In Florida, the legal term for a divorce is “Dissolution of Marriage”.

A spouse can file for a dissolution of marriage in Florida if they have 1) a valid marriage; 2) if one of the spouses has been a resident of Florida for a period of six months or more prior to filing of the divorce; and 3) if the marriage is “irretrievably broken,” or in other words, the marriage cannot be repaired. A person can obtain a divorce in Florida regardless of where the marriage took place.

Because every family is unique, every divorce is also unique. When spouses separate amicably, an agreement resolving the issues between the parties may be signed and the spouses can be divorced through an uncontested dissolution of marriage.

If spouses disagree over any issues including the division of assets and liabilities or matters related to their children, a contested divorce may be filed and the court will decide all of the unresolved issues.  Spouses can also consider attending mediation, either before or after the filing of a divorce action, to resolve their differences.