Florida Statute 61.13(3) sets forth 20 factors that the Court must use when determining a parenting plan and parental responsibility. One factor is F.S. 61.13(3)(f): the “moral fitness” of the parents. Different families will have different views of what is proper moral behavior and what is not. So, how does the Court determine when the […]
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Timesharing Factors
Florida courts no longer use the term “custody” with regards to children. Instead, the Court fashions “timesharing plans” that consider specific factors that are in the best interests of the child(ren). One factor that can be difficult, especially if you are involved in a difficult divorce or paternity case, is the first factor the courts […]
Enforcement of Property Distribution
If you have been awarded a particular distribution of assets and/or liabilities, and the opposition is not doing what they have been ordered to do, there are many legal remedies available to compel compliance. The courts always maintain jurisdiction to enforce their own orders, and the law also provides remedies that can be enforced in […]
Caution Re: Retroactive Child Support
Parties should be aware that the obligation to pay child support begins immediately upon the separation of the parties. F.S. 61.30(17) states: “In an initial determination of child support, whether in a paternity action, dissolution of marriage action, or petition for support during the marriage, the court has discretion to award child support retroactive to […]
Imputing Income To An Unemployed Spouse – Paying Alimony
Imputation of income is an important legal concept for anyone who pays alimony to understand. If a former spouse who pays alimony (“payor spouse”) becomes unemployed, that payor spouse’s request to terminate, suspend, or reduce his or her alimony payments could be denied by the Court if the Court imputes income to that payor spouse. […]
How Does The Florida Court Fashion A Time-Sharing Plan
How does the Florida Court fashion a time-sharing plan? If parents are unable or unwilling to agree to time-sharing plan in mediation, the Court will dictate how much time each parent spends with the children. The Court must consider the best interests of the child(ren) when determining the time-sharing schedule. The factors considered by the […]
Attorney’s Fees In Representation Agreements
When entering into a representation agreement with your attorney in a dissolution of marriage case, you will find that generally, attorneys charge for their services based upon an hourly rate and require a retainer to cover a certain number of hours of work on your case. Generally, the attorney will also require payment of additional […]
Dividing Marital Property – Part I
A common question we get about splitting up “stuff” is: Do we each get half of the marital assets? Florida law says that the starting point for dividing marital property, assets, and liabilities is 50-50, but 1) there are many exceptions to that law, and 2) individual assets and liabilities sometimes cannot be divided. Consider […]
Parenting Plans – The Difference Between Parental Responsibility And Timesharing
If you are facing divorce and have children, you will need to create a parenting plan that complies with the laws surrounding shared parental accountabilities. This plan must consider three main areas: child support, timesharing, and parental responsibility. In the state of Florida, parenting plans must address parental responsibility and timesharing independently. Parental responsibility deals […]
Alimony In Florida, A Thorny Issue
The Florida legislature enacted Florida Statutes, Section 61.08, to give trial courts the discretion to award alimony to either party in the appropriate dissolution of marriage case. However, the legislature established limits to the trial court’s discretion in awarding such alimony. Foremost, to get alimony in Florida, the trial court must make a specific factual […]