The Office of Court Improvment (OCI) is a division of the Office of the State Courts Administrator within the Supreme Court of Florida. The OCI develops and assists with the implementation of court practices and programs which are designed to enhance and improve Florida's family and problem solving courts (delinquency, dependency, domestic relations, domestic violence, child support and drugs courts). The OCI also provides technical assistance to judges and court staff, assists with the creation and revision of Supreme Court Approved Family Law Forms, staffs committees, and analyzes legislation that may affect the courts.

For people who need assistance with their individual cases, please contact a local Self-Help Center or click here for more information.

Family Court can mean different things to different people. In Florida, the Supreme Court has recognized Unified Family Court as the best way to handle cases that involve children and families. The idea behind Unified Family Court (or UFC for short) is that a family should be able to have all of their disputes resolved in the most effective and efficient way possible. Since 1991, a series of Florida Supreme Court opinions have been instrumental in establishing UFC throughout the state. Click the links below to view the full versions of the opinions.

In re: Report of the Commission on Family Courts, 588 So. 2d 586 (Fla. 1991)(“Family Courts I”)

In re: Report of the Commission on Family Courts, 633 So. 2d 14, 16 (Fla. 1994)(“Family Courts II”)

In re: Report of the Commission on Family Courts, 646 So. 2d 178, 179 (Fla. 1994)(“Family Courts III”)

In re: Report of the Family Court Steering Committee, 794 So. 2d 518 (Fla. 2001)(“Family Courts IV”)

See the list at the bottom of the page for all of the different kinds of cases that make up UFC.

Family Court Jurisdiction: