The Child Support Enforcement Bureau, General Civil Litigation Division, of the Office of the Attorney General, represents the Department of Revenue in 13 of Florida’s 67 counties, as well as the Clerk of Manatee County, in cases establishing and enforcing child support orders. The Child Support Enforcement Bureau provides legal services in accordance with Florida Statutes 61, 88, 287, 409 and 742, in cases involving children who reside in Florida as well as the other 49 states, the U.S. territories, and foreign countries. These services include cases referred by the client agencies for intrastate and interstate:

• Establishment of Paternity
• Establishment of Support
• Establishment of Paternity & Support
• Enforcement of Child Support Obligations
• Modification of Child Support Obligations

In addition to providing representation at the trial level and in administrative hearings, this bureau also serves as appellate counsel in Florida’s five district courts of appeal, the Florida Supreme Court, and in the federal appellate court system. With offices located in Ft. Lauderdale, Tallahassee and St. Petersburg, the Child Support Enforcement Bureau handled 63,000 cases in 2006 and 72,177 cases in 2007.

For parents interested in more information or to obtain child support services, contact the Department of Revenue, Florida’s designated child support agency. The Department of Revenue’s toll-free number for child support matters is 1-800-622-5437 (1-800-622-KIDS). Additional child support information and resources are available from the Department of Revenue web site at http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/childsupport/.