Family Court Motions and Hearings in Highlands County, Florida

Family law hearings in Highlands County take place at the Highlands County Courthouse in Sebring. Room 102 there houses a Pro Se Law Library stocked with more than 16 self-help checklists for common family filings. Scheduling a hearing on a motion is a separate step from filing it. The Tenth Judicial Circuit, which also covers Polk and Hardee, has not built an online self-scheduling tool that lets self-represented litigants book a date directly.

After filing a motion, a Highlands filer usually calls the Tenth Circuit's Self-Help Program at (863) 402-6618 or the judge's office to arrange a hearing time. AO 5-51.0, the circuit's Standing Order for Contested Dissolution of Marriage Actions, sets procedural ground rules for contested cases. AO 5-20.8 covers how the family division runs in general. Both apply in Highlands.

The Pro Se Law Library sells packets for simplified and contested dissolution, name changes, paternity, custody, and modification of support or alimony. Prices include $49.05 for a dissolution with children packet and $18.50 for a simplified dissolution. TurboCourt, linked from the Clerk's site, offers another way to prepare dissolution paperwork online before filing.

Some Highlands family matters are heard by a general magistrate instead of a circuit judge. Remote appearances by Zoom or Teams are possible too, depending on the assigned judge. Check the notice of hearing for a specific motion to confirm these details rather than assuming either applies.

Where hearings are held in Highlands County, FL

Family court hearings in Highlands County, FL are held at the Tenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Highlands County, with the county seat in Sebring. Because courtroom assignments, remote appearance options, and local procedures change over time, use the Florida court clerk directory to confirm current details:

Find the Highlands County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)

How a family court hearing works in Florida

In Florida, a party who wants the court to decide something while a family case is pending, such as temporary time-sharing, temporary support, or exclusive use of the home, files a written motion under the Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure. Motions for temporary financial relief generally require a current Financial Affidavit (Florida Supreme Court approved family law form 12.902(b) or 12.902(c)). The core steps are:

1. File a written motion stating the relief you are asking for, with a current Financial Affidavit if money or support is at issue.
2. Serve the motion on the other party or their attorney.
3. Coordinate a hearing date, following your circuit's local procedure for setting family law motions (some circuits use a uniform motion calendar; others require you to contact the judicial assistant).
4. Attend mediation first if your circuit requires it for contested family law motions.
5. Attend the hearing and receive the court's order.

Local notes for Highlands County, FL

The Pro Se Law Library is located in Room 102 at the Highlands County Courthouse, 430 S. Commerce Avenue in Sebring. Calling its phone line, (863) 402-6565, is a faster way to confirm current packet prices and checklist availability than relying on the fee amounts listed here, since prices can change.

Because Highlands shares the Tenth Circuit's administrative orders with Polk and Hardee, a contested dissolution motion here follows the same standing order procedure those counties use. Ask the Clerk or check jud10.flcourts.org for the current version of AO 5-51.0 before preparing for a contested hearing.

If a hearing needs to happen remotely, the Tenth Circuit's published Zoom and Teams tutorial videos are a good starting point for learning the software. The notice of hearing itself will confirm whether the assigned judge actually allows a remote appearance for that motion.

Official hearing resources in Highlands County, FL

Highlands County Courthouse handles hearings filings, located at 430 S. Commerce Avenue, Sebring 33870. Phone: (863) 402-6565.

The filing fee is $408. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. The Clerk's site also links TurboCourt, an interactive tool for preparing self-drafted dissolution paperwork with or without dependent children, before it gets filed and set for hearing.

Pro Se Law Library (https://www.highlandsclerkfl.gov/clerk_to_the_court/pro_se____law_library/self_help_checklists_and_forms.php) can help with procedure and paperwork. Located at the Highlands County Courthouse, Room 102, 430 S. Commerce Ave, Sebring. Offers more than 16 self-help checklists covering simplified and contested dissolution, name change, paternity, custody, and support or alimony modification, along with a packet fee schedule (for example, Dissolution with Children $49.05, Simplified Dissolution $18.50). AO 5-20.8 (Tenth Circuit Administrative Order - Provisions for the Family Law Division) applies; see https://jud10.flcourts.org/self-help-pro-se. AO 5-51.0 (Tenth Circuit Administrative Order - Standing Order for Contested Dissolution of Marriage Actions) applies; see https://jud10.flcourts.org/self-help-pro-se.

• Highlands Clerk - Pro Se Law Library Self-Help Checklists and Forms
• Tenth Judicial Circuit - Self-Help Information
• Florida Courts - Florida State Courts System
• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal

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

Highlands County, FL Family Court Hearing FAQs