Child Support in Gulf County, Florida

Gulf County sets child support using the same statewide formula as the rest of Florida. Where you file, and who handles the paperwork, depends on whether the Department of Revenue already has your case or you are filing directly with the Port St. Joe clerk of court. Gulf County, home to Port St. Joe, sits on St. Joseph Bay along the Panhandle's Gulf coast. Bay, Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington counties share the same Fourteenth Judicial Circuit, with one family court administration and mediation program instead of each county running its own.

The guideline formula stays the same in every Florida county: the statewide income shares model set out in Fla. Stat. 61.30, worked through Form 12.902(e), the Child Support Guidelines Worksheet. Each parent backs up that worksheet with a Family Law Financial Affidavit: Form 12.902(b), the short version, for income under $50,000 a year, or Form 12.902(c), the long version, for $50,000 or more. Those completed forms go into the file whether the case starts with the Department of Revenue or with a parent's own filing.

Budget $397.50 for a dissolution filing (this figure comes from packet materials, not a current dated fee schedule). Support-only cases filed under Form 12.904, without a divorce, may cost a different amount; call the clerk to confirm. 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 Port St. Joe. 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.

For forms and instructions, start with the clerk's Gulf Clerk Family Law page (https://www.gulfclerk.com/family-law/). The clerk doesn't host forms directly: packets are purchased at the clerk's office or downloaded from flcourts.org. For non-court enforcement work, such as income withholding, license suspension, or tracking down a parent who has stopped paying, the Department of Revenue Child Support Program handles that administratively, separate from the clerk. Reach it at 850-488-KIDS (5437) or through 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 Gulf 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 Gulf County, FL

Child support in Gulf County, FL is handled through the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Gulf 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 Gulf County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)

Local notes for Gulf County, FL

File Gulf County family law cases at the Gulf County Courthouse, 1000 Cecil G. Costin, Sr. Blvd, Room 148, Port St. Joe, FL 32456. The Fourteenth Circuit doesn't post its child support referral order publicly, so call ahead and ask the clerk whether a magistrate, hearing officer, or judge will handle your case.

The Fourteenth Circuit runs a family mediation program (jud14.flcourts.org/alternative-dispute-resolution-mediation/family-mediation) and lists remote hearing options on its video-conferencing page. Ask the clerk or your judicial assistant whether your hearing will be in person or by Zoom. When a judge orders mediation, it usually happens before a contested child support hearing.

The Department of Revenue's site no longer lists a dedicated office address for Gulf County. Plan on reaching the program by phone (850-488-KIDS) or online instead of in person. File a Supplemental Petition for Modification of Child Support, Form 12.905(b), in the same county where the original order was entered, not automatically wherever a parent later moves; a modification generally requires a substantial change in circumstances under Fla. Stat. 61.30. Gulf's clerk explains the dissolution and injunction process on its site but doesn't host downloadable packets itself, so filers either buy them at the Port St. Joe office or print the free flcourts.org versions.

Official child support resources in Gulf County, FL

Gulf County Courthouse handles child-support filings, located at 1000 Cecil G. Costin, Sr. Blvd, Room 148, Port St. Joe 32456.

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.

Gulf Clerk Family Law (https://www.gulfclerk.com/family-law/) can help with procedure and paperwork. The clerk does not host forms directly; packets are purchased at the clerk's office or downloaded from flcourts.org.

• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
• Florida DOR Child Support Program
• Form 12.902(e), Child Support Guidelines Worksheet
• Gulf County Clerk of Court
• Gulf 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.

Gulf County, FL Child Support FAQs