Special Services

If you are facing an emergency situation, please call 911 immediately.

The Special Services Division handles the filing and processing of Civil Injunctions for Protection, Involuntary Examination Petitions (Baker Act) and Involuntary Assessment and Stabilization Petitions (Marchman Act). 

Special Services FAQ

Important numbers:

Special Services Division: (772) 288-5720

Safe Space (Domestic Violence Shelter): 772-288-7023 or 1-800-500-1119

Abuse Hotline: 1-800-962-2873

Martin County Sheriff’s Office (Booking): (772) 220-7220

Florida Rural Legal Services: 1-800-476-4537 or 1-772-466-4766

Florida Bar Referral: 1-800-342-8011

New Horizons: 1-772-468-5600 ext. 283

Port St. Lucie Hospital, Inc: 1-772-335-0400

Civil Injunctions for Protection

An injunction is a court order signed by a judge that can be served and or enforced by law enforcement.   If an injunction for protection is granted by the court, the judge may order the other party not to have contact with you and not to harm you mentally or physically.

If a person has committed an act of violence towards you or that person has placed you in fear, and made you believe you would be immediately harmed by an unlawful act of violence, you may have grounds to ask the court for an Injunction for Protection.  An act of violence includes assault, aggravated assault, battery, aggravated battery, sexual assault, sexual battery, stalking, aggravated stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment, or any other criminal offense resulting in physical injury or death to the petitioner by any of the petitioner's family or household members.

To obtain an injunction, a petition must be filed and submitted to the Clerk of Court in the county where either the Petitioner or Respondent lives or in the county where the act(s) of violence occurred.  The Clerk will submit the petition to a Judge for review.  There are four types of injunctions:  Domestic, Repeat, Dating and Sexual Violence.

Injunctions for Protection Against Domestic Violence may be issued against a spouse or former spouse, a person related by blood or marriage, a person which you are presently living with or have formerly lived with, as if a family, or against someone with whom you have a child in common, regardless whether you were ever married to that person or lived with them.  With the exception of persons who have a child in common, the family or household members must be currently residing together or have in the past resided together.

Click Here for a Domestic Violence Packet for Injunction Petition (without Minor Children)

Click Here for a Domestic Violence Packet for Injunction Petition (with Minor Children)

Injunctions for Protection Against Repeat Violence may be issued if someone has committed two separate acts of violence, one being within the last six months, against you.  The Injunction for Protection Against Repeat Violence is available for those individuals not covered by the Domestic Violence Injunctions.  These are sometimes filed against neighbors, friends, or co-workers.

Click Here for a Repeat Violence Packet for Injunction Petition

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Injunctions for Protection Against Dating Violence may be issued against an individual with whom you have or had a continuing and significant relationship of a romantic or intimate nature, within the last six months, but have not resided with.

Click Here for a Dating Violence Packet for Injunction Petition

Injunctions for Protection Against Sexual Violence may be issued if one incident of a sexually lewd act was committed or attempted.  It is a requirement that the sexual violence be reported to a law enforcement agency and that the person filing the petition cooperates in the investigation.  A petition may also be filed against a respondent who was sentenced to imprisonment for the sexual violence and who has been or will be released from incarceration.

Click Here for a Sexual Violence Packet for Injunction Petition

Supplemental Petition
Use this form if your original petition was denied and it is within 7 days of the date you filed your petition.

Motion to Modify
Use this form if you wish to modify an existing final judgment.

Motion to Extend
Use this form if your current final judgment is going to expire and you wish to ask the court to extend it

Affidavit of Violation
Use this form if the valid injunction that is in force has been violated

Motion for Civil Contempt
Use this form if you feel there is an alleged violation of the Injunction

Motion to Dismiss
Use this form if you wish to dismiss the Temporary Injunction

Motion to Dissolve
Use this form if you wish to dissolve a permanent Injunction

Motion for Hearing
Use this form if you wish to ask the court for a hearing on your case and one of the above Motion's does not suit your needs

Motion for Telephonic Hearing
Use this form if you are unable to attend the hearing because you are out of state

Petitioner's Request for Confidential Filing of Addresses
The Florida Statute regarding Domestic Violence allows for your address to be kept confidential upon your request. If you would like to request your address be kept confidential please complete the Petitioner's Request for Confidential Filing of Address

Notice of Current Address
File this form if you have changed addresses. (If you have a Final Judgment of Injunction, it is part of the Order that you inform the Court when you change addresses)

The Baker Act and Marchman Act is a means of providing individuals with emergency services and temporary detention for examination for mental health assessment and stabilization for substance abuse. These types of proceedings are confidential and are not public record.

A petition must be filed and submitted to the Clerk of Court in the county where the Respondent is located.   The petitions can be filed by the respondent’s spouse or guardian, any relative, a private practitioner, the director of a licensed service provider or the director’s designee, or any three adults who have personal knowledge of the respondent’s substance abuse impairment.  If the person upon whose behalf the petition is being filed is a minor, a petition for involuntary assessment and stabilization may be filed by a parent, legal guardian, legal custodian, or licensed service provider.  The Clerk will submit the petition to a Judge for review.

A process established by Florida Statutes Mental Health Act by which a person whose current mental state poses a danger to that person or to others may be taken to a mental health receiving facility for an involuntary examination.  If there is reason to believe that a person is mentally ill and because of his or her mental illness:

• The person has refused voluntary examination and/or is unable to determine whether an examination is necessary. 
• The person is likely to suffer from neglect and the refusal could threaten his or her well being.
• If there is a substantial likelihood that without care or treatment, the person will cause seriously bodily harm to himself or herself or others in the near future as evidenced by recent behavior.

A process established by Florida Statutes by which a person may be admitted for an involuntary examination to determine if his or her judgment is impaired due to substance abuse and he or she has, therefore, lost the power of self-control with respect to substance abuse and poses a danger to himself or herself or to another person.  When there is reason to believe that a person is substance abuse impaired and:

• Because of the impairment, he or she has lost the power of self control with respect to substance use.
• The person’s judgment is impaired because of substance abuse and he/she is incapable of appreciating the need for, and is unable to make a rational decision in regards to, substance abuse services.
• He or she has inflicted, attempted or threatened to inflict, or unless admitted, is likely to inflict, physical harm on himself or herself or another.