Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in Monroe County, Florida

If you're in immediate danger, call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233, and Florida's statewide hotline is 1-800-500-1119. Monroe County stretches across a chain of islands roughly 120 miles long. Injunction for protection petitions are generally filed at the Monroe County Courthouse, 500 Whitehead Street, in Key West.

This distance matters if you live in the Upper or Middle Keys, Key Largo, Islamorada, or Marathon, where a trip to Key West can take an hour or more. Before you go, call the clerk's office at (305) 292-3550 to ask whether part of the filing process can happen closer to home. Monroe County has no dedicated self-help center page, so a phone call is your most reliable first step.

Distance doesn't change the cost. In Monroe County, filing for an injunction is free, the same as it is statewide, for protection from domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, or stalking. The sheriff also serves the respondent at no charge.

Domestic Abuse Shelter, known as DAS, serves the entire Florida Keys community. It runs a 24-hour hotline at 305-743-4440, a text line at 305-240-0105, and a TDD line at 305-296-6245 for accessibility.

How an injunction for protection works in Florida

An injunction for protection against domestic violence (Fla. Stat. 741.30) is for someone you have a close relationship with, such as a spouse or former spouse, someone you live with or used to live with as a family, a co-parent, or a close relative. Florida has related injunctions for repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking that may apply instead if the relationship does not fit the domestic violence category.Florida uses the same statewide forms in every county, including Monroe County, FL. The basic steps are:

1. File a Petition for Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence (Florida Supreme Court approved family law form 12.980(a)) at the courthouse. There is no filing fee.
2. A judge reviews your petition, often the same day, and can grant a temporary injunction that lasts until your hearing.
3. The other person is served with the paperwork and can respond.
4. You attend a full hearing, generally within about 15 days of a temporary injunction.
5. If the judge grants a final injunction, it can last a fixed term or until further order of the court, and can be extended.

An injunction for protection can do more than order someone to stay away. It can set temporary time-sharing with children, require the other person to leave a shared home, and require them to surrender firearms. Local domestic violence advocates and the clerk's office can help you fill out the forms, often at no cost.

Where to file in Monroe County, FL

Injunction requests in Monroe County, FL are filed with the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Monroe County. Because courthouse locations, hours, and local domestic violence resources change over time, confirm current details using the Florida court clerk directory:

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

Local notes for Monroe County, FL

If you're calling from Marathon or the Upper Keys, ask the clerk's office directly whether you need to travel to Key West for a same-day temporary injunction review. Monroe County's geography makes this a bigger practical question here than in most Florida counties.

After a judge grants a temporary injunction and it's served, Florida law requires the return hearing to be scheduled within 15 days. That's the same statewide deadline used in every county, regardless of geography.

DAS operates across the full length of the Keys, not just Key West, so its hotline and text-based crisis line, 305-240-0105, can reach you no matter which part of Monroe County you're in. Legal Services of Greater Miami also extends coverage to Monroe County for income-qualified family law matters connected to an injunction.

Monroe County's courthouse handles all five injunction types Florida recognizes. Domestic violence covers spouses, former spouses, relatives, or people living together as family. Repeat violence covers two incidents against someone outside that group. Dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking each address a different situation under state law. Every type is free to file and free to serve, no matter which island you're filing from. The return hearing comes within 15 days by statute. Violating an active injunction is a separate crime, so the right response is 911, not another trip to Key West.

Official injunction resources in Monroe County, FL

Monroe County Courthouse handles restraining-orders filings, located at 500 Whitehead Street, Key West 33040. Phone: 305-292-3550.

The filing fee is Free. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Florida Courts E-Filing Portal; injunctions are filed in person for same-day judicial review, generally at the Key West courthouse given Monroe's geography.

Monroe County Clerk general assistance (https://www.monroe-clerk.com) can help with procedure and paperwork. No dedicated self-help center URL was located; general clerk phone is (305) 292-3550. Because Monroe County is a string of islands, confirm with the clerk whether a satellite office nearer to Marathon or Key Largo can handle any part of your filing.

• Monroe County Clerk of the Circuit Court
• Domestic Abuse Shelter (Florida Keys)
• Legal Services of Greater Miami
• Fla. Stat. 741.30 (injunction statute)

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

Monroe County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs