Child Support in Bay County, Florida

Bay County residents handling child support have two paths: apply through the Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Program for an administrative order, or ask the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit's family division, based at the courthouse in Panama City, to set support as part of a divorce, paternity, or parenting case. Bay County, centered on Panama City and Panama City Beach, is the busiest court system in the Fourteenth Circuit because of its year-round population and beach tourism. The Fourteenth Judicial Circuit also covers Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties, so its family court administration and mediation program serve all of them, not just Bay.

Florida uses one statewide child support formula, an income shares model under Florida Statute 61.30, calculated on Form 12.902(e), the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet. That worksheet draws its numbers from a Family Law Financial Affidavit: the short Form 12.902(b) for anyone earning under $50,000 a year, or the long Form 12.902(c) for $50,000 and up. Both parents usually file an affidavit, and the finished worksheet goes into the court file whether the Department of Revenue opened the case or a parent filed it directly.

The clerk's dissolution-of-marriage filing fee is $397.50. A standalone child support petition filed without a divorce (Form 12.904) may cost something different, so check with the clerk before you pay. You can file electronically through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal at myflcourtaccess.com, which covers every circuit including the Fourteenth, or file in person at the clerk's office in Panama City. A parent who cannot afford the fee can ask the clerk to waive it with an Application for Determination of Civil Indigent Status under Fla. Stat. 57.082.

Start at the clerk's Bay County Clerk Family Law page (https://www.baycoclerk.com/court-divisions/family-law/) for local forms and steps. You can also file simplified dissolutions through TurboCourt for an added fee; otherwise get forms from flcourts.gov or the clerk's office. The clerk's office does not handle enforcement. Income withholding, license suspension, and parent-locate services all run through the Department of Revenue Child Support Program instead, at 850-488-KIDS (5437) or childsupport.floridarevenue.com.

How child support is calculated in Florida

Florida sets child support with a statewide income shares guideline (Fla. Stat. 61.30) that applies the same way in Bay County, FL as everywhere else. The guideline combines:

1. Both parents' net incomes, combined into one child support obligation.
2. The number of overnights each parent has with the child (the time-sharing schedule).

The guideline result is presumed correct, and the parties complete a Child Support Guidelines Worksheet along with a Financial Affidavit (Florida Supreme Court approved family law form 12.902(b) or 12.902(c)) so the court can calculate the amount.

Where child support cases are handled in Bay County, FL

Child support in Bay County, FL is handled through the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Bay County, and, for enforcement and establishment cases that do not involve a private attorney, the Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Program, which can open a case at no cost to the parents. There are two common paths:

1. A parent requests support inside a dissolution, paternity, or existing family case by motion, with a Financial Affidavit.
2. The Department of Revenue Child Support Program opens an administrative or court case to establish, collect, and enforce support.

Because courthouse and local agency office details change over time, confirm current details using the Florida court clerk directory:

Find the Bay County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)

Local notes for Bay County, FL

Bay County family law cases are filed at the Bay County Courthouse, 300 E 4th St, Panama City, FL 32401. The clerk's family law line there is (850) 747-5100. Bay County child support cases generally go to a magistrate or hearing officer first, with a judge finalizing the order. Call the clerk's office to confirm the current assignment for the Fourteenth Circuit, since it is not posted online.

Mediation and remote hearing options both run through the Fourteenth Circuit's own pages, covering family mediation and video conferencing. Check with the clerk's office or your judicial assistant to see which one applies to your Bay County hearing. A contested support matter usually goes to mediation first when the court orders it.

The Department of Revenue's website does not confirm whether Bay County still has a staffed satellite office. Use 850-488-KIDS and the eServices portal as your dependable way in until you find a local address. A Supplemental Petition for Modification of Child Support, Form 12.905(b), goes in the same county where the original order was entered, not automatically wherever a parent later moves. Modification generally requires a substantial change in circumstances under Fla. Stat. 61.30.

Official child support resources in Bay County, FL

Bay County Courthouse handles child-support filings, located at 300 E 4th St, Panama City 32401. Phone: (850) 747-5100.

The filing fee is $397.50. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal; covers all circuits and case types including family law.

Bay County Clerk Family Law (https://www.baycoclerk.com/court-divisions/family-law/) can help with procedure and paperwork. Simplified dissolutions can also be filed through TurboCourt for an added fee; forms otherwise come from flcourts.gov or the clerk's office.

• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
• Florida DOR Child Support Program
• Form 12.902(e), Child Support Guidelines Worksheet
• Bay County Clerk of Court
• Bay County Clerk Family Law
• 14th Judicial Circuit Family Law

Local details reviewed August 2026. Offices and locations can change, so confirm with the official sites above before you file.

Bay County, FL Child Support FAQs