Child Support in Pinellas County, Florida

Pinellas County splits child support cases across two circuit locations and two tracks. The Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Program establishes and enforces most orders statewide by phone and online. The Sixth Judicial Circuit hears contested matters through a dedicated child support hearing officer, based at either the Clearwater Courthouse or the St. Petersburg Judicial Building.

Most parents opening a new case go through DOR rather than filing paperwork with the Pinellas Clerk directly. DOR attorneys establish paternity and set support amounts once a parent applies by phone or through the agency's online portal. They also enforce orders already in place. When a DOR case needs a hearing, Pinellas parents appear before hearing officer Thomas 'Andy' Munkittrick in Clearwater or Amber Cain in St. Petersburg, depending on where the case is docketed.

Parents whose child support issue is part of their own divorce or paternity filing, rather than a case DOR opened, generally go before family law magistrate Henry Palmer in Clearwater or Rachel Licona in St. Petersburg instead. Both tracks use the same statewide guidelines worksheet, Form 12.902(e), and financial affidavit forms to calculate the amount.

To modify an existing order, a parent files a Supplemental Petition to Modify, Form 12.905(b), and shows a substantial change in circumstances. Once support is ordered, collection runs through the Florida State Disbursement Unit, not the Pinellas Clerk's office directly.

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 Pinellas 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 Pinellas County, FL

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

Local notes for Pinellas County, FL

Pinellas runs two full family law courthouses, in Clearwater and St. Petersburg, each with its own hearing officer and magistrate. That's unusual among nearby counties. Confirm which building your case is assigned to before your hearing date; it matters more here than in a county with a single courthouse.

The Pinellas Clerk's site could not be checked directly for this page; it blocks automated requests. Call the clerk's family division, or use the Sixth Circuit's countywide self-help page, to confirm current hours and any Pinellas-specific packet fees before you visit.

The Department of Revenue runs child support services by phone and online statewide, not through a Pinellas storefront. Most parents opening a new IV-D case in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, or elsewhere in the county use the same 850-488-KIDS line and eServices portal as parents in any other Florida county outside Miami-Dade.

Official child support resources in Pinellas County, FL

Pinellas County Courthouse (Clearwater Courthouse) handles child-support filings, located at 315 Court St., Clearwater 33756. Phone: (727) 464-4972. St. Petersburg Judicial Building at 545 First Avenue North handles Family law and child support hearings for the St. Petersburg side of the county; hearing officer Amber Cain and magistrate Rachel Licona sit here.

E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. E-filing through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal is mandatory for attorneys under Fla. R. Jud. Admin. 2.525; self-represented parents may e-file or file on paper at any Clerk office location, including Clearwater, St. Petersburg, or the North County Branch.

Sixth Circuit Self-Help (https://www.jud6.org/representing-yourself-in-court/) can help with procedure and paperwork. The Clerk's own family law self-help pages on mypinellasclerk.gov could not be independently verified (site blocks automated access); use the Sixth Circuit's countywide self-help page instead. Staff can help locate forms but cannot give legal advice.

• Florida Child Support Program Contact
• Sixth Circuit Hearing Officers & Magistrates
• Sixth Circuit Self-Help / Representing Yourself
• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
• Form 12.905(b), Supplemental Petition to Modify Child Support

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

Pinellas County, FL Child Support FAQs