(a) A Family Court Division of the Circuit Court of the 37th Judicial Circuit is hereby established and shall become effective upon initiation of the first term of office of circuit judgeship number 3. The judge occupying judgeship number 3 shall preside over the family court division.
(b) The family court division shall handle all cases and proceedings involving divorces, annulments of marriages, custody and support of children, granting and enforcement of alimony, proceedings under any reciprocal nonsupport act, and all other domestic and marital matters over which the circuit under Chapters 3 and 4, Title 40.
(c) The division shall also have and exercise jurisdiction over juveniles for the purposes of subsection (b), and for the enforcement of Chapter 15, Title 12.
(d) All cases and proceedings involving domestic relations and marital matters which originate in the circuit court shall be assigned to the family court division. If the docket of the division is overcrowded, cases may be reassigned by the presiding judge of the circuit court to other circuit and district judges of the circuit.
(e) When the family court division of the circuit court has been organized pursuant to this part and is ready to function, all cases or causes pending in the District Court of Lee County or the Circuit Court of the 37th Judicial Circuit having jurisdiction of juveniles and matters involving domestic relations shall be transferred to the family court division. However, those pending cases which have been heard and are awaiting a final disposition at the time of the commencement of the family court division shall remain with the judge who conducted the hearings or trials.
Last modified: May 3, 2021