Title XLIII, Domestic Relations

(1) A man and a woman who intend to apply for a marriage license under s. 741.04 may, together or separately, complete a premarital preparation course of not less than 4 hours. Each individual shall verify completion of the course by filing with the application a valid certificat…

(1) Based upon their willingness to undertake this project, there shall be created by the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar a handbook explaining those sections of Florida law pertaining to the rights and responsibilities under Florida law of marital partners to each other an…

(1) A county court judge or clerk of the circuit court may not issue a license to marry to any person younger than 18 years of age, unless:(a) The person is at least 17 years of age and provides the written consent of his or her parents or legal guardian, which is acknowledged by…

Marriage licenses shall be valid only for a period of 60 days after issuance, and no person shall perform any ceremony of marriage after the expiration date of such license. The county court judge or clerk of the circuit court shall recite on each marriage license the final date …

Any county court judge, clerk of the circuit court, or other person who violates s. 741.03 or s. 741.04(2) commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.History.—s. 3, ch. 7828, 1919; CGL 7517; s. 692, ch. 71-136; s. 28, ch. 73-334;…

(1) All regularly ordained ministers of the gospel or elders in communion with some church, or other ordained clergy, and all judicial officers, including retired judicial officers, clerks of the circuit courts, and notaries public of this state may solemnize the rights of matrim…

Before any of the persons named in s. 741.07 shall solemnize any marriage, he or she shall require of the parties a marriage license issued according to the requirements of s. 741.01, and within 10 days after solemnizing the marriage he or she shall make a certificate thereof on …

The county court judge and clerk of the circuit court shall keep a correct record of all marriage licenses issued, with the names of the parties and the date of issuing, and upon the return of the license and certificate shall enter therein the name of the person solemnizing the …

When any marriage is or has been solemnized by any of the persons named in s. 741.07, and such person has not made a certificate thereof on the marriage license as required by s. 741.08, or when the marriage license has been lost, or when by reason of death or other cause the pro…

A man may not marry any woman to whom he is related by lineal consanguinity, nor his sister, nor his aunt, nor his niece. A woman may not marry any man to whom she is related by lineal consanguinity, nor her brother, nor her uncle, nor her nephew.History.—RS 2602; GS 3525; RGS 54…

No common-law marriage entered into after January 1, 1968, shall be valid, except that nothing contained in this section shall affect any marriage which, though otherwise defective, was entered into by the party asserting such marriage in good faith and in substantial compliance …

(1) Marriages between persons of the same sex entered into in any jurisdiction, whether within or outside the State of Florida, the United States, or any other jurisdiction, either domestic or foreign, or any other place or location, or relationships between persons of the same s…

The common-law rule whereby a husband is liable for the torts of his wife is hereby abrogated.History.—s. 1, ch. 26829, 1951.

The common-law doctrine of interspousal tort immunity is hereby abrogated with regard to the intentional tort of battery, and the ability of a person to sue another person for the intentional tort of battery shall not be affected by any marital relationship between the persons.Hi…

(1) Any municipal corporation, county, school district, or department of Florida; any person, partnership, corporation, or association; or any religious organization, whether incorporated or unincorporated, shall be entitled to recover damages in an appropriate action at law, in …

As used in ss. 741.28-741.31:(1) “Department” means the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.(2) “Domestic violence” means any assault, aggravated assault, battery, aggravated battery, sexual assault, sexual battery, stalking, aggravated stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment,…

(1) As used in this section, the term “conviction” means a determination of guilt that is the result of a plea or trial, regardless of whether adjudication is withheld or a plea of nolo contendere is entered.(2) The penalty for a crime of domestic violence shall be reclassified i…

If a person is found guilty of, has adjudication withheld on, or pleads nolo contendere to a crime of domestic violence, as defined in s. 741.28, that person shall be ordered by the court to a minimum term of 1 year’s probation and the court shall order that the defendant attend …

(1)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), if a person is adjudicated guilty of a crime of domestic violence, as defined in s. 741.28, and the person has intentionally caused bodily harm to another person, the court shall order the person to serve a minimum of 10 days in the cou…

(1) Any law enforcement officer who investigates an alleged incident of domestic violence shall:(a) Assist the victim to obtain medical treatment if such is required as a result of the alleged incident to which the officer responds;(b) Advise the victim of such violence that ther…

(1) Each state attorney shall develop special units or assign prosecutors to specialize in the prosecution of domestic violence cases, but such specialization need not be an exclusive area of duty assignment. These prosecutors, specializing in domestic violence cases, and their s…

(1) It is the intent of the Legislature, with respect to domestic violence cases, that at the first appearance the court shall consider the safety of the victim, the victim’s children, and any other person who may be in danger if the defendant is released, and exercise caution in…

(1) An electronic monitoring pilot program is established in Pinellas County beginning on July 1, 2026, and ending on June 30, 2028.(2) For an offense committed on or after July 1, 2026, if a person who is 18 years of age or older is found guilty of, has adjudication withheld on,…

(1) As used in this section, the term “department” means the Department of Corrections.(2) An electronic monitoring pilot program is established in the Sixth Judicial Circuit beginning on July 1, 2026, and ending on June 30, 2028.(3) For an offense committed on or after July 1, 2…

(1) There is created a cause of action for an injunction for protection against domestic violence.(a) Any person described in paragraph (e), who is either the victim of domestic violence as defined in s. 741.28 or has reasonable cause to believe he or she is in imminent danger of…

(1) In the event of a violation of the injunction for protection against domestic violence when there has not been an arrest, the petitioner may contact the clerk of the circuit court of the county in which the violation is alleged to have occurred. The clerk shall either assist …

(1) The clerks of the circuit court, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, shall develop and implement the Hope Card Program, which provides for the issuance of a Hope Card to any person who has been issued an order of protection by a county or circuit court in…

(1) As used in this section, the term:(a) “Domestic violence” means domestic violence, as defined in s. 741.28, or any crime the underlying factual basis of which has been found by a court to include an act of domestic violence.(b) “Employee” has the same meaning as in s. 440.02(…

(1) As used in this section, the term “court of a foreign state” means a court of competent jurisdiction of a state of the United States, other than Florida; the District of Columbia; an Indian tribe; or a commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.(2) Pursuant t…

(1) As used in this section, the term “domestic violence fatality review team” means an organization that includes, but is not limited to, representatives from the following agencies or organizations:(a) Law enforcement agencies.(b) The state attorney.(c) The medical examiner.(d)…

(1)(a) Any information that is confidential or exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution and that is obtained by a domestic violence fatality review team conducting activities as described in s. 741.316 shall retain its confidential or exempt status …

The Legislature finds that the incidence of domestic violence in this state is disturbingly high and that, despite the efforts of many to curb this violence, one person dies at the hands of a spouse, ex-spouse, or cohabitant approximately every 3 days. Further, a child who witnes…

(1) A batterers’ intervention program must meet the following requirements:(a) The primary purpose of the program shall be victim safety and the safety of children, if present.(b) The batterer shall be held accountable for acts of domestic violence.(c) The program shall be at lea…

(1) Pursuant to s. 741.32, the Department of Children and Families shall certify and monitor batterers’ intervention programs.(2) The department shall adopt by rule procedures to administer this section, including, but not limited to, procedures related to the development of crit…

The Legislature finds that persons attempting to escape from actual or threatened domestic violence or dating violence frequently establish new addresses in order to prevent their assailants or probable assailants from finding them. The purpose of ss. 741.401-741.409 is to enable…

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, as used in ss. 741.401-741.409, the term:(1) “Address” means a residential street address, school address, or work address of an individual, as specified on the individual’s application to be a program participant under ss. 741.401-7…

(1) An adult person, a parent or guardian acting on behalf of a minor, or a guardian acting on behalf of a person adjudicated incapacitated under chapter 744 may apply to the Attorney General to have an address designated by the Attorney General serve as the person’s address or t…

(1) If the program participant obtains a name change, he or she loses certification as a program participant.(2) The Attorney General may cancel a program participant’s certification if there is a change in the residential address from the one listed on the application, unless th…

(1) A program participant may request that state and local agencies or other governmental entities use the address designated by the Attorney General as his or her address. When creating a new public record, state and local agencies or other governmental entities shall accept the…

A program participant who is otherwise qualified to vote may request a vote-by-mail ballot pursuant to s. 101.62. The program participant shall automatically receive vote-by-mail ballots for all elections in the jurisdictions in which that individual resides in the same manner as…

The Attorney General shall designate state and local agencies and nonprofit agencies that provide counseling and shelter services to victims of domestic violence and dating violence to assist persons applying to be program participants. Assistance and counseling rendered by the O…

The Attorney General may adopt rules to facilitate the administration of this chapter by state and local agencies and other governmental entities.History.—s. 9, ch. 98-404.

(1) For purposes of this section, the term “address” means a residential street address, school address, or work address, as specified on the individual’s application to be a program participant in the Address Confidentiality Program for Victims of Domestic and Dating Violence.(2…

The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of persons who are victims of stalking or aggravated stalking are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution in the same manner that the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of participants in the Address…