Q: Can I change my son's name, or add a second last name, myself?
My son is 12 years old. His biological father is military, stationed in Iowa (we live in Florida), he hasn't seen him in 6+ years and hasn't spoken to him in 3+ years. He does pay $600 a month in child support plus $200 for school clothes\supplies each new school year with no court order. We agreed on the child support and the school stuff probably 5 years ago and it hasn't changed since. I've been with my husband for 10 years and want to give my oldest son the option to have the same last name as his 3 younger brothers, myself and his (step) Dad.
A:
Typically both parents must consent to a child’s name change or a court may order a child’s name change over a parent’s objection in certain circumstances if it is in the child’s best interest. If you have questions about your specific circumstances, you should speak with a qualified Florida family law attorney.
There are resources available that provide details on how to seek a minor child’s name change:
The Florida Courts have created the Florida Courts Help App that has forms, information, and step by step instructions for family law cases including a child’s name change. More information at:
https://help.flcourts.org/download-the-app/
Florida Supreme Court forms (which include instructions and further information) are available at: http://www.flcourts.org/resources-and-services/family-courts/family-law-self-help-information/family-law-forms.stml
Sometimes your local clerk will have forms packets with detailed step by step instructions available. For example, Hillsborough county clerk has these family law forms packets:
https://www.hillsclerk.com/About-Us/Forms
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