Child Support Attorney in Port Orange, FL
Four Decades of Combined Experience. One Circuit. Your Case.
Child support proceedings shape a family’s finances and a child’s daily life for years. At Buckmaster & Ellzey, we represent Port Orange parents through every phase of these cases: establishing an initial order, modifying an existing one, and enforcing obligations when the other parent stops paying. Our attorneys know the Seventh Judicial Circuit from the inside, and that familiarity matters when your case is heard in Volusia County’s family courts.
Jeremy Buckmaster served as a former Assistant State Attorney for the Office of the State Attorney, 7th Judicial Circuit, from 2005 to 2006, the same circuit that handles every child support proceeding for Port Orange residents. We bring over four decades of combined legal experience to these cases, and we treat each matter as its own set of facts rather than fitting it into a standard template.
If you’re facing a child support matter in Port Orange or anywhere in Volusia County, call us at (888) 785-6548 to discuss your situation.
How Florida Calculates Child Support
Florida uses an income-shares formula under Fla. Stat. § 61.30. The court combines both parents’ net monthly incomes, applies the statutory guideline schedule based on the number of children, and splits the obligation proportionally. Net income covers wages, bonuses, self-employment income, rental income, and other recurring sources, reduced by allowed deductions such as taxes, mandatory retirement contributions, and health insurance premiums for the parent.
Time-Sharing & Add-On Costs
Time-sharing directly affects the calculation. Under § 61.30(11)(b), when a parent has at least 73 overnights per year (the statutory 20% threshold), the substantial time-sharing adjustment applies. This gross-up method can meaningfully shift the payment amount or even its direction. Health, dental, and vision insurance costs for the children, along with work-related childcare expenses, are added on top of the guideline figure and split between parents under § 61.30(7) and (8).
Imputed Income & Getting the Numbers Right
When a parent appears to be voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, § 61.30(2)(b) allows the court to impute income at a level that parent could reasonably earn. Self-employed parents receive heightened scrutiny for income that may not appear in standard documentation. Getting the income inputs right before the formula runs matters because errors in those numbers can produce an order that may be wrong for years.
Modifying & Enforcing Orders in Volusia County
Circumstances change. Under § 61.30(1)(b), a modification requires a substantial change in circumstances, and the recalculated guideline amount must differ from the existing order by at least 15% or $50 per month, whichever is greater. The change must also be involuntary and not temporary. Common triggers include significant income changes, job loss, a shift in the time-sharing schedule that crosses the 73-overnight threshold, a child aging out, or a new support obligation.
Modifications don’t reach back before the petition filing date, so waiting can cost money. Informal arrangements carry a different risk: unpaid support accrues as arrearages even when the receiving parent verbally agreed to a lower amount, and those arrearages survive bankruptcy.
Florida’s enforcement tools are substantial when a parent stops paying:
- Income deduction orders under § 61.1301 attach support to wages automatically
- Civil contempt proceedings that can result in jail exposure
- License suspension for driver’s licenses, motor vehicle registrations, and professional licenses
- Tax-refund interception at the state and federal level
- Passport denial for arrears of $2,500 or more
- Liens against real or personal property
The Seventh Judicial Circuit uses dedicated Child Support Enforcement Hearing Officers under Rule 12.491 to handle establishment, enforcement, and modification proceedings in Volusia County. Child support matters are filed in the Family Law Division of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, and the Volusia County Clerk of Court’s Child Support Division handles payment inquiries.
Why Port Orange Clients Work with Buckmaster & Ellzey
Familiarity with how local hearing officers and judges approach imputation, deviation, and enforcement carries practical value. Attorneys who have appeared on both sides of the Seventh Judicial Circuit understand how evidence and arguments land in these specific courtrooms, not how courts work in the abstract.
Circuit-Level Experience Across the Team
Jeremy Buckmaster has been a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator since 2015, a credential directly relevant to the mediation that frequently precedes child support proceedings in this circuit. Brian Cantrell served as Assistant Public Defender for the Office of the Public Defender, 7th Judicial Circuit, from 2010 to 2016, adding further courtroom experience in the same jurisdiction. David Elizey has served as a Judge Advocate with the US Air Force and Florida Air National Guard since 1996, holds a 10.0 Avvo rating, and has volunteered as a Guardian Ad Litem attorney since 2015, a role centered on the child’s best interest in family court. Jeremy Buckmaster holds a peer-reviewed Martindale-Hubbell rating and was recognized as the 2016 Top Lawyer in Criminal Defense by the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
A Strategy Built Around Your Facts
We build a strategy around your specific situation. Child support intersects with divorce, paternity, and time-sharing, and we handle those connected matters as part of the same representation when they arise.
Talk to a Child Support Lawyer in Port Orange
Acting early gives us more to work with before positions harden and court dates approach. Whether you need to establish a first order, respond to a modification petition, or pursue enforcement against a non-paying parent, Buckmaster & Ellzey can help.
Call us at (888) 785-6548 or use the contact form on our website to schedule a consultation. We’ll listen to your situation and tell you plainly what your options are.
