Florida Statute 61.502 - Full Text and Legal Analysis

The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title VI
CIVIL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE

Chapter 61
DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE; SUPPORT; TIME-SHARING

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F.S. 61.502

61.502 Purposes of part; construction of provisions.—The general purposes of this part are to:

(1) Avoid jurisdictional competition and conflict with courts of other states in matters of child custody which have in the past resulted in the shifting of children from state to state with harmful effects on their well-being.

(2) Promote cooperation with the courts of other states to the end that a custody decree is rendered in the state that can best decide the case in the interest of the child.

(3) Discourage the use of the interstate system for continuing controversies over child custody.

(4) Deter abductions.

(5) Avoid relitigating the custody decisions of other states in this state.

(6) Facilitate the enforcement of custody decrees of other states.

(7) Promote and expand the exchange of information and other forms of mutual assistance between the courts of this state and those of other states concerned with the same child.

(8) Make uniform the law with respect to the subject of this part among the states enacting it.

History.—s. 5, ch. 2002-65.

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Amendments to 61.502

Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 61.502

Total Results: 18

Arjona v. Torres

941 So. 2d 451, 2006 WL 3019578

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Oct 25, 2006 | Docket: 1523620

Cited 15 times | Published

uniformity of the laws governing custody issues. § 61.502, Fla. Stat. (2005). The UCCJEA is, therefore,

Hindle v. FUITH

33 So. 3d 782, 2010 Fla. App. LEXIS 5347, 2010 WL 1626410

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Apr 23, 2010 | Docket: 1649168

Cited 11 times | Published

of other states in matters of child custody." § 61.502(1), Fla. Stat. (2003). Under the UCCJEA, a foreign

Karam v. Karam

6 So. 3d 87, 2009 Fla. App. LEXIS 1795, 2009 WL 605401

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Mar 11, 2009 | Docket: 1665598

Cited 5 times | Published

of other states in matters of child custody." § 61.502(1). Under the UCCJEA, a foreign country is treated

KI v. Department of Children and Families

70 So. 3d 749, 2011 Fla. App. LEXIS 15738, 2011 WL 4578271

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Oct 5, 2011 | Docket: 2353187

Cited 4 times | Published

other states in matters of child custody...." § 61.502(1), Fla. Stat. (2010). The court that has initial

M.A.C. v. M.D.H.

88 So. 3d 1050, 2012 Fla. App. LEXIS 8593, 2012 WL 1939742

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: May 30, 2012 | Docket: 60308123

Cited 3 times | Published

jurisdiction over child custody matters. Id.; see also § 61.502 (stating the general purposes of the UC-CJEA)

Staats v. McKinnon

924 So. 2d 82, 2006 WL 452824

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Feb 27, 2006 | Docket: 1419558

Cited 3 times | Published

decide the case in the interest of the child," section 61.502(2), Florida Statutes, and section 36-6-202(2)

Nadine Mcindoo v. Ashley Atkinson

159 So. 3d 227, 2015 Fla. App. LEXIS 2151, 2015 WL 671167

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Feb 18, 2015 | Docket: 2634845

Cited 1 times | Published

941 So.2d 451, 454 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006) (citing § 61.502, Fla. Stat. (2005)). 2 . The father

Schaffer v. Ling

76 So. 3d 940, 2011 Fla. App. LEXIS 15379, 2011 WL 4467341

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Sep 28, 2011 | Docket: 60304606

Cited 1 times | Published

of other states in matters of child custody.” § 61.502(1), Fla. Stat. (2010). Under the UCCJEA, a “child

Dyce v. Christie

17 So. 3d 892, 2009 Fla. App. LEXIS 13747, 2009 WL 2949381

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Sep 16, 2009 | Docket: 1141885

Cited 1 times | Published

relitigation of custody decisions of other states. § 61.502, Fla. Stat. In this case, although the father

Loring E. Justice v. Linn Marie Guerrero-Justice

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Feb 5, 2025 | Docket: 69612576

Published

other states concerned with the same child.” § 61.502(2), (7), Fla. Stat. In furtherance of this purpose

Racquel Dorvil v. Jacarr Atwell

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Dec 4, 2024 | Docket: 69435418

Published

promote cooperation with courts of other states. § 61.502(1), (2), Fla. Stat. (2024). Florida has adopted

Burgos v. Sequeira, Vargas

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Oct 16, 2024 | Docket: 69265873

Published

So. 3d 1257, 1259 (Fla. 1st DCA 2022) (quoting § 61.502(1)). Based upon the waivers and consents

ANTHONY T. LITSCH, III vs JULIE LITSCH N/K/A JULIE MILLS

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Oct 13, 2023 | Docket: 68034132

Published

the law” with respect to subject of the UCCJEA. § 61.502, Fla. Stat. (2022).

K.D. v. IN RE: IN THE INTEREST OF P.P., R.P., and L.P.

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Mar 23, 2022 | Docket: 63180096

Published

enforcement of another state’s custody decisions. See § 61.502, Fla. Stat. In 2002, the Florida Legislature

CASSIDY S. MILLER v. ALEX V. MITCHELL

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Oct 6, 2021 | Docket: 60627046

Published

enforcement of another state’s custody decrees. See § 61.502, Fla. Stat. (2021); N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:34-53

N.B. v. Dep't of Children of Families

274 So. 3d 1163

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Jun 5, 2019 | Docket: 64718910

Published

Rptr. 3d 550, 555 (2013) (citation omitted); see § 61.502, Fla. Stat. (2018). Pursuant to the initial child

N.B. v. Dep't of Children of Families

274 So. 3d 1163

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Jun 5, 2019 | Docket: 64718911

Published

Rptr. 3d 550, 555 (2013) (citation omitted); see § 61.502, Fla. Stat. (2018). Pursuant to the initial child

Makaros v. Cichocki

159 So. 3d 957, 2015 Fla. App. LEXIS 3584, 2015 WL 1071067

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Mar 13, 2015 | Docket: 60246715

Published

and Enforcement Act (“UCCJEA”), codified at section 61.502-61.542,' Florida Statutes (2013).2 An evidentiary