Family Law

In Pinellas County, there is a separate Family Law Division to handle all domestic violence restraining orders, divorces, child support issues, parental responsibility/visitation issues, name changes, adoptions and all juvenile matters. 

Most documents are in pdf format.

• What is a Parenting Plan?
• If you are an unrepresented litigant (pro se) please also check out the forms and information available on our “Representing Yourself in Family Court” page.

• Judicial Assignments for the Family Law Division
  

• Practice Requirements for the Clearwater General Magistrate
• Practice Requirements for the St. Petersburg General Magistrate
• Script for St. Petersburg Hearing Line
• Your Hearing Before the St. Petersburg General Magistrate

Procedural Requirements:

• Information on the Required Parental Assessment and Stabilization Course
  
• Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course Providers
  (required by statute in any divorce with children case or any paternity case involving issues of parental responsibility)
  Related Forms:

  • Motion and Order Regarding requesting the Court to waive the class or class fee (Pinellas County only).
  • Notice of Related Cases
    

  • Standing Notice for cases without children
  • Standing Notice for cases with children

General Information:

• The CASA Visitation Center
  Related Forms:

  • Order for Supervised Visitation, including parent questionnaire
  • Order for Monitored Exchange, including parent questionnaire

• Child Support Issues:
  • Child Support Enforcement
    • Child Support Income Deduction Order Information Sheet
    • What happens if my child has reached 18 and is still in school or otherwise dependent? How can I continue to receive child support?
    • Instructions for setting hearings on Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Enforcement Cases
• Dependency Mediation Program
  The Court has ordered that the dependency court case involving you and your children be referred to mediation. Mediation is an opportunity for you, the parents, to make some decisions about you and your children instead of the Court.
• Mediation Program Information
  Mediation is a process whereby a neutral third person called a mediator acts to encourage the resolution of a dispute between two or more parties. It is an informal process with the objective of helping you and the other party reach a mutually acceptable and voluntary agreement. The
  decision making authority rests with the parties.
  • Administrative Order 2011-006
  • Affidavit Re: Objection to Referral to Family Mediator
  • Court Contracted Family Mediators
  • The Mediation Process, Family Law Cases
  • Instructions for Automatic Referrals
    Related Forms:
    • Affidavit of Income for Purposes of Establishing Mediation Fees
    • Family Law Financial Affidavit Short Form (incomes < $50,000.00 per year)
    • Family Law Financial Affidavit Long Form (incomes > $50,000.00 per year)
• Mediation ONLY General Income Statement
• Law Library

Telephone Numbers and Addresses:

• Courthouse address and telephone number list

Flyers and Handouts for Clients/Unrepresented Litigants

Domestic Violence Issues:

• How can I keep my address confidential in a court case if I am in fear of domestic violence?
• Information Concerning Domestic and Repeat Violence Injunctions

Visitation & Parental Responsibility:

• Shared Parental Responsibility
• Non-primary residential parent visitation schedule
• In Department of Revenue Child Support Enforcement cases, why is visitation not ordered at the same time I am ordered to pay child support and what do I have to do to obtain visitation?
• Visitation Dos and Don’ts

Legal Clinics available to low income self-represented litigants:

• Community Law Program Brochure
• Pro Se Assistance Programs

Miscellaneous Information:

• Pointers for Service by Publication or Posting in Divorce Actions
• Family Law Forms
• CASA Flyer
• The Haven Flyer

Links to other useful information:

• Pinellas/Pasco links
• Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Enforcement
• Florida State Courts
• Pinellas County Clerk of Court

Unified Family Court

The Sixth Judicial Circuit Unified Family Court in Pinellas County is made up of 4 Judges, one General Magistrate, a behavioral evaluations program, and a juvenile arbitration program. All juvenile delinquency cases are heard in the Unified Family Court, as well as all dependency cases, all adoptions of minors other than stepparent or relative adoptions, all termination of parental rights, all section 751 temporary custody cases, all judicial waiver of parental notice of termination of pregnancy cases, all removal of disabilities of nonage and other family cases (dissolution, paternity, domestic violence etc…) that have an underlying pending case being heard in the Unified Family Court. The Unified Family Court looks to coordinate multiple cases involving the same family and have them all heard before the same judge. The Unified Family Court is located at the Criminal Justice Center 14250 49th Street North in Clearwater.

Please direct inquiries to:

Unified Family Court
Debra Leiman, Staff Director
14250 49th Street North
Clearwater, FL
(727)453-7168