Child Support in Sarasota County, Florida

Sarasota County child support cases go through the Department of Revenue's own office at 100 Paramount Drive, a separate address from the Sarasota County Courthouse on Main Street. The same statewide phone line and online system used across Florida apply here too.

The 12th Judicial Circuit's family division page states that the Attorney General's Office represents DOR in Sarasota County. These attorneys handle establishment, enforcement, and modification of support on the state's behalf, the same setup used in neighboring DeSoto County. They represent DOR only, not either parent, even the parent owed support.

Hearing officers and general magistrates assigned through the circuit's family division hear Sarasota cases. The clerk's family desk at the Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Judicial Center, the county's main courthouse at 2000 Main Street, can confirm which official handles a specific case. Every case, whether DOR opened it or a parent filed privately, uses the same statewide guidelines worksheet and financial affidavit.

Modifying an existing order requires filing a Supplemental Petition to Modify, Form 12.905(b), and showing a substantial change in circumstances since the last order was entered.

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 Sarasota 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 Sarasota County, FL

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

Local notes for Sarasota County, FL

Sarasota's DOR Child Support Office at 100 Paramount Drive, Suite 100, sits in a different building than the county's main courthouse, the Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Judicial Center at 2000 Main Street. A parent handling both a DOR case and a private court filing should plan on visiting two locations, not one.

Sarasota County also runs a South County Courthouse in Venice. If you live in the southern part of the county, check with the clerk on whether your family law or child support matter is heard there or downtown in Sarasota before you assume which building applies. The circuit's family division doesn't publish a Venice-specific breakdown of child support assignments, so calling ahead of a hearing date can save a wasted trip to the wrong building.

The Sarasota Clerk's Family Court Self-Help program lists child support alongside divorce, restraining orders, and paternity as services it covers. Clerk staff at Customer Service can review and notarize self-prepared forms, though they can't give legal advice. Because the Attorney General's Office, not clerk-employed attorneys, represents DOR in Sarasota cases, correspondence about a DOR-established or DOR-enforced order may arrive on AGO letterhead instead of from the clerk. That's normal, not a sign something's wrong with the case.

Official child support resources in Sarasota County, FL

Judge Lynn N. Silvertooth Judicial Center handles child-support filings, located at 2000 Main Street, Sarasota 34237. Phone: (941) 861-7400. South County Courthouse at Venice handles Serves the southern part of Sarasota County; confirm with the clerk whether a specific family or child support matter is heard here or at the main Sarasota courthouse.

E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Florida Courts E-Filing Portal; self-represented parties may also bring forms to Customer Service at the Clerk's Office for review and notarization.

Sarasota Clerk Family Court Self-Help (Pro Se) (https://www.sarasotaclerk.com/Courts/Family-Court/Family-Court-Self-Help-Pro-Se) can help with procedure and paperwork. Listed alongside divorce, child support, restraining orders, adoption, name change, paternity, and guardianship services.

• 12th Circuit Child Support
• Sarasota County Family Court Self-Help
• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
• Form 12.905(b), Supplemental Petition to Modify Child Support
• 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.

Sarasota County, FL Child Support FAQs