Some parents are worried that they aren’t getting enough child support and are frustrated with the Florida Child Support Enforcement Program. They claim that the program doesn’t have the authority to do what it needs to do to get the money the parents need and deserve for their children. Some parent do find it difficult to pay the child support they owe. What can you do if a parent won’t pay? You have to turn to the Child Support Enforcement Program. If the program doesn’t have the authority to do what it needs to do, it is very difficult to get the funds that have been withheld from the custodial parent. The Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Program has collected over a billion dollars in current and past due child support in the last fiscal year, as of July 2017. The program states that it has a collection rate of 81.9 percent, but it still has over a billion dollars to go to make things right with some parents. What can be done to get results on cases that are long past due? The state agency says that it has enforcement tools. It can garnish a parent’s wages. Driver’s licenses may be suspended if child support is not paid. Extreme cases can result in a parent going to jail.
Some argue that these steps are not taken soon enough. That causes child support to go without being paid for long periods of time. Sadly, there are not many options beyond these to pursue.
If you’re struggling because your ex-partner is not paying child support, you aren’t alone. Your attorney can help you petition the court to enforce the child support order, so you can make progress on your case.
Source: News 6, “Florida Child Support Enforcement Program ‘has no teeth,’ parents say,” Adrianna Iwasinkski, July 19, 2017
