Injunction for Protection (Restraining Order) in St. Johns County, Florida

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. Florida's statewide hotline is 1-800-500-1119.

Betty Griffin Center offers shelter, rape crisis care, and advocacy for domestic and sexual violence survivors in St. Johns County. Its 24-hour hotline, 904-824-1555, is a good starting point before or after a courthouse visit.

You file an injunction for protection at the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center, 4010 Lewis Speedway, in St. Augustine, (904) 819-3600. None of the five injunction types, domestic violence, repeat violence, dating violence, sexual violence, or stalking, carries a filing fee.

A judge can sign a temporary injunction the same day, without notifying the respondent first, if the petition shows immediate and present danger. That order lasts up to 15 days, and Florida law requires the full hearing before it expires.

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 St. Johns 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 St. Johns County, FL

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

Find the St. Johns County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)

Local notes for St. Johns County, FL

The St. Johns County Clerk's Family Division page links to TurboCourt, an interview-based tool, and to a paper Forms Library, giving self-represented filers two different ways to prepare paperwork before an injunction filing.

Once a judge signs the order, the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office serves the respondent at no cost to the petitioner; the clerk pays for that service directly.

Because St. Johns County stretches from historic St. Augustine down through fast-growing communities like Nocatee, the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center in St. Augustine remains the single filing location regardless of where in the county a petitioner lives.

St. Johns County's rapid growth in communities like Nocatee has not shifted the courthouse location; the Richard O. Watson Judicial Center in St. Augustine remains the single filing point regardless of how far a petitioner's home is from the historic downtown.

Petitioners moving between St. Johns and its Seventh Circuit neighbors, Flagler, Putnam, and Volusia, will find the same statewide injunction rules apply throughout, though St. Johns is the only one of the four with a specific certified domestic violence center confirmed here, Betty Griffin Center.

Anyone wanting general background on the injunction process before visiting the St. Augustine courthouse can consult Florida Courts Help, a statewide resource independent of St. Johns County's own clerk website and TurboCourt tool.

Filers at the St. Augustine courthouse should bring photo identification and any prior police reports related to the incident, since these often speed up intake.

Official injunction resources in St. Johns County, FL

Richard O. Watson Judicial Center handles restraining-orders filings, located at 4010 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine 32084. Phone: (904) 819-3600.

The filing fee is $0. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. stjohnsclerk.com links directly to the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal and to TurboCourt for interview-based form generation; self-represented parties may also use the Clerk's paper Forms Library.

St. Johns County Clerk Family Division (https://stjohnsclerk.com/court-records/family-law/) can help with procedure and paperwork. Contact familydl@stjohnsclerk.com, (904) 819-3600. Covers dissolution of marriage (simplified and standard) and links to the Clerk's Forms Library and TurboCourt for self-represented litigants.

• St. Johns County Clerk - Family Division
• Fla. Stat. 741.30 - Domestic Violence Injunction
• Form 12.980(f) - Petition for Injunction Against Repeat Violence
• Betty Griffin Center

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

St. Johns County, FL Injunction for Protection FAQs