§ 61.521, Fla. Stat. · Part II. UNIFORM CHILD CUSTODYJURISDICTION AND ENFORCEMENT ACT
Jurisdiction declined by reason of conduct.
Text — 2026 Florida Statutes
(1) Except as otherwise provided in s. 61.517 or by other law of this state, if a court of this state has jurisdiction under this part because a person seeking to invoke its jurisdiction has engaged in unjustifiable conduct, the court shall decline to exercise its jurisdiction unless:
(a) The parents and all persons acting as parents have acquiesced in the exercise of jurisdiction;
(b) A court of the state otherwise having jurisdiction under ss. 61.514-61.516 determines that this state is a more appropriate forum under s. 61.520; or
(c) No court of any other state would have jurisdiction under the criteria specified in ss. 61.514-61.516.
(2) If a court of this state declines to exercise its jurisdiction under subsection (1), it may fashion an appropriate remedy to ensure the safety of the child and prevent a repetition of the unjustifiable conduct, including staying the proceeding until a child custody proceeding is commenced in a court having jurisdiction under ss. 61.514-61.516.
(3) If a court dismisses a petition or stays a proceeding because it declines to exercise its jurisdiction under subsection (1), it shall assess against the party seeking to invoke its jurisdiction necessary and reasonable expenses, including costs, communication expenses, attorney’s fees, investigative fees, expenses for witnesses, travel expenses, and expenses for child care during the course of the proceedings, unless the party from whom fees are sought establishes that the assessment would be clearly inappropriate. The court may not assess fees, costs, or expenses against this state unless authorized by law other than this part.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
s. 5, ch. 2002-65.
Source of truth
- Edition
- 2026 Florida Statutes
- Official file
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0061/0061.html
- Text hash
- sha256 76d733f66268a3963b5c02c9a60367ed739623cf1e8954e45331bfd8a27d26b1
- Composed by
- compose_v2.py 2026-10-04: the Legislature's structured HTML read in document order; verify_v2.py's independent reading agrees character for character
- composed from the Legislature's structured HTML (one source of text; no PDF extraction); a second, independent reading of the same bytes agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
The Florida Statutes
- § 61.514, Fla. Stat.Initial child custody jurisdiction.Printed as ss. 61.514-61.516
- § 61.516, Fla. Stat.Jurisdiction to modify a determination.Printed as ss. 61.514-61.516
- § 61.517, Fla. Stat.Temporary emergency jurisdiction.Printed as s. 61.517
- § 61.520, Fla. Stat.Inconvenient forum.Printed as s. 61.520
Cited by 1 provision
Provisions in this library whose text cites § 61.521, Fla. Stat.. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
The Florida Statutes
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.