Broward County Divorce and Family Law Attorney
The Law Firm of Jeffrey Alan Aenlle, PLLC represents individuals and families throughout Broward County in dissolution of marriage, alimony, timesharing and parental responsibility, child support, paternity, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and equitable distribution proceedings before the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court in Broward County. The firm is located at 1221 Brickell Avenue, Suite 900, Miami, Florida 33131, directly on the Miami-Dade and Broward County border, making it conveniently accessible to clients throughout southern and central Broward County. Attorney Jeffrey Alan Aenlle has practiced Florida family law exclusively since his admission to the Florida Bar in 2011 and is a member of the Broward County Bar Association.
Broward County is the second most populous county in Florida and one of the most populous counties in the United States, with a population exceeding 1.9 million residents. The county stretches from the Atlantic coastline west to the Everglades and encompasses thirty-one municipalities ranging from coastal communities like Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Hallandale Beach to inland planned communities like Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Weston, and Cooper City. Family law matters in Broward County reflect the county’s diverse and growing residential population, with cases frequently involving the family home, retirement accounts, business interests, and timesharing arrangements across the county’s broad geographic footprint.
Broward County Family Court: The Seventeenth Judicial Circuit
Divorce and family law proceedings in Broward County are handled by the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court, located at the Broward County Courthouse, 201 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301. The Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Family Division handles all matters relating to dissolution of marriage, parental responsibility and timesharing, child support, alimony, paternity, domestic violence injunctions, and modification of family court orders. Broward County Family Court operates under the Florida Rules of Family Law Procedure and the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit’s local administrative orders, and navigating its procedures requires an attorney with specific Seventeenth Judicial Circuit experience.
Key procedural requirements in Broward County Family Court include mandatory mediation before most contested family law matters can be set for trial, mandatory financial disclosure including the exchange of financial affidavits under Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.285, mandatory parenting course completion before final hearing in cases involving minor children under Fla. Stat. § 61.21, case management conferences in contested matters, and Guardian ad Litem appointment in contested timesharing cases involving the welfare of minor children. Under Fla. Stat. § 61.021, at least one party must have been a Florida resident for a minimum of six months prior to filing a petition for dissolution of marriage.
Divorce in Broward County, Florida
Florida is a no-fault divorce state. The sole ground for dissolution of marriage is that the marriage is irretrievably broken under Fla. Stat. § 61.052. Broward County divorce cases range from simple uncontested matters resolved through a Marital Settlement Agreement to complex contested proceedings involving significant marital estates, business interests, and disputed timesharing arrangements. The firm handles the full spectrum of Broward County dissolution proceedings, including simplified dissolution of marriage, uncontested divorce and Marital Settlement Agreement drafting, contested divorce litigation before the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, high-net-worth divorce involving complex asset portfolios, and gray divorce involving long-term marriages and retirement asset division.
Equitable Distribution in Broward County Divorces
Florida divides marital property under the equitable distribution framework established by Fla. Stat. § 61.075. The court begins with a presumption that marital assets and liabilities will be divided equally between the spouses, subject to deviation based on the statutory factors including each spouse’s economic circumstances, contributions to the marriage, and the intentional dissipation of marital assets. Broward County divorces frequently involve the family home across the county’s diverse residential markets, retirement and investment accounts, closely held business interests, and vehicles. In coastal communities such as Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, marine assets including boats and watercraft are a common additional consideration in equitable distribution proceedings before the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit.
Timesharing and Parental Responsibility in Broward County
Florida law governs parental responsibility and timesharing through a mandatory Parenting Plan under Fla. Stat. § 61.13. Florida does not use the terms “custody” or “visitation.” Effective July 1, 2023, Florida law established a rebuttable presumption that equal timesharing is in the best interests of the minor child under Fla. Stat. § 61.13(2)(c)(1). Either party may rebut this presumption through competent evidence that equal timesharing is not appropriate based on the twenty statutory best interests factors set forth in Fla. Stat. § 61.13(3).
Broward County timesharing proceedings frequently involve practical considerations specific to the county’s geography and demographics, including the logistics of Broward County Public Schools school zoning when parents reside in different parts of the county, cross-county timesharing arrangements where one parent resides in Broward and the other resides in Miami-Dade, and parental relocation proceedings under Fla. Stat. § 61.13001 where a parent seeks to move more than fifty miles from the principal residence. For more information visit our Miami child custody attorney page.
Alimony in Broward County Divorces
Florida’s alimony statute was significantly amended effective July 1, 2023, eliminating permanent alimony and restructuring the available forms of spousal support for all petitions filed on or after that date. Under the amended Fla. Stat. § 61.08, Florida courts may award bridge-the-gap alimony, rehabilitative alimony, or durational alimony based on the requesting party’s need and the other party’s ability to pay. Durational alimony in a short-term marriage of under seven years may not exceed fifty percent of the length of the marriage, durational alimony in a moderate-term marriage of seven to seventeen years may not exceed sixty percent of the length of the marriage, and durational alimony in a long-term marriage of seventeen years or more may not exceed seventy-five percent of the length of the marriage. The firm represents both payors and recipients of alimony throughout Broward County in negotiation, mediation, and contested litigation before the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. For more information visit our Miami alimony attorney page.
Child Support in Broward County
Child support in Florida is calculated under the Income Shares guidelines established by Fla. Stat. § 61.29 and Fla. Stat. § 61.30. The guidelines use both parents’ combined monthly net income and the timesharing schedule to determine a presumptive support obligation, which is then allocated between the parents in proportion to their respective net incomes. Health insurance costs and childcare expenses attributable to employment are added to the basic guideline amount. Child support orders entered by the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit may be modified upon a showing of a substantial change in circumstances under Fla. Stat. § 61.30(1)(b), including a significant change in either parent’s income or a modification of the timesharing schedule. For more information visit our Miami child support attorney page.
Paternity in Broward County
In Florida, paternity must be legally established before an unmarried father has any enforceable rights regarding timesharing or parental responsibility. Paternity may be established voluntarily through a signed acknowledgment of paternity under Fla. Stat. § 742.10 or by court order following genetic testing under Fla. Stat. § 742.12. Until paternity is legally established, a father has no enforceable right to timesharing or parental responsibility, and a mother has no legal basis to compel the father to pay child support through the courts. The firm represents both mothers and fathers in Broward County paternity proceedings before the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. For more information visit our Miami paternity attorney page.
Prenuptial Agreements in Broward County
Florida prenuptial agreements are governed by the Florida Premarital Agreement Act, Fla. Stat. § 61.079, which establishes the enforceability requirements, permissible subject matter, and grounds on which a prenuptial agreement may be challenged in a dissolution proceeding. A valid Florida prenuptial agreement may address the characterization and disposition of property, the modification or elimination of alimony rights, and any other matter not in violation of public policy. The firm drafts and reviews prenuptial and postnuptial agreements for Broward County clients, with particular attention to ensuring that every agreement satisfies the statutory requirements under Florida law. For more information visit our Miami prenuptial agreement attorney page.
Communities We Serve Throughout Broward County
The firm represents clients in divorce and family law matters throughout Broward County, including Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Weston, Davie, Cooper City, Coral Springs, Pompano Beach, Plantation, Sunrise, Lauderhill, Deerfield Beach, Tamarac, Dania Beach, and the surrounding Broward County communities.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a Broward County Divorce Attorney
If you are facing a divorce or family law matter in Broward 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 before the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court in Broward County. Our office is located at 1221 Brickell Avenue, Suite 900, Miami, Florida 33131. Call us at +1 (786) 309-8588 or use the button below to schedule online.
Where are Broward County family law cases filed?
Family law cases in Broward County are filed in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court, located at the Broward County Courthouse, 201 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301. All dissolution of marriage petitions, paternity actions, and post-judgment modification and enforcement proceedings affecting parties residing in Broward County are heard by the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Family Division judges. At least one party must have been a Florida resident for a minimum of six months prior to filing under Fla. Stat. § 61.021.
How long does a divorce take in Broward County?
An uncontested divorce in Broward County where all issues are resolved prior to filing can be finalized in as little as four to six weeks after the petition is filed. A contested divorce involving disputed property, alimony, or timesharing typically takes between six months and two years depending on the complexity of the issues and whether the matter proceeds to trial before the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. Mediation is required in most contested Broward County family law cases before the matter can be set for trial.
Does Florida favor equal timesharing in Broward County cases?
Yes. Effective July 1, 2023, Florida law establishes a rebuttable presumption that equal timesharing is in the best interests of the minor child under Fla. Stat. § 61.13. Either party may present competent evidence to rebut this presumption based on the statutory best interests factors. In Broward County cases where parents reside in different parts of the county or in different counties, school zoning, transportation logistics, and geographic distance between residences are important practical considerations in parenting plan negotiations before the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit.
Was permanent alimony eliminated in Florida?
Yes. The 2023 amendments to Fla. Stat. § 61.08, effective for all petitions filed on or after July 1, 2023, eliminated permanent alimony in Florida. Courts may now award bridge-the-gap alimony, rehabilitative alimony, or durational alimony subject to caps tied to the length of the marriage. If your Broward County case involves alimony, whether you are seeking it or defending against a claim, the 2023 reform has important implications that require careful legal analysis.
How is property divided in a Broward County divorce?
Florida divides marital property under the equitable distribution framework of Fla. Stat. § 61.075, beginning with a presumption of equal division that may be adjusted based on the statutory factors. In Broward County, equitable distribution frequently involves the family home, retirement accounts, business interests, and in coastal communities, marine assets. Nonmarital assets acquired before the marriage or received as gifts or inheritances and kept separate are generally not subject to equitable distribution.
Can a Miami attorney represent me in Broward County court?
Yes. Florida attorneys are licensed statewide and may practice in any Florida circuit court. The Law Firm of Jeffrey Alan Aenlle, PLLC regularly represents clients before the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court in Broward County. The firm’s Brickell office at 1221 Brickell Avenue, Suite 900, Miami, Florida 33131 is located directly on the Miami-Dade and Broward County border, making it conveniently accessible for clients throughout southern and central Broward County.
Do I need a Broward County family law attorney?
Florida does not require you to have an attorney in a family law proceeding, but the financial and personal consequences of dissolution of marriage, alimony, timesharing, and child support determinations are significant and lasting. An experienced Broward County family law attorney ensures that your rights are protected throughout the proceeding, that all required disclosures and filings are completed correctly and on time, and that the outcome accurately reflects your legal rights and financial interests before the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Family Division.