IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE THIRTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA DOMESTIC RELATIONS/FAMILY LAW DIVISION Petitioner, Case No: and Division: Respondent. ______________________________________________/ UNIFORM ORDER OF REFERRAL OF SOCIAL INVESTIGATION AND STUDY THIS COURT, pursuant to Florida Statutes §61.20, orders the Office of Child Custody Investigations of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit to investigate and to submit a written report with appropriate recommendations to the Court and to the parties. To this end, it is hereby ORDERED and ADJUDGED that: 1. The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit’s Office of Child Custody Investigations is hereby appointed as Child Custody Investigator in this case. The Office shall assign a duly qualified person to conduct the social investigation in this cause. The issues the Court wishes to have addressed are indicated below: Initial determination of primary residency Visitation 2. Modification of primary residency Other: The parties SHALL cooperate with the child custody investigator by doing the following: a. Not coaching the child(ren) in any way regarding this investigation process. b. Making payment within ten (10) days of this order (see Section 3, below). c. Attending all appointments and facilitating attendance of their child(ren). d. Completing Family Questionnaires & Child Questionnaires prior to the office interview. e. Advising the Child Custody Investigations Office (phone: (813) 276-2993), as well as the investigator assigned to the case, of any changes of address, residence, phone number, or employment. f. Communicating to Child Custody Investigations Office and investigator assigned to the case the date of final hearing. g. Providing to all parties any written communications made between one (1) party and the child custody investigator or the court. h. Providing an interpreter (where necessary). 3. Unless the judge affirmatively orders otherwise below, the cost of the Social Investigation and Study shall be the standard charge of $1,200, and shall be equally divided between the parties, 50%-50%. Where the judge orders otherwise, responsibility for payment of the investigation shall be as follows: % Petitioner % Respondent Indigent Payments are to be made payable to the “State of Florida.” If payment is not made within ten (10) days of this order, the Court shall be notified and the Court may impose sanctions against the offending party. The case Page 1 of 3 Original-Court File; Yellow-Petitioner; Pink-Respondent; Goldenrod-Child Custody Investigation American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkflow.com shall not be assigned to an investigator until the fees assessed by the Court are paid. The costs or fees for deposing the investigator and seeking in-court testimony shall be negotiated in advance with the Office of Child Custody Investigations. Court appearances shall be on a time certain basis with the investigator. No investigator shall be required to appear at any deposition or court hearing without being served with a subpoena at least seven (7) working days in advance of the proposed proceeding. The court will not entertain contempt proceedings against an investigator who fails to appear at a deposition or a court hearing if the investigator was not served by subpoena in a timely manner, as indicated above. 4. The following provisions are directed to third persons or agencies who are not parties to this action: a. Upon presentation of this Order to any agency, hospital, organization, school, person or office, including: any Clerk of Court; the Department of Children and Family Services pursuant to section 39.202(7); any child-caring agencies or facilities; public and private health facilities; and, medical and mental health professionals (including doctors, nurses, pediatricians, psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors or their respective staffs), the investigator designated in this cause is hereby authorized to inspect and copy any records relating to the named child(ren) and the parties without the consent of, or the signing of additional releases by, such child(ren) or the parties, and to further receive related information by verbal report or through technological devices such as telephonic, fax or email. The investigator shall not be entitled to the identity of any child abuse reporter information, pursuant to Florida law. b. Upon presentation of this Order, the child custody investigator shall be permitted reasonable access to the child(ren) by any agency, hospital, organization, school, person or office for the purposes of meeting, speaking with, and observing the child(ren). c. Any and all law enforcement agencies, including: the Tampa Police Department; the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office; the Temple Terrace Police Department; the Plant City Police Department; and, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, are directed to release to the child custody investigator, as a designee of this Court, copies of any and all criminal history information, as that term is defined in Section 943.045 Florida Statutes (including FCIC and NCIC information), regarding the parties involved in this litigation, their children, their spouses or significant others, any other persons living in either of the parties’ homes, or anyone else identified by the child custody investigator as having significant contact with the child(ren) who is the subject of this investigation. 5. The child custody investigator shall maintain any information received from any of the sources noted above as confidential and shall not disclose that information to any other person, except in reports to the Court and to the parties in this cause and their counsel in accordance with Section 61.20 Florida Statutes, or as otherwise directed by the Court. All parties are prohibited from further disclosure or dissemination of such information, except as provided by Florida law. 6. Upon completion of the investigation, the appointed investigator shall furnish a written report setting forth the investigator’s findings, recommendations (if any), as well as the basis for those conclusions, to the Court, to counsel of record for the parties, and/or to the parties themselves. Under ordinary circumstances, this report shall be completed within seventy-five (75) days from the date the fees enumerated in Section 3, above, are received by the Child Custody Investigation Office. The original shall be submitted to the court file, and copies shall be sent to the attorneys or pro se parties. 7. All correspondence related to the social investigation and study of this case, with the exception of motions to the Court, shall be submitted to: Office of Child Custody Investigations, Edgecomb Courthouse, 800 E. Twiggs Street, Room 208, Tampa, Florida 33602. Phone: (813) 276-2993 Page 2 of 3 Original-Court File; Yellow-Petitioner; Pink-Respondent; Goldenrod-Child Custody Investigation American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkflow.com 8. Failure to comply with the terms of this order may result in sanctions against the offending party, the offending party’s attorney, or both, as provided by Florida law. DONE AND ORDERED on __________________________, ___________. _______________________________ CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE In accordance with the American with Disabilities Act of 1990, persons who need a special accommodation to participate in either in-court or out-of-court proceedings should phone (813) 272-7040, no later than seven (7) days prior to the court date in order to make arrangements. Hearing impaired individuals who require assistance should contact Florida Relay Service at 1-800-955-8771. Copies Furnished To: [Revised form date 5-9-07] Page 3 of 3 Original-Court File; Yellow-Petitioner; Pink-Respondent; Goldenrod-Child Custody Investigation American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkflow.com