Final orders in Florida family law cases are not necessarily permanent. Parenting plans and child support orders can both be modified when there is a substantial change in circumstances that was not anticipated at the time the original order was entered. What qualifies as substantial depends on the type of order involved. For child support, a change in income of a defined percentage generally meets the threshold. For time-sharing, the change typically needs to be significant enough to affect the child's welfare or the feasibility of the existing parenting plan. A family law attorney in Hollywood helps clients evaluate whether their situation meets the legal standard before investing time and resources in a modification proceeding.
Enforcement of existing orders is a separate but related issue. When one parent is not complying with a parenting plan or is failing to pay child support, the other parent has legal remedies available, including contempt proceedings. Courts in Broward County take non-compliance with family court orders seriously, and enforcement actions can result in sanctions, makeup time-sharing, or in cases of willful non-payment of support, incarceration. Clients working with a Hollywood family law attorney on enforcement matters need documentation of the violations and a clear record of their own compliance with the order.
