Processing Your Case

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Once you have gone through our initial interview process, your case is assigned to a case manager, who will confirm location of the non-custodial parent and gather all documents necessary to process your case. If legal action is necessary, your case is then referred to our Legal staff, who file the necessary legal pleadings and set your case for a hearing. All cases where we do not have an existing Manatee County support order are set for an initial case management conference. At this conference, we attempt to settle your case, if possible, and if it cannot be settled, a trial date is set. It is very important that all parties attend all conferences and trials. If at any time you believe your case can be settled out of court, please contact our office and we will negotiate a settlement. The information gathering phase of your case can take between two weeks and six months depending on how long it takes to confirm the other parent's location. Cases are set for case management conferences within 60 days of the referral to our Legal staff. Trials are generally set 30 days after the case management conference, depending on the complexity of the case.

Additionally, Florida Statutes authorizes the Department of Revenue Child Support Enforcement Program to administratively establish and modify support obligations. This authority to establish a support obligation is limited to cases where paternity has already been established or is presumed by law and there is no existing order for support. Other issues such as dissolution of marriage, custody, alimony or spousal support, or visitation are outside of CSE's jurisdiction. Child support obligations are determined based upon the child support guidelines set out in section 61.30 of the Florida Statutes. This new procedure is a supplemental remedy in addition to the present judicial method for establishing support orders.

Page Last Updated 3/31/2003