Irene Delays Florida Child Support Checks

ST. PETERSBURG – Hurricane Irene did not make a direct hit on Florida, but the storm delayed about 11,300 child support checks to families across the state.

The Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court reassured families Wednesday that their child support checks are in the mail. County courts in Florida received notice Friday that there was a delay.

The payments were held up, when the Pennsylvania facility that prints the checks for the Florida Department of Revenue was closed due to flooding caused by Irene. High waters shut down businesses and roads in some areas of Pennsylvania.

The delayed checks are for payments for Sept. 8, Sept. 9 and Sept. 12, according to a notice from the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Pinellas County.

The checks are now printed and have been posted in the mail for delivery, the Clerk of the Circuit Court reported Wednesday morning.

Renee Watters of the Florida Department of Revenue said that the state processes child support checks as the court-ordered payments are received from absentee parents.

"There is no standard time frame for the checks," she said Wednesday. "We process more than 99 percent of payments within one day, so as soon as we receive the money it is processed and sent out."

The state's Department of Revenue oversees child support orders for payment. Any parent or caregiver of a child can apply to the state for help in receiving unpaid, court-ordered child support.

The state-enforced payments enable lower-income families to stay off or decrease their reliance on welfare subsidies. They also compel absentee parents to take responsibiity to support their children.