Enforcement & Modification

Incomes change, children grow, payments stop. Modification changes the order going forward on substantial change; enforcement makes the existing order real — through withholding, contempt, and license consequences.

← All topics

Modification of a final judgment proceeds by supplemental petition, not motion (Rule 12.110), and requires a substantial, material, unanticipated change.

Support enforcement runs on records: due dates, amounts, arrears math. Civil contempt requires present ability to pay and produces purge conditions — punitive contempt is criminal territory (Rule 12.615).

Time-sharing and support are independent obligations: conditioning one on the other commonly proves impossible to enforce — and withholding reads as bad faith.

Frequently asked — Florida answers

My ex refuses to pay support — what are my options?

Document every missed payment, then the toolkit runs from income withholding (§ 61.1301) through the depository system, license suspension petitions (§ 61.13015), and civil contempt (Rule 12.615). Organized records decide these.

Can I lower support after losing my job?

Involuntary income loss is classic substantial-change territory — but the change must be filed for; arrears generally keep accruing until a supplemental petition is served. Move fast and honestly.

From member firms

Contribute an article →

No published member articles on this topic yet — firm members can submit practice articles for review, published with attribution and a link to their site.