Unified Family Court

About the Program

The Unified Family Court (UFC) Program is a special grant-funded project in the Pasco County court system dedicated to the proposition of:

  • One courthouse location
  • One family
  • One judge

Prior to the creation of the UFC program, a family involved in some or all of the following family law legal actions could be assigned to as many as three judges, general masters, or hearing officers, requiring the parties involved to appear in multiple locations for court hearings.

  • Child support
  • Delinquency
  • Dependency
  • Dissolution of marriage
  • Domestic violence
  • Paternity

Now a family whose members are involved in these case types are eligible for reassignment to UFC. Once assigned, they are guaranteed their family-law-related cases will be managed by a UFC judge. UFC judges in Pasco County have been hearing such cases successfully since January 2012.

Eligibility

When you file a case, or a case is filed naming you as a party, a special UFC case manager evaluates your current and prior court cases to determine your eligibility for UFC. Once identified, the case is assigned to the appropriate UFC judge and section.

The Clerk & Comptroller works closely with this program in linking and processing related cases in the Clerk's Case Management System. Therefore, whenever you appear at a hearing, your UFC-related cases are readily identified and available to the Court to expedite your hearing and subsequent court actions.

After this assessment, your cases subject to UFC will continue to be processed and calendared together. This system provides ongoing coordinated litigation and remedies for families involved in multiple family law actions under one judge and one court location.

Note: Judicial assignments usually change annually and may be changed at any time.

Action Not Subject to UFC

  • County Civil
  • Criminal
  • Misdemeanor
  • Nonfamily Circuit Civil
  • Probate
  • Small claims

Family Law Forms

You may access printable family law forms from our Legal Resource Center, Civil and Family Law Forms page, or by visiting the Florida State Court's website.

Representing Yourself in Family Court

For general information and locally approved forms, visit the Sixth Judicial Circuit's website.