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Enforce Support Obligations and Simplify Modifications for You in Lakeland & Sebring

Helping families stay on track

Sessums Law Group, P.A. has experience handling all kinds of issues related to family law. We’ve served the Lakeland and Sebring communities for more than 30 years combined and we are intimately familiar with our local family court systems. We engage in a collaborative approach with you to secure the best outcome possible in your support enforcement or modification case. When your family’s future is at stake, be sure you have our board-certified family law expert on your side.

What is the best way to enforce a child support obligation?

One way to seek unpaid child support is through Florida’s Child Support Enforcement program. The program looks for non-custodial parents and tries to make them pay past-due support obligations. The program has the authority to intercept a delinquent payer’s tax refunds and other money and apply the funds to the payer’s delinquent support obligation. A common complaint about the state program, however, is that it is overwhelmed and slow.

An alternative is to hire an attorney to pursue a contempt citation for the payer’s failure to meet their support obligations. Parties are legally bound to follow court orders. A parent can take the other parent back to court for failing to abide by the order. Judges take contempt actions very seriously and may hold a parent in jail for a period of time if they do not have a valid reason for failing to pay court-ordered child support or spousal support.

Can I stop paying if my ex won’t let me see the kids?

Visitation rights and child support are not dependent on each other. A custodial parent cannot legally withhold visitation based on non-payment of child support. Similarly, a non-custodial parent cannot stop paying child support because a custodial parent is interfering with or withholding visitation.

How can I change the child support order?

Life changes. Accidents, layoffs and other circumstances may arise and lead a parent to seek a modification of the child support order. Some reasons parents seek post-decree modifications include:

  • Parental relocation
  • Changes in parents’ incomes
  • Changes in child support needs
  • Changes in custody by agreement
  • Increased or decreased visitation expenses
  • Increased or decreased family size
  • Changes in marital status of the parents

Is it too late to get custody of my kids?

Regardless of how long the custody order has been in effect, a parent can seek custody of their children any time there is a material change in circumstances such that the benefits to the children of a change in custody outweigh the inherent negative effects of uprooting the children. In other words, a parent must present evidence that the children would be better off with a change in custody. At Sessums Law Group, P.A., our board-certified family law attorneys use every tool at their disposal to build a strong case for you.

Call Lakeland and Sebring divorce & family law attorneys to discuss your case

Sessums Law Group, P.A. represents clients in divorce, family law, child support enforcement, alimony enforcement and custody modification cases in and around Polk, Highlands and Hillsborough counties. We have the knowledge and experience to guide you through the process from start to finish. Call our Lakeland office at 877-826-5630, our Sebring office at 863-658-4796 or contact us online to arrange an appointment. At Sessums Law Group, P.A., we stand for you!

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