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tina.lewert@lewertlaw.com

301 Yamato Rd #4110, Boca Raton, FL 33431, United States

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Boca Raton Divorce Lawyer and Family Attorney

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561-544-6861

Board Certified Boca Raton Child Support Enforcement Attorney

When a court orders support, it must be paid, and Florida gives you real tools when it is not. Tina L. Lewert, a Boca Raton child support enforcement attorney who is Board Certified by The Florida Bar, helps parents enforce support, alimony, and time-sharing orders.

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How a Boca Raton Child Support Enforcement Attorney Can Help

A support order is only as good as your ability to enforce it, and when payments stop, the financial strain on the household that depends on them is immediate and real. When a Florida court issues a child support order, a spousal support order, or a time-sharing order, that order carries the full weight of the court behind it, and noncompliance has consequences.

As a child support enforcement attorney Boca Raton parents rely on, Tina L. Lewert helps you hold a noncompliant party accountable. Lewert Law also helps parents enforce their parenting and time-sharing rights, so that both parents remain active in their children’s lives. The first requirement is straightforward: to enforce child support, you need a support order signed by a judge and filed with the clerk of court.

Boca Raton Child Support Enforcement Attorney
Boca Raton Child Support Enforcement Attorney

Tina Lewert

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Motion for Enforcement Versus Motion for Contempt

These two tools are related but distinct, and understanding the difference helps set expectations.

A motion for enforcement asks the court to compel compliance with an order that the other party is not following. Once a judge enters a valid order, the court keeps continuing jurisdiction to make sure the parties follow it, and a motion for enforcement asks the judge to step in and do exactly that.

A motion for contempt goes further. As a contempt of court attorney Boca Raton parents turn to, Tina L. Lewert can ask the court to find a noncompliant party in contempt for willfully violating a valid order. Contempt is a serious finding, and Florida courts use it as one of their most effective tools for compelling payment.

How Contempt Works in a Support Case

For a court to hold a party in contempt for unpaid support, it must generally find two things: that the violation was willful, and that the party has the present ability to pay. A parent who genuinely cannot pay, for example after a layoff or a serious illness, has a real defense, which is why these cases turn on the facts and the evidence.

Florida recognizes two kinds of contempt. Civil contempt is coercive: it is meant to compel compliance, and the party can “purge” the contempt by paying a set amount or meeting the court’s terms. As a practical matter, a party held in civil contempt often holds the keys to their own release, because paying the purge amount resolves it. Criminal contempt is punitive, carries higher procedural protections, and is reserved for more egregious cases.

Once a party is found in contempt, the court has a range of remedies to resolve the past-due balance. As a child support contempt lawyer Boca Raton families count on, Tina L. Lewert can pursue these on your behalf. They include entering a money judgment for the arrears, ordering wage garnishment through an income deduction order, awarding sanctions and attorney fees, and, in appropriate cases, incarceration until a purge amount is paid. Florida also authorizes consequences such as driver’s license and professional license suspension for delinquent support, and the Florida Department of Revenue runs its own administrative enforcement, including wage withholding and liens.

Support and Time-Sharing Are Separate Obligations

This point matters and is widely misunderstood. Child support and time-sharing are legally separate. A parent may not stop paying support because they are being denied time with the child, and a parent may not withhold time-sharing because support is unpaid. Doing either puts that parent in violation of a court order. If you are facing one of these problems, the answer is to enforce the relevant order through the court, not to retaliate by violating another, which only creates a second problem.

One more practical point: if your own circumstances have changed and you cannot pay, do not simply stop. The order stays in effect until a court modifies it, and falling behind exposes you to the enforcement tools above. The right step is to seek a modification promptly.

  • Board Certified Specialist, Marital and Family Law, by The Florida Bar, 2009 to present
  • Nationally Board Certified in Family Trial Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy
  • U.S. News "Best Lawyers" 2023 to 2026, Family Law and Family Law Mediation
  • Super Lawyers Magazine's "Top Attorneys in Florida" 2013 to 2025

Why Work With a Board Certified Boca Raton Child Support Enforcement Attorney

Enforcement and contempt turn on meeting specific legal standards and presenting the right evidence, which is where focused experience matters. Working with a board-certified specialist means your case is handled by someone whose focus and experience in marital and family law have been formally recognized by The Florida Bar. Because Lewert Law keeps a deliberately limited caseload, the attorney you meet is the attorney who handles your matter.

That certified focus has been recognized by The Florida Bar and the wider legal profession:

  • Board Certified Specialist, Marital and Family Law, by The Florida Bar, 2009 to present
  • Nationally Board Certified in Family Trial Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy
  • U.S. News "Best Lawyers" 2023 to 2026, Family Law and Family Law Mediation
  • Super Lawyers Magazine's "Top Attorneys in Florida" 2013 to 2025

Serving Boca Raton and South Florida

Lewert Law is based in Boca Raton and handles enforcement and contempt matters for clients throughout Palm Beach County and Broward County, including Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, Highland Beach, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Coral Springs, and Parkland. As a Boca Raton family law attorney focused exclusively on marital and family law, Tina L. Lewert handles these cases personally. Local cases are generally heard in the Palm Beach County or Broward County family courts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need before I can enforce child support?

You need a child support order signed by a judge and filed with the clerk of court. With a valid order in place, the court retains jurisdiction to enforce it, and you can file a motion for enforcement or a motion for contempt if the other party is not complying.

What is the difference between enforcement and contempt?

A motion for enforcement asks the court to compel compliance with its order. A motion for contempt asks the court to find that a party willfully violated a valid order, which can carry penalties. Contempt is the stronger tool and requires showing the violation was willful and that the party can pay.

Can the other parent go to jail for not paying?

It is possible. In civil contempt, a court can order incarceration until the party pays a set purge amount, but only after finding the nonpayment was willful and that the party has the present ability to pay. A parent who genuinely cannot pay has a defense, so these cases depend heavily on the facts.

What remedies are available for unpaid support?

Florida courts can enter a judgment for the arrears, order wage garnishment through an income deduction order, award sanctions and attorney fees, and order incarceration in appropriate cases. The state can also suspend driver's and professional licenses, and the Department of Revenue offers administrative enforcement such as wage withholding and liens.

Can I stop paying support if I am being denied time with my child?

No. Support and time-sharing are separate legal obligations. Withholding support because of a time-sharing dispute, or withholding time-sharing because support is unpaid, puts you in violation of a court order. Each problem should be addressed by enforcing the relevant order, not by violating another.

Where are these cases heard for Boca Raton residents?

An enforcement or contempt matter is filed with the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court, and for Boca Raton residents these cases are generally heard in the family division at the South County Courthouse, located at 200 W. Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, the nearest county courthouse to Boca Raton.

Enforcement often connects to these related matters:

Speak With a Boca Raton Child Support Enforcement Attorney

When you are not receiving the support you are owed, you do not have to absorb it. To talk through enforcement or a contempt motion with a board-certified Boca Raton child support enforcement attorney, call Lewert Law at (561) 544-6861 or reach out online to schedule a confidential consultation.