535 and may schedule a hearing to determine whether further relief is appropriate, unless the respondent appears and establishes that:
(a) The child custody determination has not been registered and confirmed under s. 61.528 and that:
2. The child custody determination for which enforcement is sought has been vacated, stayed, or modified by a court of a state having jurisdiction to do so under ss. 61.514–61.523; or
3. The respondent was entitled to notice, but notice was not given in accordance with the standards of s. 61.509 in the proceedings before the court that issued the order for which enforcement is sought; or