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Child Support Lawyer – Pensacola, FL
Protecting Your Child’s Financial Well-Being
At MGM Law, P.A., we know that few issues feel as stressful as child support. Whether you’re worried about paying too much, not receiving enough, or enforcing an existing order, money matters can quickly become overwhelming during or after a divorce.
Attorney Mary G. McDaniel has been helping families in Pensacola and across Northwest Florida since 2014. Her goal is simple: to make sure child support is handled fairly, accurately, and with your children’s best interests at the center.
Why Child Support Matters
Child support is more than just a financial obligation—it’s a legal recognition that children deserve stability, even when their parents are no longer together. These payments help cover essentials like housing, food, education, health care, and extracurricular activities.
In Florida, child support is considered the vested right of the child. That means parents cannot waive or negotiate it away; it must be determined and enforced under state law.
How Child Support Is Determined in Florida
Florida follows detailed guidelines to calculate child support. Courts use a formula that takes into account several factors, including:
- Each parent’s income (wages, bonuses, overtime, pensions, disability payments, and more)
- Number of overnights each parent has under the timesharing schedule
- Health care costs for the child
- Child care or daycare expenses
- Other recurring income such as gifts, dividends, or rental income
If one parent is unemployed or underemployed, courts can impute income, assuming that person should be earning a certain amount based on their skills and work history. This ensures fairness and prevents a parent from deliberately lowering their income to avoid paying support.
Because of the complexity of these calculations, it’s important to have an attorney who can carefully analyze your financial documents and advocate for the correct result.
Modifications to Child Support
Life circumstances change, and sometimes support orders must change with them. Either parent can request a modification if there has been a substantial change in circumstances. Examples include:
- Job loss or a significant change in income
- Increased health care or educational expenses for the child
- Changes in the timesharing schedule
- Disability or other major life events
Mary will assess your situation, explain whether your circumstances meet the legal threshold, and guide you through filing for modification if appropriate.
Enforcement of Child Support
Unfortunately, not all parents comply with their child support obligations. When payments fall behind, the state of Florida has several enforcement tools, including:
- Income withholding orders (wage garnishment)
- Suspension of driver’s licenses or professional licenses
- Tax refund interception
- Liens on property
At MGM Law, we understand how disruptive unpaid child support can be. We’ll work quickly to enforce existing orders and secure the support your child is entitled to.
How MGM Law Helps
Mary’s approach to child support cases combines legal knowledge with practical compassion. She will:
- Explain the law and how guidelines apply to your specific circumstances
- Ensure financial documents are accurate and complete
- Advocate for fair support amounts during divorce or paternity cases
- Help you pursue or defend a modification request
- File enforcement actions when necessary to collect overdue payments
- Provide realistic advice so you can make informed decisions
Our focus is always on reducing conflict, protecting your children, and helping you feel more secure about the future.
Take the Next Step
Child support is too important to leave to chance. At MGM Law, we’ll help you understand your rights, calculate support correctly, and take action if enforcement or modification is needed.
Child Support FAQ
No. Because child support is a vested right of the child, it must be determined according to Florida’s guidelines and approved by the court.
In most cases, support continues until the child turns 18. It may extend if the child is still in high school at age 18, or if the child has special needs.
You can file an enforcement action. The court has tools like wage garnishment or license suspension to compel payment.
Yes, but only if there has been a substantial change in circumstances, such as a significant change in income, timesharing, or the child’s needs.
Child support is separate from alimony. However, both depend on financial circumstances, so they may influence each other when the court reviews overall obligations.