Griffin Family Law represents Jacksonville area parents on both sides of a relocation case, whether seeking to move with a child for a new job or opposing a move by the other parent. Attorney Kent Griffin has handled relocation matters under Florida Statute 61.13001 throughout Duval County since 2012, including cases tied to corporate transfers, healthcare and logistics employers, and military orders. Call 904-372-9708 to talk about your situation.
Jacksonville is the largest city by land area in the continental United States and one of the fastest-growing job markets in Florida, which means parents here relocate for reasons that go well beyond a simple change of scenery. Attorney Kent Griffin has handled relocation cases throughout Duval County for more than a decade, representing parents who need to move for work or family reasons and parents working to keep a child close to home.
What Counts as a Relocation Under Florida Law
Florida Statute 61.13001 defines a relocation as a change in a parent’s principal residence of at least 50 miles from where that parent lived at the time of the last time-sharing order, lasting at least 60 consecutive days, not counting a temporary absence for vacation, education, or medical care.
Because Jacksonville and Duval County cover roughly 875 square miles, some moves that stay technically inside the county, from one side of the consolidated city to a far edge near Nassau or Clay County, can still approach or cross that 50-mile threshold. A move to Orlando, Tampa, or out of state almost always qualifies. Confirming the actual mileage from the current residence is worth doing before assuming a specific move does or does not trigger the statute.
How Relocation Works in Duval County
There are two paths under Florida law. The first is a written agreement, signed by every person entitled to time-sharing, that states the parties agree to the relocation and sets out a revised time-sharing schedule. Once filed with the court, an agreed relocation generally does not require a hearing. The second path applies when the parties do not agree. The parent who wants to move must file a formal Petition to Relocate, and the other parent generally has 20 days after being served to file a written objection. If no timely objection is filed, the court can approve the relocation without a hearing. If an objection is filed, the case proceeds toward a hearing where a judge decides the issue.
Relocation cases filed in Jacksonville go through the Duval County Clerk of Court, primarily at the main courthouse at 501 W. Adams Street, home to the Fourth Judicial Circuit’s Family Division. Families living closer to the beach communities may have certain case types available at the Beaches Branch courthouse in Neptune Beach instead. A relocation petition that does not follow the statute correctly, including proper notice and required content about the new address, reasons for the move, and proposed revised schedule, can be dismissed or delayed on a technicality, which makes getting the filing right the first time important regardless of which courthouse handles it.
Given how often relocation issues arise alongside an active divorce or an existing time-sharing case in Duval County, it is common for the same attorney to handle both the underlying family law matter and the relocation question together, rather than treating them as entirely separate cases.
What Florida Courts Consider in a Relocation Case
The Child’s Relationship With Each Parent
Judges look closely at the child’s current relationship with both the relocating and nonrelocating parent, including how time-sharing has actually worked in practice rather than just what the parenting plan says on paper. A parent who has been consistently involved carries real weight in this analysis, as does the child’s age and developmental needs, since a young child and an older teenager are often affected very differently by a long-distance move.
The Reason for the Move and Whether Staying Connected Is Feasible
Courts weigh why the relocating parent wants to move, whether for a new job, a transfer within an existing company, a lower cost of living, or a family reason, against whether the move is being sought in good faith. Judges also look closely at whether a workable substitute time-sharing schedule can realistically preserve the child’s relationship with the parent staying behind, and whether either parent can reasonably afford the travel costs a long-distance schedule creates.
Financial Circumstances and Quality of Life
Judges also weigh each parent’s financial situation, including whether the move genuinely improves the family’s overall circumstances or mainly benefits the relocating parent at the expense of the other parent’s relationship with the child. A parent who presents a specific, realistic plan for travel costs and ongoing contact tends to do better than one who has not thought through the practical details of a long-distance arrangement.
Good Faith and Any History Affecting the Child’s Safety
Florida law also directs courts to consider whether either parent has a history of domestic violence or substance abuse that could affect the child’s safety, and whether the relocation is being proposed, or opposed, in good faith rather than as a way to interfere with the other parent’s relationship with the child. A pattern of one parent making it difficult for the other to see the child can weigh against that parent’s position in a relocation case.
Why Relocation Comes Up Often in Jacksonville
Jacksonville and Duval County have been operating under a consolidated city-county government since 1968, and the area is home to a diverse economy that includes JAXPORT, Florida’s leading container port, along with major employers such as Baptist Health, Mayo Clinic, CSX, Fidelity National Financial, and Johnson & Johnson, in addition to three military installations, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport, and Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island.
That mix of corporate headquarters, healthcare systems, logistics companies, and military commands means relocation cases here come from a wide range of directions: a corporate transfer to another state, a new job offer, a military permanent change of station, or a parent moving to be closer to extended family. Anyone whose relocation case is connected to military orders may also want to review how military divorce issues intersect with relocation timing, since deployment schedules and orders can complicate an already time-sensitive filing.
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Moving Into Jacksonville With an Out-of-State Custody Order
Jacksonville’s job market and relatively affordable cost of living compared to much of the country draw a steady stream of new residents every year, some of whom already have a custody order from another state. Florida has adopted the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, which determines which state’s courts have authority over an existing custody arrangement and when Florida can take over jurisdiction.
Registering an out-of-state order correctly with the Duval County court is often a necessary first step before any Florida judge can enforce it or consider changes, including a further relocation. Families who skip this step sometimes find that a Florida court cannot act on their case at all until the order is properly registered.
Objecting to a Proposed Relocation
A parent who receives a Petition to Relocate needs to act quickly. Missing the 20-day window to file a written objection can result in the court approving the relocation without a hearing, even if the objecting parent strongly disagrees.
In urgent situations, such as a parent who has already moved or is about to move without following the statute, a court can be asked to issue a temporary order preventing the relocation or requiring the child’s return while the case is resolved. A parent who relocates without an agreement or a court order can face that outcome, along with the violation being weighed against them later in the case, including in decisions about child support and time sharing going forward.
Building a Workable Long-Distance Time-Sharing Schedule
When a relocation is approved, or agreed to, the parenting plan almost always needs to change to reflect the new distance. A schedule built around alternating weekends rarely makes sense once a family is hundreds of miles apart, so plans typically shift toward longer blocks of time during school breaks and summer, combined with regular video calls in between visits. Travel costs and logistics, including who pays for flights or driving time and how exchanges are handled, are worth spelling out clearly in the new plan rather than leaving them to be worked out informally after the move.
Agreed Relocation vs. Contested Relocation Petition
Whether both parents agree changes the entire path a relocation case takes in Duval County.
| Factor | Agreed Relocation | Contested Petition |
| Starting point | Written agreement signed by both parties | Petition to Relocate filed and served |
| Other parent’s response | Signs the agreement | Has 20 days to file a written objection |
| Hearing required | Generally no | Yes, if a timely objection is filed |
| Court’s role | Reviews and ratifies the agreement | Weighs statutory factors and decides the case |
| Typical timeline | Can move relatively quickly | Often several months depending on the court’s schedule |
What the Local Numbers Show
Duval County is home to more than one million people and close to half a million employed workers, with a labor force that grew by roughly 16 percent over the past decade, faster than much of the country. That kind of growth means job-related moves, transfers, and new hires are a routine part of life here, and a meaningful share of the family law cases filed at the Duval County Courthouse each year involve a parent whose job, rather than a personal decision, is driving the request to relocate.
With three military installations supporting well over 100,000 regional jobs on top of the civilian economy, Jacksonville sees a higher volume and a wider variety of relocation cases than many smaller Florida communities. The county’s status as a consolidated city-county government also means that filings from every part of Duval, from the urban core to outlying suburban and rural areas, run through the same Fourth Judicial Circuit courts, which gives judges here substantial experience with the full range of relocation scenarios a large, economically diverse county produces.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jacksonville Relocation
How far do I have to move before Florida’s relocation statute applies?
Generally, the move has to be at least 50 miles from your current principal residence and last at least 60 consecutive days, not counting a temporary absence for vacation, education, or medical care. Because Duval County is geographically large, it is worth confirming the actual distance of a planned move rather than assuming it does or does not qualify.
Can I move with my child if the other parent does not object?
If the other parent agrees, Florida law allows relocation through a written agreement signed by everyone entitled to time-sharing, which is then filed with the court and generally approved without a hearing. Moving without either an agreement or a court order, even if you expect the other parent will not object, can create serious legal problems later.
What happens if I miss the deadline to respond to a Petition to Relocate?
You generally have 20 days after being served to file a written objection. If you miss that deadline, the court can approve the relocation without holding a hearing, so it is important to act quickly once you are served with a petition.
Does a new job offer automatically justify a relocation?
Not automatically. A job offer is a common and legitimate reason courts consider, but a judge still weighs it against the other statutory factors, including the child’s relationship with each parent, the feasibility of maintaining that relationship after the move, and whether the request is made in good faith.
Does a military PCS order automatically allow relocation with a child?
Not automatically. Even when a move is required by military orders, the parent still generally needs to follow Florida’s relocation statute, either through an agreement with the other parent or a court order, before moving a child out of the area.
I already have a custody order from another state. Do I need to do anything special to move to Jacksonville?
Often, yes. Florida has adopted the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, which governs whether Florida courts have authority over an existing out-of-state order. Registering that order with the Duval County court is typically a necessary step before Florida can enforce or modify it.
Can a relocation affect an existing time-sharing or support order?
Yes. A significant change in distance almost always requires updating the time-sharing schedule, and added travel costs can support a request to revisit child support once a relocation is approved. Existing orders can generally be revisited through the modification process when circumstances genuinely change.
Common Concerns Before Filing
Parents planning a move for a new job often worry that asking the court for permission will slow down or jeopardize an opportunity with a tight start date, when in reality following the statute correctly from the start is usually faster than trying to fix a problem after the fact.
Parents opposing a move sometimes worry that a job offer automatically wins the case, but Florida law does not favor either side by default and weighs a job opportunity alongside the child’s relationship with both parents. Others assume that once a time-sharing order reflects a relocation, it can never be revisited again. Existing orders can generally be reviewed later if circumstances genuinely change, whether that means another move, a change in the child’s needs, or a shift in either parent’s situation.
What Happens When You Call Griffin Family Law
When you call 904-372-9708, you will speak with someone from the firm directly. You will be asked basic questions about your current time-sharing arrangement, the proposed or opposed move, and your timeline, since relocation deadlines are often tight. From there, Attorney Griffin or a member of the team will explain how Florida’s relocation statute applies to your specific situation and what the realistic next steps look like, whether you are planning a move or responding to one.
Talk to a Jacksonville Relocation Lawyer Today
Griffin Family Law has handled relocation cases for Jacksonville and Duval County families for more than a decade, on both sides of these disputes, from corporate transfers to military orders to family-driven moves. Whether you are planning a move, responding to a Petition to Relocate, or trying to understand how the divorce process in your case interacts with a future relocation, you do not have to sort out Florida’s relocation statute on your own. Call 904-372-9708 or reach out to schedule a consultation to talk about your case.
