When you are making the decision to move to another state, you probably don’t think twice about your divorce decree. However, if your divorce decree was entered into in another state, and you later need to go to court because your spouse is not abiding by the terms of the decree, you may consider “moving” the divorce settlement to Florida.
In general, if your spouse is not abiding by the terms of the divorce decree, you have two choices. You can work through the courts in the original state to enforce your rights, or you can change the court of jurisdiction to Florida, and follow the Florida legal process. If your decree is from a nearby state, it may be easier to work with the original court that issued the decree. If you moved a long distance to Florida, it would probably be easier to change jurisdictions for your divorce order.
In order to enforce your divorce decree in Florida, you must petition the court for “domestication”. If the court decree is domesticated, the Florida court will then take steps to enforce the out-of-state court order. This may include holding a hearing with your former spouse, garnishing your former spouse’s wages or assets, or ordering that your spouse take a specific action, such as following the custody schedule ordered by the court.