Child Support in Hardee County, Florida

Hardee County child support cases run through the Tenth Judicial Circuit's centralized hearing officer system based in Bartow. The county's own clerk's office in Wauchula files the paperwork and sells the self-help packets most Hardee parents use.

The Tenth Circuit assigns four Title IV-D child support hearing officers to cases across Hardee, Highlands, and Polk counties: Christine Daly, Donald Frenette, Kymberly Clements, and Patrick Vincent. All four share the same Bartow line, (863) 534-5831. A Hardee parent with a Department of Revenue case does not get a locally based hearing officer the way some larger counties do.

Parents whose child support question ties to their own divorce or paternity filing, rather than a case DOR opened, typically go before one of the circuit's family law magistrates instead, such as Jennifer L. Steimle or Robin M. Matis-Jackson. Both paths calculate support the same way, using the statewide guidelines worksheet and financial affidavit.

Hardee's clerk sells low-cost, ready-made pro se packets priced from $6.15 to $24.35. These include a child support and parenting plan modification packet, which can save a self-represented parent from assembling the underlying forms one by one.

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 Hardee 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 Hardee County, FL

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

Local notes for Hardee County, FL

The Tenth Circuit centralizes its Title IV-D hearing officers in Bartow instead of staffing Hardee County separately. A parent scheduled for a hearing should confirm with the clerk whether the appearance is remote or requires travel to Bartow. The circuit publishes a specific virtual appearance policy for DRD child support hearings that governs how those remote appearances work.

The Hardee Clerk's office sits at 417 W. Main Street, Suite 202, in Wauchula, and is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Its pro se packets are the fastest way for a self-represented Hardee parent to get the correct child support forms without piecing them together from the state's form index.

For anything the local packets or clerk staff cannot answer, the Tenth Circuit's Family Court Self-Help Program backs up the Hardee Clerk's own services at 1-800-780-5346 extension 4015. Parents who cannot afford fees can ask the clerk about an indigent status application.

Official child support resources in Hardee County, FL

Hardee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller handles child-support filings, located at 417 W. Main Street, Suite 202, Wauchula 33873.

E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. The clerk links the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal. Hardee is a small, rural county, and the clerk's own site has limited detail on e-filing specifics beyond that link.

Hardee Clerk Pro Se Packets & Fees / Family Court Self-Help Program (https://www.hardeeclerk.com/departments/family-law/pro-se-packets-fees/) can help with procedure and paperwork. Offers Florida Supreme Court simplified family law packets, including child support and parenting plan modification, for $6.15 to $24.35. The Tenth Circuit's Family Court Self-Help Program, reachable at 1-800-780-5346 ext. 4015, backs up the clerk's own packets. Clerk located at 417 W. Main St, Suite 202, Wauchula, FL 33873, Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Staff cannot give legal advice. Virtual Appearance Policy (Rules for Virtual Appearances at DRD-Child Support Hearings, Tenth Judicial Circuit) applies; see https://www.jud10.flcourts.org/sites/default/files/docs/VirtualAppearancePolicy_DRD-Child_Support_Hearings_HearingOfficers.pdf.

• Tenth Circuit Magistrates and Hearing Officers
• Hardee Clerk Pro Se Packets & Fees
• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
• Virtual Appearance Policy, DRD Child Support Hearings
• Florida Child Support Program Payments

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

Hardee County, FL Child Support FAQs