Overview

A Florida “Repeat Violence” injunction is a civil protective order issued by a circuit court to stop a person (the respondent) from committing further violence or stalking against you (the petitioner) or your immediate family. Florida law defines repeat violence as two separate incidents of violence or stalking committed by the respondent, with at least one incident occurring within six months before you file. “Violence” is broad: assault, battery, sexual assault or battery, stalking or aggravated stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and any other criminal offense resulting in physical injury or death. The workflow is standardized statewide: you file a verified petition on the Florida Supreme Court–approved Form 12.980(f); a judge reviews it quickly and may issue a same-day temporary (ex parte) injunction on a showing of immediate and present danger; the sheriff personally serves the respondent; and the court holds a prompt evidentiary hearing (temporary orders are short and typically expire in roughly 15 days unless extended for good cause). Filing is fee-free for petitioners; clerks must provide simplified forms and basic assistance; and law enforcement can enforce the order anywhere in Florida. You do not need a criminal case or an attorney to file. Your success turns on specificity and recency: two discrete qualifying incidents, one recent, described with dates, places, words, actions, witnesses, and artifacts (texts, photos, call logs) that make enforcement straightforward and durable.

Who Can Apply (and Practical Eligibility)

You can file in circuit court if (a) you experienced repeat violence or stalking or (b) you are a parent/guardian filing on behalf of a minor living at home who experienced it. Repeat violence is the correct track when the relationship does not fit “domestic” (family/household) or “dating” categories, yet there have been two qualifying incidents by the respondent, one inside the last six months, directed at you or an immediate family member. Your petition is verified—you sign under penalty of perjury—so it must present concrete, observable facts: when and where each incident happened; what the respondent did or said; how close they were; what you observed (injury, fear, interference with daily life); whether police were called or medical care was sought; and any witnesses. Include the respondent’s identifiers (name spelling, date of birth if known, physical description, vehicles, frequent locations) because accurate identification speeds service and improves officer safety. Venue is flexible (your county, respondent’s county, or county of an incident); choose the venue most likely to achieve fast personal service. If public disclosure of your residence increases danger, many circuits provide a confidential-address procedure; use it so your home address is not shown on online dockets or service packets. The clerk cannot charge a filing fee; the sheriff handles personal service of injunction papers; you focus on the evidence map and safety plan.

Benefits of Understanding the Timeline

The timeline is engineered for speed and safety. Day 0: you file the verified petition; the judge reviews it the same or next business day. If the petition shows an immediate and present danger, the court may issue a temporary (ex parte) injunction that becomes effective when the respondent is personally served. Service triggers enforceable no-contact and stay-away terms and sets a short runway to a full evidentiary hearing (generally before the temporary order expires). Because temporary orders are short by design, success depends on two parallel tracks: accelerate service (multiple good addresses, work shifts, vehicles, photos) and prepare your hearing packet (three exhibit sets, labeled and dated, plus an outline tying facts to “violence” or “stalking”). Organize your calendar: filing date, temporary expiration, hearing date, and service date once known. Bring printed screenshots with visible handles and timestamps; export voicemail and call logs; and line up witnesses early. A disciplined timeline reduces continuances, avoids protection gaps, and increases the odds that the final order reflects precise, enforceable terms (distances in feet, protected addresses, third-party/online contact bans, and—if warranted—weapon provisions). The payoff is operational clarity for you and for law enforcement.

Step 1: Decide the Correct Injunction Type and Confirm “Repeat Violence” Fits Your Facts

Choosing the correct injunction type is the first strategic decision and it determines everything that follows: which statewide form you file, what elements the judge evaluates, how quickly you may receive temporary protection, and whether the final order will map tightly to your lived reality. Florida recognizes distinct tracks—domestic violence, dating violence, sexual violence, stalking, and repeat violence—because relationships and patterns of harm differ. Repeat violence is the correct track when you and the respondent are not in a qualifying domestic or dating relationship and there have been two separate incidents of violence or stalking, with at least one incident within the last six months, directed at you or an immediate family member. “Violence” includes assault, battery, sexual offenses, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and other criminal acts resulting in physical injury; stalking includes willful, malicious, repeated harassment, following, or cyberstalking that causes substantial emotional distress. The six-month recency requirement is crucial: if your second incident is older, the court may find the repeat-violence elements unmet, even if the behavior was serious. In that circumstance, consider whether the stalking injunction (for ongoing harassing conduct) or another track better matches your facts. Getting type right at the outset avoids delays, avoids re-filing, and helps the judge slot your case into the right evidentiary lane.

Validate fit with a simple table you can reuse at hearing: Incident #, date/time, location, category (battery, assault, stalking, etc.), exact words quoted, actions observed, injuries/effects, witnesses, artifacts (photo/text/call log/video), and “within six months?” Add a final column for “directed at me or immediate family?” and check it clearly; conduct targeting a child, sibling, or parent can qualify as repeat violence against you. The two incidents must be discrete episodes—not one continuous outburst described twice. If your facts involve primarily repeated following, DMs, tagging, or surveillance, then the stalking track may be tighter doctrinally; likewise, if there is a single sexual offense with law-enforcement involvement or incarceration contexts, the sexual-violence track may be a better fit. If you share a child, residence, or familial tie under Florida’s domestic-violence definitions, you may be required to proceed on the domestic-violence track even if the conduct looks identical; judges will ask early about relationship status to ensure the petition is routed correctly. A mis-categorized petition can still result in protection, but it often requires amendment or re-filing and may cost you precious time; so invest ten minutes now to eliminate ambiguity.

Think operationally about venue and service. You may file where you live, where the respondent lives, or where an incident occurred; choose the venue with the highest likelihood of fast personal service, because service is the hinge between paper and real-world protection. Gather the respondent’s identifiers: full name with correct spelling, nicknames, date of birth if known, height/weight, tattoos or distinctive features, everyday clothing style, places they frequent, and vehicle details (make, model, color, plate). A recent photo helps deputies avoid misidentification. If disclosure of your address increases risk, ask the clerk for the confidential-address procedure so your home is suppressed from online dockets and service packets. Draft the exact relief you will request so the eventual order is enforceable at 2 a.m.: no contact “by any means,” explicit stay-away distances from home/work/school/daycare listed in feet, prohibition on third-party relays and social-media tagging/mentions, and, if supported by facts, a weapon prohibition or surrender term consistent with law. If co-location risks are unavoidable (shared workplace, same apartment complex), pre-plan logistics such as staggered start times, parking-level separation, or neutral property pickup under law-enforcement standby; these granular details turn a broad injunction into practical daily safety. Finally, accept the guardrails: temporary orders are short by design; a final order cannot enter without proof of service; and your credibility rides on specificity. By confirming the track, curating identifiers, and pre-engineering enforceable terms, you set up a smoother path from filing to a durable, plain-English order officers can apply without hesitation.

Step 2: Collect Evidence and Draft a Fact-Rich, Verified Petition (Form 12.980(f))

Form 12.980(f) is your sworn narrative; treat it like a technical spec that the judge can test against the statute in minutes. The petition is verified—signed under penalty of perjury—so your language must be concrete, dated, and observable. Organize the facts chronologically with clear sub-headings: Incident One (date, precise time window, exact location, words spoken in quotes, actions you saw, proximity in feet, injuries or physical sensations, whether 911 was called, whether medical care was sought, and who witnessed what); Incident Two in the same structure; then a short section for intervening contacts or pattern conduct that reinforces danger (drive-bys, repeated messages from different accounts, hovering outside work, contacting your immediate family). Make the six-month recency easy to see by bolding the incident dates in your draft (the final printed petition can use standard emphasis). Each fact should map to an artifact: photographs (with creation date visible), printed screenshots that show handles and timestamps on every page, call logs exported to PDF, voicemail files saved to cloud storage, and police incident numbers if available. Do not crop away metadata—provenance persuades. Prepare three exhibit sets: Court, Petitioner, Respondent. Label pages consistently (“Ex. 4, p. 2/5 – Aug 15 text thread, 7:41–7:49 a.m.”) so you can hand the right page quickly without hunting.

Write like a reporter instead of using conclusions. Replace “he threatened me” with “he said ‘I will find you after your shift and finish it’ while standing two feet away with clenched fists.” Replace “she harassed my son” with “she waited by the school gate on March 2 at 3:10 p.m., pointed a phone camera at my son, and shouted ‘tell your mother she cannot hide,’ captured in Exhibit 6.” Keep adjectives to a minimum; the power is in the details. If witnesses exist, list full names and contact numbers and ask cooperative witnesses for short sworn statements (if your division allows consideration) in case they cannot attend; live testimony is best, but statements can refresh your recollection and guide your outline. If relationship category might be contested, add one sentence that you are not family/household or dating, so the repeat-violence track is correctly invoked. Proofread every identifier—respondent name spelling, addresses, license plates—because minor clerical errors complicate service. The verification paragraph at the end is not boilerplate: read it slowly and sign carefully; your credibility is your strongest asset at the ex parte desk and at final hearing.

Be precise in the remedies you request so the ultimate order is enforceable without guesswork. In the checkboxes and narrative field, ask for: no contact “by any means” (calls, texts, email, DMs, tagging, mentions, comments, and messages relayed through third parties); stay-away distances in feet from home, workplace, school, daycare, places of worship, and any other sensitive locations; explicit listing of protected addresses; and, where facts support it, a prohibition on firearms/ammunition with surrender and proof of compliance consistent with law. If co-location is unavoidable (you share a building or employer), propose logistics up front: staggered shift starts, use of a different elevator bank or parking level, or a neutral property pickup on a specific date with law-enforcement standby. Add a one-page “Evidence Map” to your personal binder that links each exhibit to an element (e.g., Ex. 7 → stalking + immediacy). Keep digital originals intact in a cloud folder so you can upload through a court portal or email chambers if allowed. Before printing, read the form instructions to confirm any local requirements (e.g., page limits for attachments, sealed submission options for sensitive photos). Then assemble your packet in the order a judge will read it: petition, incident summaries, exhibits in sequence, and your contact-safe cover information sheet. This disciplined drafting is what often tips ex parte review in your favor and makes the final hearing crisp and focused on safety rather than housekeeping.

Step 3: File at the Clerk’s Office (No Fee), Request Ex Parte Relief, and Get a Hearing Date

Take your completed petition to the circuit clerk in one of three places: your county, the respondent’s county, or the county of an incident. These cases are fee-free for petitioners; clerks must provide simplified forms and basic assistance. Many courthouses maintain an injunction intake window with same-day judicial access. Bring government ID, your organized exhibit sets, and safe contact details (consider a dedicated email). Ask for immediate judicial review and confirm logistics: who transmits the packet to the sheriff if a temporary order is signed, how fast attempts begin, whether evening/weekend attempts occur, and which phone number or portal you can use to monitor status. If you need remote appearance at the final hearing, an interpreter, disability accommodations, or confidential-address handling, make those requests at filing so scheduling reflects your needs from the start. If you are filing on behalf of a minor who lives at home, ensure the petition reflects your parental/guardian status and that your narrative focuses on firsthand observations and corroborable details.

Expect the judge to review your verified petition the same day or next business day. If your facts show an immediate and present danger, the court may issue a temporary (ex parte) injunction that becomes enforceable upon personal service. Read any temporary order before you leave: the document should clearly enumerate protected addresses, specify stay-away distances in feet, prohibit direct and indirect contact (including third-party relays and social-media tagging or mentions), and include any firearms provision the court finds necessary. If a critical location (new workplace, daycare, regular volunteer site) is missing, return to the clerk to request clarification or amendment so officers have unambiguous language. If the judge declines to issue ex parte relief, do not assume failure; many judges prefer to hear live testimony before imposing restrictions, and you will still receive a prompt final hearing date. Either way, the next bottleneck is service—without it, the final order cannot enter—so pivot immediately to accelerating the sheriff’s efforts.

Manage service like a project. Provide every plausible service location: home, workplace with shift hours, relatives’ houses the respondent frequents, gyms, usual coffee shops, and precise vehicle details (make/model/color/plate). If you have a recent photo, ask whether the deputy can receive it. For out-of-county or out-of-state respondents, confirm whether the clerk transmits automatically or whether you must deliver the packet to the correct agency. Keep a courteous call log noting date/time, the person you spoke with, status (“attempted,” “no answer,” “moved”), and any new data you supplied; this log becomes evidence for a short continuance and a temporary-order extension if the respondent evades service nearing the hearing date. Before leaving the courthouse, anchor three dates in your calendar: the hearing date, the temporary order’s expiration, and two check-ins (for example, Day 3 and Day 7) to follow up with the sheriff. Ask whether your division allows pre-submission of electronic exhibits for remote hearings, and how confidential-address rules interact with mailed notices. If a weapons-surrender term appears, ask how compliance is recorded and whether you can receive notice when proof is filed. Finally, create a slim “go packet” to carry daily—certified copy of any temporary order, your case number, two or three key exhibits, and contact numbers for the sheriff and court. From filing to hearing, your focus is simple and disciplined: accelerate service and refine evidence, so the court can convert a short-term paper shield into a clear, enforceable final order without gaps or ambiguity.

Step 4: Arrange Prompt Personal Service and Track the Clock to the Hearing

Once you have filed your verified petition and the court has set a hearing (and potentially signed a temporary ex parte order), the next mission-critical activity is personal service. Until the respondent is personally served with the petition, notice of hearing, and any temporary order, you hold a piece of paper that signals intent; after service, you hold an enforceable command that police can act on immediately. Treat service like a project sprint with clear owners, checkpoints, and contingencies. Start at the clerk’s counter: confirm who transmits the service packet to the correct sheriff (in-county, out-of-county, or out-of-state). Ask when attempts begin, whether evening/weekend attempts occur for injunction packets, and what channel you can use for status (phone line, portal, email for the civil process unit). If a private process server is permitted and the sheriff’s capacity looks constrained, note that as a contingency—but in most circuits, sheriff service on injunctions is prioritized and free to you, so lead with that path first.

Your job is to make the deputy’s hunt easy. Provide a one-page “service sheet” with the respondent’s identifiers: full legal name and any nicknames, date of birth (if known), physical description and recent photo, phone numbers, social handles, workplace with shift hours, common hangouts, and all viable addresses (home, work, relative’s home where they stay, gym, favorite coffee shop). Add vehicle specifics (make, model, color, license plate) and access constraints (gate code, dog on property, security desk). If the respondent is transient or couch-surfing, supply last-seen cross-streets and typical time windows. Deputies appreciate granular breadcrumbs; they convert into faster contact and fewer wasted attempts. If you have reason to believe the respondent will actively evade service, tell the civil process unit, and ask whether they will coordinate early-morning or late-evening attempts; many will when safety is implicated.

Build and maintain a service log. Create entries with date/time, person you spoke with, action reported (“attempted, no contact,” “left card,” “moved”), and any new facts you provided. Keep the tone professional and appreciative—civil process staff are often overloaded—and always ask for the next planned step. This log accomplishes two things: it keeps pressure on the system without antagonism, and it becomes your evidence for a short continuance and extension of the temporary order if the respondent remains unserved as the hearing approaches. Judges routinely extend temporary protection for diligent but unsuccessful service; your dated log, paired with the sheriff’s notes, demonstrates diligence and avoids gaps that expose you to risk.

In parallel, prepare as if service will occur today. The interval between a successful serve and your hearing might be short. Assemble three identical exhibit sets (Court, Petitioner, Respondent), each tabbed and page-numbered. Build a cover index that maps each exhibit to an element (“Ex. 3—Aug 15 threats → stalking + immediacy”) so the judge can follow your narrative quickly. If the court allows electronic exhibit pre-submission for remote hearings, follow those instructions now; do not wait for a last-minute scramble. Identify and brief your witnesses, confirming availability and how they will appear (in person or remote). If a witness is uncertain, request a short sworn statement to refresh your memory and anchor the timeline; live testimony is stronger, but a crisp statement can salvage a partial absence.

Update your safety plan for the “between filing and service” window, which can be volatile. Vary commuting routes temporarily, park in well-lit areas, and alert workplace security to call police immediately if the respondent appears. Keep a copy of the temporary order with you; if officers arrive before dispatch can pull the record, presenting a certified copy accelerates response. If the temporary order includes weapon terms, ask the clerk or a victim advocate how surrender compliance is documented and whether you can be notified once proof is filed. Avoid any direct communication with the respondent—no warnings, no explanations. Let law enforcement deliver the message through service, and let your evidence speak for you in court.

Finally, track the clock. On the first page of your binder, list: (1) filing date, (2) service status with last attempt date, (3) temporary order expiration, and (4) hearing date/time/location or Zoom credentials. Add reminders at T-5 and T-2 days before the temporary order expires to call civil process for an update. If the eve of hearing arrives and service has just occurred, but you reasonably need more time to organize exhibits or secure a key witness, ask the court for a brief continuance on the record, citing the service date and exactly what you need time to finalize. Courts commonly grant short continuances that keep the temporary protections in place. With steady follow-up, rich location data, and a ready evidence package, Step 4 transforms fragile paper protection into a high-probability path toward a precise, enforceable final order.

Step 5: Prepare for the Final Hearing—Evidence, Testimony, and What the Judge Must Find

The final hearing is a compact fact-finding exercise where the judge decides whether two qualifying incidents (with one within six months) occurred and whether an injunction is necessary to protect you going forward. Your preparation should revolve around clarity, corroboration, and cadence. Clarity means a narrative that mirrors statutory elements; corroboration means exhibits and witnesses that anchor your words; cadence means delivering the story briskly, without digressions that dilute credibility. Build a one-page hearing outline you can hold: header with case number and safe contact; bullet list of requested relief (no contact by any means; distances in feet from home/work/school/daycare; ban on third-party relays and social-media mentions; any weapons term; duration); then a numbered sequence—Incident 1, Incident 2, “bridge” conduct showing ongoing danger, and the close (why protection is still necessary).

Curate exhibits for quality over quantity. For photos, include context (“taken within an hour of the incident”), and if possible, the creation timestamp. For texts/social media, print full threads showing handles, dates, and times on each page; avoid cropping metadata. For voicemail, export audio files and also transcribe key lines in your outline. Where police were involved, bring incident numbers or short call logs. Medical documents should be succinct (discharge summary with date and diagnosis). Prepare three identical sets, labeled so you can pass the right page quickly: “Ex. 4 p. 2/6.” Add a table of contents to each set for judicial convenience. If a witness is appearing, rehearse a tight scope: what did they personally see or hear, where were they positioned, what time, what words were spoken. Discourage speculation and character commentary; specificity is more persuasive than opinion.

Understand and adopt the legal language without over-lawyering. Translate behavior into elements: “On April 3 at 8:12 p.m., outside the apartment lobby, respondent struck my left shoulder with a closed fist—unwanted touching consistent with battery. On August 15 at 7:40 a.m., respondent followed me from work to my apartment and stated ‘I will finish it’—following plus expressed threat, supporting stalking and assault.” By labeling conduct this way, you help the judge check statutory boxes rapidly. If the respondent argues that months of silence negate current fear, point to recency (“the August 15 threat is within six months”), pattern (“intervening messages from burner accounts”), and impact (“changed commuting route, missed shifts”). If relationship category is questioned, state plainly you are not family/household or dating; this confirms the repeat-violence track.

Rehearse delivery and defense. Practice reading your outline aloud; time yourself so your direct testimony fits within the court’s pace. Prepare for cross-examination by anticipating likely themes: that the incidents were mutual arguments; that messages were taken out of context; that you initiated contact; or that identity/time/place are mistaken. Counter each theme with an exhibit anchor: the complete message thread; the photo with timestamp; the badge scan log at your workplace; the transit receipt that anchors your location. If a question misstates facts, calmly say, “That is not accurate; may I explain?” and wait for permission. Keep answers short, factual, and unemotional; credibility rises when testimony is steady and proportionate.

Craft your requested order terms as if they will be read by an officer at midnight. Specify distances in feet (e.g., 500 feet) and list protected addresses exactly. Include “no contact by any means,” explicitly covering calls, texts, email, DMs, tagging, mentions, comments, and messages relayed through others. If co-location is unavoidable, propose logistics to prevent incidental contact (staggered shifts, assigned parking levels, separate elevator banks, courtroom waiting-room separation on other matters). If weapons are a concern, request a surrender term and proof-of-compliance filing consistent with law, and state the facts that support it (observed ownership, prior display, statements). Suggest a duration that matches the pattern and risk; one year is common, longer for persistent danger. Finally, ask for certified copies before you leave, and if the court denies relief, request dismissal without prejudice. Step 5 is about converting disciplined preparation into a concise, element-driven presentation that makes it straightforward for the judge to grant precise protection.

Step 6: Attend the Hearing, Secure a Clear Written Order, and Verify Every Term Before Leaving

Hearing day is execution: you convert your outline and exhibits into a precise, enforceable order. Arrive early, or log in 10–15 minutes ahead for remote appearance. Check in with the bailiff, silence your phone, and stage your binder: outline on top; Court, Petitioner, and Respondent exhibit sets clipped and labeled; pen and notepad for real-time issues. If anxiety spikes, slow your breathing (four-count inhale, four hold, six exhale); steady pacing improves delivery and credibility. When called, the court will confirm appearances and usually ask first about service. If the respondent was not served despite diligence, succinctly present your service log and request a short continuance plus an extension of any temporary order; judges commonly grant both to avoid protection gaps. If service is valid, you will be sworn, and your direct testimony begins.

Follow your structured cadence. Identify the parties and clarify relationship (i.e., not domestic or dating if true). Present Incident 1 and Incident 2 in dated, location-anchored paragraphs, quoting key statements and pointing to exhibits as you go: “Petitioner’s Exhibit 3 shows the text thread from Aug 15 with timestamps 7:41–7:49 a.m.” Keep each step tight: action, words, impact, corroboration. Avoid editorial or character debates. If the judge asks questions, answer directly and stop; let the court lead. Move exhibits efficiently—ask to approach or share screen if remote—and ensure the record reflects the exhibit number and page. If a witness testifies, prompt them with simple, non-leading questions focused on what they personally saw or heard; do not invite speculation. If a witness cannot attend, use their statement to refresh your memory, then testify yourself to the underlying facts.

Expect cross-examination. Do not argue. If a question is compound or confusing, ask for clarification. If a claim misstates a timeline (“you texted first”), return to the artifact: “Ex. 7 shows no outbound messages from me for two weeks surrounding the incident.” Take brief notes while the respondent testifies; you will usually have a short rebuttal. Use rebuttal to correct concrete inaccuracies with documents, not speeches. If new documents surface, ask to review them and, if needed, request a brief recess to respond; fairness and due process apply to you, too.

When the court announces it will grant protection, pivot into order engineering. Read along while the judge or clerk completes the form. Verify that all protected addresses are spelled correctly and listed individually; that stay-away distances are in feet; that the no-contact clause covers calls, texts, email, DMs, social-media tagging or mentions, comments, and messages via third parties; and that any carve-outs (e.g., one-time property pickup) specify date, time window, law-enforcement standby, and location. If co-location risks exist (shared employer, same apartment complex), propose granular logistics: staggered shifts, separate parking levels, different elevator banks, HR/security notification protocols. If a weapons term is ordered, ask how surrender is to be documented, where proof is filed, and whether you can obtain a copy for your records and safety planning.

Lock down duration and copies. Request a duration that realistically matches risk and life transitions (moves, job changes, school calendar) and ask for multiple certified copies before leaving—one for you, one for employer/school, one spare. Confirm with the clerk that the order will be transmitted to law-enforcement databases the same day or within 24 hours and ask what officers will see if an incident occurs that evening. If the court denies relief, stay composed. Ask for dismissal without prejudice to preserve your ability to refile if new incidents occur and, if you raised safety concerns, ask whether your address confidentiality measures will remain sealed. Either way, leave with complete clarity about next steps: how to report violations, whether the respondent was served in court or must be served with the final order afterward, how to obtain a transcript if you later need it, and who in the clerk’s office handles certified copies if you require more for HR or school. Step 6 converts a persuasive record into a line-by-line order that law enforcement can apply instantly and that fits the realities of your daily life.

Step 7: Implement the Injunction Immediately—Safety Planning, Notifications, and Practical Logistics

A signed injunction is powerful, but its protection becomes real only when you operationalize it across the people around you, the places you inhabit, and the processes you rely on every day. Start with people. Deliver a certified copy of the final order to your employer’s HR and security teams; if you work customer-facing, request that reception flag the respondent’s name and quietly call law enforcement on sight. Provide a copy to campus safety or building security if you study or teach, and to administrators at your child’s school or daycare. Share two or three action cues with trusted colleagues—simple scripts like “Call security and say: ‘Blue binder’” that mobilize help without drama. Hand a copy to property management or a condo association and ask for a note in the visitor system (deny access, contact police if respondent appears). If you worship or volunteer regularly, discreetly alert a point person who can coordinate a calm response. Keep distribution tight: only those who must know, but make sure they truly understand the distance radii, no-contact terms, and what counts as indirect contact (third-party relays, tagging, mentions).

Harden places. Walk your home as if you were a security consultant: test locks and latches; consider inexpensive window/door sensors; replace dim bulbs near entries with brighter ones; and ensure peep holes or cameras cover blind spots (consistent with local law and lease terms). In apartments, identify the safest route from car to elevator, and choose well-lit, camera-covered paths even if slightly longer. At work, ask for parking close to staffed areas and request that security escort you after dusk for the first weeks. Print a map and draw the order’s distance in feet around home and workplace; keep it in your binder to show responding officers so there is no ambiguity about where the line lies. If the building has multiple entrances, post the map discretely in security spaces so guards can gauge proximity instantly. For recurring venues—gym, child’s activities, community center—decide whether to share a copy of the order or a short summary with a photo of the respondent, aligning with the order’s terms.

Rewire processes for digital and daily life. Audit social media: turn off public comments, disable tagging/mentions from non-friends, restrict message requests, and tighten friend lists. Stop automatic location sharing and purge old posts that reveal routines. Create a dedicated email inbox for court and law enforcement communications; make it the address on file with the clerk so hearing notices do not drown in everyday traffic. Export and back up your evidence: a cloud folder with two-factor authentication containing your petition, orders, certified copy scans, exhibits, and a violation log. Establish a consistent naming scheme (YYYY-MM-DD_Description) so you can find artifacts in seconds. Rotate passwords with a manager, enable authenticator-app 2FA (prefer it over SMS), and review “linked devices” on Apple/Google/Microsoft accounts to remove anything you don’t recognize. If the respondent ever had device access, consider a professional check for stalkerware or rogue profiles; back up first.

Build a compliance log from day one. You record deviations, not silence: date, time, location, what happened, who witnessed it, and what artifact supports it (photo, screenshot, voicemail). Ask for an incident number each time you call law enforcement; note officer names and badge numbers. Do not respond to provocation or apology; do not negotiate. If logistics (property exchange, shared storage locker, mailbox keys) must be resolved, ask the court for a narrow carve-out supervised by law enforcement with a specific date, time window, and location. Avoid spontaneous meet-ups that muddy enforcement.

Coordinate weapon terms if present. Ask the sheriff how surrenders are documented and where proof is filed. If the court requires the respondent to surrender firearms and ammunition, confirm the timeline and whether you can be notified when compliance is recorded. If you learn of non-compliance, capture specifics and consult law enforcement; do not attempt confrontation. Meanwhile, refresh your personal safety plan: vary routines, travel with a colleague after night shifts, and keep your phone charged with emergency contacts pinned. Consider a personal safety app that shares location to a trusted circle if you trigger it.

Schedule a mid-cycle audit 60–90 days after the order enters. Verify that HR and school copies are current, that security teams still recognize the respondent’s name and photo, and that your digital privacy settings survive app updates. If life shifts—new job, move, school change—prepare a short modification motion adding addresses or clarifying blind spots (lobby, parking structure, loading bay). Implementation is disciplined, not dramatic: by distributing the order to the right people, hardening spaces, locking down digital surfaces, logging deviations, and rehearsing response, you turn a formal judgment into everyday safety that lets you get back to living with confidence.

Step 8: Enforce Violations—Call Law Enforcement First, Then Build a Court Record that Sticks

An injunction is a command with consequences. If the respondent breaches any term—approaches within the radius, calls, texts, DMs, tags you, asks others to relay messages, records you near protected places—treat it as an enforcement event. Your first action is to call law enforcement. Tell the dispatcher you have a current injunction, provide the case number if handy, and describe the conduct factually: “Respondent subject to my injunction is 40 feet from my office door, gray hoodie, filming me.” Stay where it is safe and visible until officers arrive if possible; do not pursue. When officers arrive, show a certified or clerk-stamped digital copy of the order and your ID. Most orders authorize arrest upon probable cause of a violation; your clarity accelerates that assessment.

Preserve evidence immediately after safety is restored. Save voicemails to the cloud; export message threads to PDF with visible handles, dates, and timestamps; screen-record if the app hides stamps during scrolling. Photograph proximity from a safe distance with landmarks (storefronts, street signs) that help approximate feet. Capture caller IDs and usernames; if accounts look like burners, note their exact handles and URLs. Ask officers for the incident number and write down names and badge numbers. If co-workers or bystanders witnessed the event, collect short factual statements later (who, where, what they saw or heard, the time window) and their contact details. If property was damaged, shoot multiple angles, keep repair estimates, and preserve receipts.

Parallel to police involvement, build a court-ready record. Maintain a violation log with a consistent schema: date, time, location, specific conduct, exhibit references, incident number, and whether officers responded. Small repeated acts—slow drive-bys, parking just outside the radius, creating new accounts to tag you—become compelling when documented in sequence. Organize artifacts in a “Violations” folder using a durable naming pattern (YYYY-MM-DD_type_shortdesc.pdf). Consider printing a thin enforcement packet that summarizes key events with thumbnails; bring it to court if a motion hearing is set or to a meeting with a prosecutor.

If the pattern persists or the violation is nuanced (e.g., filming from across a narrow sidewalk, indirect messages through mutual acquaintances), file a sworn Motion for Enforcement/Contempt in your injunction case. Keep it surgical: a short intro (final order date; specific terms violated), followed by itemized events with dates, conduct, exhibit citations, and incident numbers. Ask for tailored relief that solves the observed problem: add new protected addresses, extend the radius to cover the lobby or parking deck, prohibit filming/recording within the radius, forbid contact via named intermediaries, or bar tagging/mentions on specified platforms. Judges respond well to narrow, evidence-anchored requests that make enforcement easier for officers.

Avoid the mutual contact trap. Do not respond to baiting or apology messages; do not meet to “talk it out.” Any response can muddy enforcement or be spun as consent. If essential logistics exist, request a court-approved, law-enforcement-supervised carve-out with a precise time and place. If harassment flows through third parties, capture the message, identify the intermediary, and document why it is a relay from the respondent; most orders prohibit third-party contact. For primarily digital misconduct, preserve originals; export emails with full headers and capture platform IDs. If you suspect device compromise, change passwords and review security logs; involve a technician if needed.

Prioritize personal safety. Move to staffed, camera-rich areas; alert security; keep your phone charged with emergency contacts pinned. Carry your “go packet”: certified order, violation log, and two or three fresh exhibits. Enforcement is collaborative: you document and call; officers respond and report; the court tightens terms where necessary. When that loop is disciplined, violations typically stop quickly. If they do not, your meticulous record justifies stronger terms and, where appropriate, prosecution that creates durable deterrence.

Step 9: Modify, Extend, or Dissolve—Tune the Order as Life Changes While Protecting Continuity

Protection orders are living tools. As your life moves, you should expect to modify logistics, extend duration, or, if truly safe, dissolve the order. The objective is continuity—no gaps. Begin by calendaring your expiration date with reminders at 90 and 45 days. At the 90-day mark, perform a brief audit: are all protected addresses current? Have there been any concerning sightings or indirect messages? Do the distance radii fully cover new patterns (garage entrances, school perimeters, a newly assigned workspace)? If your reasonable fear persists—based on the original pattern or post-order behavior—prepare an extension motion. Keep it concise: a one-page declaration summarizing the original facts, a bullet list of post-order contacts or suspicious behavior with dates, and a brief explanation of why protection remains necessary. Attach your log and two to four representative exhibits; ask for a setting before the current order expires. Filing early preserves protection and avoids relitigating the entire case from zero.

Use modification when the problem is logistics. Common scenarios: you moved; you started a new job in a multi-entrance complex; your child changed schools; or you discovered a loophole (respondent loiters across a narrow street to film you). Draft a targeted motion that identifies the practical gap and proposes an exact fix: add addresses; expand a distance to cover lobby, stairwell, or parking levels; prohibit recording or photographing you within the radius; forbid contact via named intermediaries; or require staggered shift starts if you share an employer. Visuals help—attach a photo or simple map highlighting blind spots. Courts favor surgical changes tied to concrete events over broad, speculative requests.

Coordinate with related cases. If a criminal case is pending for an injunction violation, let the prosecutor know you are seeking an extension or modification so terms align with bond conditions and no-contact orders. If you have civil matters (property damage, small claims), ask the clerk for procedures that minimize courthouse proximity—separate waiting rooms, staggered times—and ensure your injunction’s stay-away terms explicitly cover the courthouse or designated floors.

If you believe it is safe to dissolve the order, proceed thoughtfully. File a brief motion to dissolve and appear if the court sets a hearing; judges will confirm your decision is voluntary and informed. Consider intermediate steps first: reduce distance radii while keeping no-contact; shorten duration but retain the ability to extend if needed; or add a narrow, supervised carve-out for a one-time property exchange. Understand that dissolving and then returning to court shortly after can invite skepticism—be ready to explain what changed. If family or friends pressure you to drop protection, document those communications; coercion is relevant to whether relief remains necessary.

Mind service and notice for any change. Motions to modify, extend, or dissolve must be served on the respondent; ask the clerk about timelines so your hearing lands before expiration. Provide all viable addresses, and track transmission to avoid delay. Bring a proposed order to the hearing with precise language; it accelerates entry and reduces transcription errors. After any change, obtain fresh certified copies and immediately update HR, schools/daycare, building security, and anyone else who holds the prior version; mark old copies “superseded.” Continuity is the essence: file early, serve properly, and keep downstream stakeholders aligned so the paper shield remains intact while your life evolves.

Step 10: Keep Long-Term Records, Protect Privacy, and Close the Loop with Recovery and Support

After the courtroom intensity fades, durability takes over: systems that preserve your safety, privacy, and peace. Start with a records hub. Create a secure cloud folder (two-factor authentication on) labeled “Injunction” that houses your petition, temporary order, proof of service, final order, certified copy scans, violation log, photos and screenshots, police incident numbers, prosecutor correspondence, and any modification/extension motions and orders. Use consistent file names (YYYY-MM-DD_Description) and maintain a one-page index (“Records Map”) listing the top ten documents and where they live—this lets a trusted helper or officer find the right file when seconds matter. Mirror the critical few (final order, latest extension, recent violations packet) to an encrypted USB stored off-site in case of account lockout or device loss. Keep a paper binder with the essentials for quick handoff on scene.

Lock down privacy on a cycle. Quarterly, run opt-outs on major data-broker sites that publish addresses and phone numbers; many allow free removal. If you move, use a P.O. Box or commercial mailbox for outward-facing mail and ask utilities to minimize name exposure on public lookups. Audit social media regularly: disable location history, trim friend lists, restrict tagging/mentions, and remove revealing posts. For children, coordinate with schools to set privacy flags and narrow pickup lists; deliver a fresh certified copy of the order and introduce yourself to the registrar so names match faces in urgent situations. If you switch jobs, fold the new HR/security teams into your notification list immediately.

Sustain digital hygiene. Use a password manager; rotate passwords; enable authenticator-app 2FA; review “trusted devices” and “app passwords” for your accounts; sign out of sessions you do not recognize. On phones and laptops, keep OS and security patches current. If the respondent once had physical or remote access to your devices, consider a professional check for stalkerware, suspicious VPN profiles, or MDM remnants; back up then reset if needed. Separate personal and court communications into different email accounts to prevent a surge of everyday messages from burying hearing notices.

Standardize response habits. Maintain your violation log even during quiet stretches—discipline now makes action easy later. Keep your “go packet” (order + recent exhibits) in your bag or glove compartment. For workplaces and campuses, refresh staff annually because turnover erodes institutional memory. Stage a brief drill with your inner circle: who you call first, where you move inside a building, how you label texts to signal urgency without panic. If public interaction is part of your job, agree on a neutral phrase with colleagues that means “escort me now.”

Invest in recovery. Court wins reduce danger; healing reduces hypervigilance. Short counseling or support groups can restore baseline confidence and improve courtroom poise for any future hearing (like extensions). Rebuild routines intentionally: daytime walks with a friend; rejoining a class or hobby; scheduling coffee at a safe, well-lit place. Celebrate small milestones—“six months incident-free”—to mark progress. If anniversaries or court dates spike anxiety, schedule extra support proactively. Keep your immediate network informed at a low hum; quiet awareness beats alarmed surprises.

Conduct an annual protection audit. Confirm expiration dates, ensure HR and schools possess current certified copies, re-run data-broker opt-outs, and skim your log for low-grade signals that merit a modification (new door where the respondent lingered, a side street that bypasses your radius). If the respondent has been absent, keep your systems but loosen vigilance to a comfortable, sustainable level—you control the dial. If they reappear, your records hub and habits let you pivot immediately: call law enforcement, capture artifacts, and seek tailored court relief. Step 10 is about resilience: orderly records, deliberate privacy, practiced responses, and personal restoration that together preserve not just compliance, but your sense of normalcy.

Associated Costs

Florida’s system is deliberately structured to keep injunctions financially accessible. There are no filing fees for petitions for injunctions against repeat violence. Clerks of court are prohibited from charging any costs for filing, copying, or service of process. Likewise, the sheriff’s office must perform personal service on the respondent without cost to the petitioner. The state legislature has recognized that financial barriers deter victims from seeking help, so all core court activities—petition intake, judicial review, service, and initial hearing—are covered by statute. You may, however, incur incidental costs for document preparation or printing exhibits, particularly if you prepare multiple sets of color photos, screenshots, or printed logs. Printing costs can be minimized by formatting your evidence digitally; most clerks and judges accept black-and-white copies as long as timestamps and identifiers remain legible.

If you hire a private process server to expedite service, that will carry a fee typically ranging from $50–$100, though most petitioners rely on the sheriff’s free service option. Should you later pursue enforcement through a private attorney—such as filing a motion for contempt, modification, or damages related to a violation—those attorney’s fees are discretionary and can sometimes be awarded by the court if you prevail. Always retain receipts and court fee waivers; if costs arise inadvertently, you can seek reimbursement through the court clerk by referencing Florida Statutes §784.046(13)(b). For certified copies of the final injunction, most clerks charge a modest certification fee (often $2–$5 per copy); it is wise to obtain at least two: one for personal carry and one for work or school safety officers.

If travel is required to another county for filing or hearing attendance, you may spend on transportation or parking. Keep travel receipts if you intend to request costs in enforcement proceedings. Victim advocacy agencies sometimes reimburse travel or printing costs for injunction-related tasks; check with your local domestic violence center or court-based victim services unit. Some counties, such as Miami-Dade and Orange, partner with nonprofits that provide free notarization, printing, and accompaniment services. If you need translation or interpretation at the hearing, the court provides interpreters at no charge—request this service at filing so it’s scheduled automatically. In short, the direct cost to secure protection through Form 12.980(f) is effectively zero; the only real investment is your time and the care you take in documenting, preparing, and attending your hearing.

Time Required

The timeline of a repeat violence injunction moves faster than most civil proceedings because Florida law prioritizes safety and immediate relief. Typically, a petitioner can expect the following schedule. Day 0: you file your verified petition; same day, the judge reviews it and may issue a temporary (ex parte) injunction if immediate danger appears on the face of your facts. Within 24 hours, the clerk transmits the order to law enforcement for personal service. The respondent must be served before the hearing can proceed; diligent petitioners often achieve service within three to five days depending on the sheriff’s workload. Once served, the respondent is given notice of a full evidentiary hearing, which generally occurs within 15 days of issuance of the temporary injunction unless extended for good cause (e.g., inability to serve or witness unavailability).

If no temporary injunction issues, the court still sets a hearing within a similar short window to ensure prompt resolution. You should plan for roughly two to three weeks from filing to final hearing in most circuits. Complex or multi-witness cases can take longer if continuances are granted, but extensions of temporary orders maintain continuous protection. After the final hearing, the judge may issue the written order the same day, with certified copies available immediately or within 24 hours. Electronic docketing into law enforcement databases usually occurs by close of business. Extensions or modifications later in the case follow a similar schedule: motions are set within one to three weeks, depending on docket congestion.

Plan for two full days of personal availability: one for filing and one for the hearing. Bring leave requests, childcare arrangements, and transportation plans in advance. You should also budget roughly four to six hours for pre-hearing organization: reviewing your exhibits, labeling evidence, rehearsing testimony, and confirming witnesses. Many petitioners complete the entire process—from first filing to final signed order—in under 20 days. The efficiency exists for a reason: repeat violence petitions often involve unpredictable escalation, and the court system’s design aims to deliver quick, enforceable protection before risk turns into harm.

Limitations

Despite its power, an injunction for protection against repeat violence has defined legal and practical limits. It is not a criminal conviction; rather, it is a civil order designed to prevent future harm. It cannot compel restitution, damages, or therapy—those belong to civil or criminal proceedings. It cannot enforce against third parties or apply outside Florida unless domesticated in another jurisdiction. While law enforcement can arrest on probable cause for violations, they cannot preemptively act on your intuition of danger unless conduct actually breaches an injunction term. The order also does not substitute for broader personal safety measures; you must continue implementing practical precautions.

Judicial discretion can create variability: judges may deny temporary relief if evidence appears stale or primarily emotional without concrete incidents. The six-month rule is strict: at least one incident must have occurred within that timeframe. Minor unwanted contact (e.g., a polite email) may not qualify as “violence.” Likewise, judges typically exclude incidents that occurred before you reached age 18 unless directly connected to current threats. The order’s duration is limited, generally one year unless otherwise stated, and renewal requires showing ongoing reasonable fear. Violations must be clearly documented; ambiguous encounters may not lead to arrest or contempt without corroboration. Finally, the order binds only the named respondent—others acting independently cannot be restrained through it unless they become parties to a separate case.

Digitally, some enforcement lags exist: while orders are transmitted to the statewide law enforcement database (FCIC/NCIC) usually within 24 hours, small administrative delays can occur on weekends or holidays. During that window, always carry a certified copy to assist officers in verifying its validity. Another limitation is visibility—courts protect victims’ confidentiality, but case summaries can appear on public online dockets, revealing names and limited case types. You can request a redaction or address confidentiality program if disclosure increases danger. Lastly, even with an injunction in place, the respondent may still lawfully appear at unrelated court proceedings, government offices, or workplaces unless those locations are covered specifically by the order. To mitigate these gray zones, always plan logistics, arrive early, and inform security or bailiffs ahead of time. Knowing what the injunction cannot do is as crucial as knowing what it can—clarity keeps expectations realistic and your safety strategy adaptive.

Authoritative References and Links

• Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.980(f) — Petition for Injunction for Protection Against Repeat Violence.
• Florida Statutes §784.046 — Governs injunctions for protection against repeat, dating, and sexual violence.
• Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers – Injunction Information — County-by-county clerk resources and filing instructions.
• Florida Department of Children and Families – Certified Domestic Violence Centers — Contact list for local advocates.
• Florida Bar – Legal Rights and Resources for Victims of Violence — Overview of injunction processes and legal aid programs.