Florida Statutes 61.515 – Exclusive, continuing jurisdiction
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(1) Except as otherwise provided in s. 61.517, a court of this state which has made a child custody determination consistent with s. 61.514 or s. 61.516 has exclusive, continuing jurisdiction over the determination until:
(a) A court of this state determines that the child, the child’s parents, and any person acting as a parent do not have a significant connection with this state and that substantial evidence is no longer available in this state concerning the child’s care, protection, training, and personal relationships; or
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 61.515
- Child: means an individual who has not attained 18 years of age. See Florida Statutes 61.503
- Child custody determination: means a judgment, decree, or other order of a court providing for the legal custody, physical custody, residential care, or visitation with respect to a child. See Florida Statutes 61.503
- Court: means an entity authorized under the laws of a state to establish, enforce, or modify a child custody determination. See Florida Statutes 61.503
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Initial determination: means the first child custody determination concerning a particular child. See Florida Statutes 61.503
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Person: means an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, or government; governmental subdivision, agency, instrumentality, or public corporation; or any other legal or commercial entity. See Florida Statutes 61.503
- Person acting as a parent: means a person, other than a parent, who:(a) Has physical custody of the child or has had physical custody for a period of 6 consecutive months, including any temporary absence, within 1 year immediately before the commencement of a child custody proceeding; and(b) Has been awarded a child-custody determination by a court or claims a right to a child-custody determination under the laws of this state. See Florida Statutes 61.503
- State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See Florida Statutes 61.503
(b) A court of this state or a court of another state determines that the child, the child’s parent, and any person acting as a parent do not presently reside in this state.
(2) A court of this state which has made a child custody determination and does not have exclusive, continuing jurisdiction under this section may modify that determination only if it has jurisdiction to make an initial determination under s. 61.514.