Child Support in Santa Rosa County, Florida

Santa Rosa County residents have two paths for child support. They can apply through the Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Program for an administrative order, or ask the First Judicial Circuit's family division, based at the courthouse in Milton, to set support as part of a divorce, paternity, or parenting case. Santa Rosa stretches from the Alabama line down to the Gulf, with the county seat at Milton set back from the beach communities along its southern edge. The county sits inside the larger First Judicial Circuit, which also runs family court for Escambia, Okaloosa, and Walton under the same administration.

Florida uses one statewide child support formula: an income shares model set by 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, either 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 typically file an affidavit, and the completed worksheet goes into the court record whether the Department of Revenue opened the case or a parent filed it directly.

The clerk's site, santarosaclerk.com, does not list a current dissolution or child support fee, so call the clerk before filing to get the real number. File electronically through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal at myflcourtaccess.com, which covers every circuit including the First, or file in person at the clerk's office in Milton. 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, the clerk hosts a Domestic Relations / Child Support / Family Law forms page at https://santarosaclerk.com/links/online-forms/domestic-relations-child-support-family-law/. The Civil/Family division office is at 6495 Caroline St, Suite A, Milton FL 32570, (850) 981-5554, and offers county-specific forms plus checklists for dissolution, paternity, modifications, and emergency custody. 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 Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa County, FL

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

Local notes for Santa Rosa County, FL

Santa Rosa County family law cases are filed at the Santa Rosa County Courthouse, 4025 Avalon Blvd, Milton, FL 32583. The First Circuit has not published the current administrative order naming its child support magistrate or hearing officer. Santa Rosa County filers should confirm with the family law clerk who will actually preside before their court date.

Florida circuits often require mediation before a contested support hearing gets set, and some let parties appear by Zoom or phone instead of in person. Santa Rosa County parents should confirm both points with the clerk's office or the judicial assistant handling the case, since neither detail is published for this county specifically.

The Department of Revenue's site does not list a physical Child Support office serving Santa Rosa County. DOR now runs mostly by phone (850-488-KIDS) and through its eServices portal rather than local storefronts. 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 Santa Rosa County, FL

Santa Rosa County Courthouse handles child-support filings, located at 4025 Avalon Blvd, Milton 32583.

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

Santa Rosa Clerk Domestic Relations / Child Support / Family Law forms (https://santarosaclerk.com/links/online-forms/domestic-relations-child-support-family-law/) can help with procedure and paperwork. Civil/Family division office at 6495 Caroline St, Suite A, Milton FL 32570, (850) 981-5554. County-specific forms plus checklists for dissolution, paternity, modifications, and emergency custody.

• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
• Florida DOR Child Support Program
• Form 12.902(e), Child Support Guidelines Worksheet
• Santa Rosa County Clerk of Court
• Santa Rosa Clerk Domestic Relations / Child Support / Family Law forms

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

Santa Rosa County, FL Child Support FAQs