Anyone who has children and has been ordered to pay child support should make sure that they fully understand the child support order to prevent problems from occurring. One man in Florida was recently arrested for failure to pay child support. In this case, however, the support payments come directly out of his paycheck.
The father, who is a school custodian, says that he was arrested last month for failure to pay child support. He says that his driver’s license was suspended, and his car was impounded.
This incident, which is being investigated by the Florida Department of Revenue, cost the man $1,000 to get his car out of the impound, reinstate his driver’s license and bond out of jail. He says he didn’t have that money to throw away and that the situation could have harmed his children because they can’t get support if he is in jail.
The man reports that he went to the Department of Children and Families to find out what was going on. He was told that the payments weren’t showing up in the system. He was told it was a glitch in the system. The DCF counselor reportedly told the man that all he could do was to clear the driver’s license suspension in the computer.
This incident highlights the importance of making sure that child support payments are being made in accordance with the child support order. While it is easy to believe that support payments will be put into the computer system properly, checking up on them might be a good idea. If you are going through a case involving child support, seeking advice from a Florida family law profession can help you to find ways to protect yourself.
Source: Fox 4, “Fort Myers dad says he was wrongfully arrested for not making child support payment” No author given, Mar. 05, 2014
