Florida

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State Clearinghouse on Missing Children

Reason to Contact:
A state clearinghouse is usually run by law enforcement. It provides help in cases of parental child abduction. For abductions from another country to the United States, they can help locate a child. For abductions from the United States to another country, they can help parents in filing missing person reports.  

Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 1489
Tallahassee, FL 32302
Email: MEPIC@fdle.state.fl.us
Phone: 850-410-8585 or 888-356-4774
http://www.fdle.state.fl.us

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Law Enforcement

Reason to Contact:
Contact your local police to file a missing person's report. Ask them to enter your child's name into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. 

FBI Field Offices

Jacksonville Field Office
6061 Gate Parkway
Jacksonville, Florida 32256
Phone: 904-248-7000
E-mail: Jacksonville@ic.fbi.gov
http://jacksonville.fbi.gov/

Miami Field Office
16320 NW 2nd Avenue
North Miami Beach, FL 33169
Phone: 305-944-9101
E-mail: Miami@ic.fbi.gov
http://miami.fbi.gov/

Tampa Field Office
5525 West Gray Street
Tampa, FL 33609
Phone: 813-253-1000
E-mail: tampa.division@ic.fbi.gov
http://tampa.fbi.gov/

State Patrol
Florida Highway Patrol
Phone: 850-617-2000
https://www.flhsmv.gov/

Department of Public Safety
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
Customer Service Center: 850-617-2000
http://www.flhsmv.gov/

Department of Transportation
South Florida Regional Transportation Authority
Phone: (954) 942-7245 or 800-273-7545
https://www.tri-rail.com/

Northwest Florida Transportation Corridor Authority
Phone: 850-429-8905
http://www.nwftca.com/

Port Authorities

Jacksonville Port Authority

2831 Talleyrand Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32206-0005
Phone: 904-357-3000
E-mail: info@jaxport.com
http://www.jaxport.com/

Tampa Port Authority
1101 Channelside Drive
Tampa, FL 33602
Phone:813- 905-7678 or 800-741-2297
http://tampaport.com/

Canaveral Port Authority
445 Challenger Road, Suite 301
Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
Phone: 321-783-7831
http://www.portcanaveral.com/

Port Manatee Port Authority
13604 Reeder Rd.
Palmetto, FL 34221
Security Department: 941-722-6455
http://www.portmanatee.com/

Port of Miami
1015 N. America Way, 2nd floor
Miami, FL 33132
Security:305-347-4901
https://www.miamidade.gov/portmiami/

Port Everglades, Broward County
1850 Eller Drive
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
Email: PortEverglades@broward.org
Port Security: 954-765-4511
http://www.porteverglades.net/about-us/

Port St. Joe Port Authority
206 Monument Ave.
Port St. Joe, FL 32456
http://www.portofportstjoe.com/

Nationwide resources:
Taking a child from the United States, or attempting to, is a federal crime. So is keeping a child outside of the United States to block parental rights. These acts are crimes under the International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act (18 U.S.C. 1204). The FBI has jurisdictional authority to investigate federal crimes. If you have questions or believe someone has abducted your child outside of the United States or is planning to do so, contact a FBI field office in the United States. To find the FBI field office nearest to you, use this link: http://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field 

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Prevention

Reason to Contact:
If you know your child is being taken to the airport as part of possible abduction, contact the airport for help. You should have copies of all custody and legal documents ready to send by email or fax, if needed. You can contact the State Department’s Office of Children’s Issues to assist you with this process. You can reach them at PreventAbduction@state.gov or by calling 888-407-4747. 

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Legal Assistance

Reason to Contact:
If you are involved in an international parental child abduction case in the United States or abroad, a legal aid group may be able to help you with your legal representation. Legal aid organizations provide free legal help or help at a low cost to eligible individuals. Eligibility is mainly based on income and resource limits. There are also rules on the types of cases they will take. 

For information about legal aid and other legal referral resources, visit

Follow the prompts for the particular state in which you are seeking legal services.

Florida Family Law Self-Help Center
https://www.flcourts.org/gen_public/family/self_help

Florida Legislature
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Welcome/index.cfm?CFID=162451661&CFTOKEN=26392918

Florida State Courts
http://www.flcourts.org/

Florida Supreme Court
http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/

The Florida Bar

Phone: 850-561-5600
https://www.floridabar.org/

Family Law Section
http://www.familylawfla.org/

Office of the Attorney General
State of Florida
The Capitol PL-01
Tallahassee, FL 32399
Phone: 850-414-3300
http://myfloridalegal.com/

Locator Service
Child Support Enforcement
The Florida Department of Revenue
PO Box 8030
Tallahassee, FL 32314-8030
Phone: 850-717-7000 or 800-622-KIDS (5437)
https://floridarevenue.com/childsupport/Pages/default.aspx

Compensation Program for Crime Victims
Compensation Program for Crime Victims
Division of Victim Services
Office of the Attorney General
The Capitol, PL-01
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050
Phone: 850-414-3300 or 800-226-6667 (victims only)
https://www.myfloridalegal.com/victim-compensation

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Resources for State Statutes

Reason to Contact:
The resources below may help you determine your state custody laws and if your state has laws on abduction prevention. You may also want to consult the Attorney General’s Office website of your state or contact an attorney licensed to practice law in your state. (Please note: the resources below may not be current and may change at any time. These materials are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. 

Non-Profit Organizations

A Child Is Missing 
500 Southeast 17th Street, Room 101 
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316-2547 
Phone: 954-763-1288 or 888-US5-ACIM (875-2246) 
www.achildismissing.org 
 
Child Protection Education of America, Inc. 
3439 Brook Crossing Dr. 
Brandon, FL 33511 
Phone: 813-626-3001 or 866-USA-CHILD (872-2445) 

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
333 John Carlyle Street, Suite 125
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 703-224-2150
www.missingkids.org  

 

Last Updated: April 8, 2024