Father-Child custody/ seperate from mother/Florida law

[priize1]

I was wondering If anyone could direct me as to what I should do legally.
I am looking to seperate from my son's mother and assume custody for my boy. I have been the sole provider for the both the boy(2 yrs old) and her as long as we have been together(5 years). I get practically no money or assistance from her. She is always out of work, yet even so, she never pays me anything towards the bills. I am presently out of work, collecting on unemployment, it is a tight squeeze to say the least, but I still do pay all the bills, even though she started work, she still provides nothing to me, not even groceries. It has always been that way and to look at her past she is the type of person that has to be supported by someone else. I do not and cannot let her take custody of my boy, simply for the fear of who she may " shack up " with. I would like to know what I can do, and what I can do to evict her from this house I rent. I alone am under the lease. I have family I can turn too as well, she really doesnt have anyone in Florida, but I found out last week that she was gonna try and move to another state with the baby.....what can I do? Help .....please! - A Concerned Father

 

[Duranie]

First things first, was paternity actually ever established?

You need to file for custody of the boy. Until this is done, either of you have rights to the child. I am hoping you signed the paperwork for the child when he was born.

I would be calling legal aid ASAP to see if she can help you. Or some attorney or fathers rights groups. If you have to, go down to the court house and see if there is a family law fascilitator you can speak with that can assist you in filing for custody.

Secondly, you have to understand she is mom and she does have rights. There is a chance you cannot secure custody. You can certainly ask for joint. Even if joint custody was ordered, she would have an extremely difficult time moving out of state with the child. Be sure to ask about any geographic restriction you migth be able to put in there.

 

[priize1]

Thanks Duranie,
I signed paperwork at the hospital, the boy also has my last name. She has another son in another state, she lost custody of him too, if that helps?

 

[priize1]

Also....I cant seem to find the baby's birth certificate and ss card...she obviously hide them, is that going to be a problem with filing these papers?

 

[Duranie]

Probably not but you should contact vital statistics and order a copy of his birth cert. You can do it right online.