{"data":{"id":"us-fl/fla.-stat.-61.538","jurisdiction":"us-fl","citation":"Fla. Stat. § 61.538","heading":"Role of state attorney.","body":"(1) In a case arising under this part or involving the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, the state attorney may take any lawful action, including resort to a proceeding under ss. 61.524-61.540 or any other available civil proceeding, to locate a child, obtain the return of a child, or enforce a child custody determination, if there is:\n(a) An existing child custody determination;\n(b) A request to do so from a court in a pending child custody proceeding;\n(c) A reasonable belief that a criminal statute has been violated; or\n(d) A reasonable belief that the child has been wrongfully removed or retained in violation of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.\n(2) A state attorney acting under this section acts on behalf of the court and may not represent any party.\nHistory.—s. 5, ch. 2002-65.","path":["CHAPTER 61 DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE; SUPPORT; TIME-SHARING"],"source_url":"https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute\u0026URL=0000-0099/0061/0061.html","current_through":"2026 Florida Statutes","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T01:57:57Z","sha256":"db4268ec291e6e4d99da5d98b81089be1d30678754d5d5c8cc3cb3cb3d369b5f","source_id":"us-fl","stale":false,"prev":"us-fl/fla.-stat.-61.537","next":"us-fl/fla.-stat.-61.539"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}