Florida Family Law Attorney
The Law Firm of Jeffrey Alan Aenlle, PLLC is a Miami-based family law firm representing clients in divorce, alimony, child support, timesharing, paternity, and prenuptial agreement matters throughout South Florida. With offices located in Brickell at 1221 Brickell Avenue, Suite 900, Miami, Florida 33131, the firm serves clients across Miami-Dade County and accepts cases in Broward County and Collier County.
How Florida Family Law Is Structured
Family law in Florida is state law, applied by state circuit courts. Understanding that structure explains a good deal about how a case actually proceeds.
Two statutes do most of the work
Chapter 61 of the Florida Statutes governs dissolution of marriage and everything that flows from it: equitable distribution under Fla. Stat. § 61.075, alimony under Fla. Stat. § 61.08, timesharing and parental responsibility under Fla. Stat. § 61.13, and child support under Fla. Stat. § 61.30. Chapter 742 governs paternity where the parents were not married, beginning at Fla. Stat. § 742.011.
Twenty circuits, one body of law
Florida is divided into twenty judicial circuits, and family cases are heard in the circuit court for the county where the case belongs. Miami-Dade is the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Broward is the Seventeenth, and Collier is part of the Twentieth, which also covers Charlotte, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties. The governing statutes are identical across all of them. What varies is local procedure: administrative orders, standing orders on discovery and mediation, courthouse practice, and how a particular division schedules hearings.
Residency comes first
Before any of it applies, there is a threshold. Under Fla. Stat. § 61.021, one of the parties must have resided in Florida for six months before the petition for dissolution of marriage is filed. For families who have recently moved to Florida, that six-month requirement is usually the first question worth answering.
Areas We Serve
The firm represents clients in family law matters across South Florida, with primary service areas in Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Collier County. Whether your case is pending in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade, the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit in Broward, or the Twentieth Judicial Circuit in Collier County, the Law Firm of Jeffrey Alan Aenlle, PLLC is prepared to represent you.
Miami-Dade County
The firm’s primary service area is Miami-Dade County, home to the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court located at the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center, 175 NW 1st Avenue, Miami, Florida 33128. The firm represents clients from communities throughout Miami-Dade County, including Brickell, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne, South Beach, Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, North Miami Beach, Miami Shores, Hialeah, Doral, Kendall, Cutler Bay, and Opa-Locka.
For detailed information about family law proceedings in Miami-Dade County, including courthouse locations, filing procedures, and service area information, visit our Miami-Dade County family law page.
Miami-Dade Neighborhoods We Serve
The firm represents clients from the following Miami-Dade communities:
- Brickell Divorce Attorney
- Coral Gables Divorce Attorney
- Coconut Grove Divorce Attorney
- Key Biscayne Divorce Attorney
Broward County
The firm accepts family law cases in Broward County, where proceedings are heard in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court located at the Broward County Courthouse, 201 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301. The firm represents clients from Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Coral Springs, and surrounding Broward County communities.
For detailed information about family law proceedings in Broward County, visit our Broward County family law page.
Collier County
The firm accepts family law cases in Collier County, where proceedings are heard in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court located at the Collier County Courthouse, 3315 Tamiami Trail East, Naples, Florida 34112. The firm represents clients from Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs, and surrounding Collier County communities.
For detailed information about family law proceedings in Collier County, visit our Collier County family law page.
Child Support in Florida Divorce and Paternity Cases
Florida calculates child support under the income shares model in Fla. Stat. § 61.30. A statutory guidelines schedule produces a base obligation from the parents’ combined monthly net income and the number of children. That amount is apportioned between the parents in proportion to their incomes and adjusted for health insurance, uncovered medical costs, and work-related child care.
The parenting plan feeds directly into the arithmetic, because the number of overnights each parent exercises changes the calculation. That is one reason timesharing and support are negotiated together rather than settled one after the other. Where a parent’s income is not a simple salary, or where combined income exceeds the top of the schedule, the court must first determine net income before the guidelines can be applied, and any departure from the guidelines figure requires written findings.
Paternity in Florida
Where the parents were not married when the child was born, paternity has to be established before either parent can enforce anything. Under Fla. Stat. § 742.011, a proceeding to determine paternity may be brought by a woman who is pregnant or has a child, by a man who has reason to believe he is the father, or on behalf of the child.
The consequence of skipping that step is regularly misunderstood. Until a court enters an order, an unmarried father has no enforceable right to timesharing or to participate in major decisions, and the mother has no enforceable claim for support. Appearing on the birth certificate is not a judicial determination of paternity. The same proceeding can establish paternity, a parenting plan, a timesharing schedule, and a support obligation together.
Florida Family Law Practice Areas
The firm handles the full range of family law matters under Florida law, including dissolution of marriage, alimony, child support, timesharing and parental responsibility, paternity, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, equitable distribution of marital assets and liabilities, parental relocation, and modification of existing court orders. Every matter is handled personally by attorney Jeffrey Alan Aenlle, a Florida Bar member since 2011 with over a decade of experience in Florida family law litigation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Florida Family Law
Where will my case be heard?
In the circuit court for the county where the case belongs. Miami-Dade cases go to the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Broward to the Seventeenth, and Collier to the Twentieth. The statutes are the same statewide; local procedure differs.
How long must I live in Florida before filing for divorce?
Six months. Fla. Stat. § 61.021 requires one of the parties to have resided in Florida for six months before the petition is filed.
Is my spouse entitled to half of everything?
The starting point is close to that. Fla. Stat. § 61.075 requires the court to begin from the premise that distribution should be equal, and a court dividing marital assets unequally in a contested case must make specific written findings tied to the statutory factors.
Does Florida still award permanent alimony?
No. Fla. Stat. § 61.08 authorizes temporary, bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, and durational alimony. Permanent alimony was eliminated, and the length of the marriage governs what is available and for how long.
How is child support calculated in Florida?
Under the income shares model in Fla. Stat. § 61.30, using the parents combined monthly net income, the number of children, and the number of overnights in the parenting plan, adjusted for health insurance, uncovered medical costs, and child care.
Can I move away with my child after the divorce?
Not without consent or a court order. Under Fla. Stat. § 61.13001, a change in the child principal residence of at least 50 miles for at least 60 consecutive days is a relocation requiring the other parent written agreement or court approval.
Do I have to prove my spouse did something wrong?
No. Florida is a no-fault state. Under Fla. Stat. § 61.052 a court may dissolve a marriage on a finding that the marriage is irretrievably broken, and neither spouse has to allege or prove misconduct. The statute also provides a second and far rarer ground where one party has been adjudged incapacitated for at least the three preceding years.
Schedule a Free Consultation
If you are facing a family law matter in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Collier County, contact the Law Firm of Jeffrey Alan Aenlle, PLLC today to schedule a free consultation. The firm represents clients at every stage of family law proceedings, from initial filing through trial.