Coral Gables Divorce Attorney
The Law Firm of Jeffrey Alan Aenlle, PLLC represents clients in divorce and family law matters in Coral Gables, Florida. Located minutes away in Brickell at 1221 Brickell Avenue, Suite 900, Miami, Florida 33131, the firm handles the full range of family law proceedings for Coral Gables residents in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court in Miami-Dade County.
Family Law Representation in Coral Gables
Coral Gables is one of Miami-Dade County’s most established and affluent communities, home to a high concentration of professionals, business owners, and executives. Family law matters involving Coral Gables residents frequently include complex equitable distribution issues, high-income alimony disputes, business valuation, and the division of significant premarital and marital assets. The Law Firm of Jeffrey Alan Aenlle, PLLC has the experience to handle the full complexity of these matters under Florida law.
The firm represents Coral Gables clients in dissolution of marriage, contested and uncontested divorce, alimony, child support, timesharing and parental responsibility, paternity, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, equitable distribution, parental relocation, and modification of existing court orders.
Where Coral Gables Family Law Cases Are Heard
Family law cases for Coral Gables residents are filed and heard in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court, Miami-Dade County. The primary courthouse for family law matters is the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center, located at 175 NW 1st Avenue, Miami, Florida 33128. The family law division handles all proceedings related to dissolution of marriage, timesharing, child support, alimony, and paternity for Miami-Dade County residents, including those residing in Coral Gables.
Divorce in Coral Gables, Florida
Florida is a no-fault divorce state. Under Fla. Stat. § 61.052, the only ground required to obtain a dissolution of marriage in Florida is that the marriage is irretrievably broken. Neither party is required to prove fault, adultery, or wrongdoing to obtain a divorce. Either spouse may file for divorce in Miami-Dade County provided that one of the parties has been a resident of Florida for at least six months prior to filing, as required by Fla. Stat. § 61.021.
For Coral Gables residents, divorce proceedings frequently involve the equitable distribution of substantial marital estates, including real property, investment accounts, retirement assets, business interests, and deferred compensation. Florida law requires the court to begin with the premise that the distribution of marital assets and liabilities should be equal, unless there is a justification for an unequal distribution based on the factors set forth in Fla. Stat. § 61.075.
Equitable Distribution of Marital Assets in Coral Gables Divorces
Florida is an equitable distribution state, which is often misread as meaning a judge divides property however seems fair. The statute is more structured than that. Under Fla. Stat. § 61.075 the court must begin with the premise that the distribution should be equal, and it may depart from an equal split only where the relevant statutory factors justify it.
That default matters in practice. In a contested case, a court that distributes marital assets unequally has to make specific written findings of fact, supported by competent substantial evidence and tied to the statutory factors. A judge cannot simply announce a lopsided result.
The other threshold question is what counts as marital in the first place. The statute fixes the cut-off as the earliest of the date the parties enter a valid separation agreement, any other date expressly set by that agreement, or the date the petition for dissolution is filed. Assets acquired after that date are generally outside the marital estate, which is why the timing of a filing is a strategic decision rather than a clerical one.
In Coral Gables the assets in dispute are frequently illiquid rather than cash: a residence with substantial appreciation, an interest in a family business, a professional practice, deferred compensation, or investment property. Each of those has to be classified, valued, and then distributed, and disagreement usually arises at the valuation step rather than the classification step.
Valuing a Professional Practice or Closely Held Business
Coral Gables has an unusually high concentration of physicians, dentists, lawyers, architects, and owners of closely held companies. When one spouse owns a practice or a business, the hardest question in the case is usually not who keeps it. It is what it is worth.
Goodwill is the contested piece
A practice is worth more than its equipment, receivables, and lease. The excess is goodwill, and whether that goodwill is a divisible marital asset is a question Florida answered in Thompson v. Thompson, 576 So. 2d 267 (Fla. 1991). The Florida Supreme Court defined goodwill as the value of a practice exceeding its tangible assets, reflecting the tendency of clients to return to and recommend the practice irrespective of the reputation of the individual practitioner. Goodwill meeting that definition is a marital asset.
Why the distinction decides real money
The qualifier is the whole case. Value that exists only because of the individual professional, their personal reputation, skill, and continued presence, is not what the Court described as a divisible asset. Value that would survive a sale of the practice to someone else is. A dental practice with a long-established patient roster, staff, and location may carry substantial transferable goodwill. A solo consulting practice built entirely on one person’s name may carry almost none, even with high earnings.
It is decided as a fact, not a formula
The Supreme Court held that the existence and value of goodwill are questions of fact to be determined case by case with the assistance of expert testimony. There is no statutory multiplier and no presumption. In practice that means a business valuation expert, a review of the practice’s financial records, and often competing expert opinions, with the outcome turning on which valuation the trial court finds better supported.
Alimony in Coral Gables Divorce Cases
Alimony is frequently at issue in Coral Gables divorce cases given the income levels and lifestyle considerations common to the area. Under the 2023 amendments to Fla. Stat. § 61.08, Florida courts may award durational alimony, rehabilitative alimony, or bridge-the-gap alimony depending on the length of the marriage and the circumstances of the parties. Permanent alimony was eliminated by the 2023 amendments for all petitions filed on or after July 1, 2023.
The court considers multiple factors in determining whether alimony is appropriate, including the standard of living established during the marriage, the duration of the marriage, the financial resources of each party, the earning capacity of each party, and contributions to the marriage including homemaking and career sacrifices. For long-duration marriages involving significant income disparity, alimony is often one of the most contested issues in the dissolution proceeding.
Timesharing and Parental Responsibility in Coral Gables
When minor children are involved in a Coral Gables divorce or paternity matter, the court will establish a parenting plan governing timesharing and parental responsibility under Fla. Stat. § 61.13. Florida law no longer uses the terms “custody” or “visitation.” Instead, the parenting plan addresses the time-sharing schedule and the allocation of decision-making authority for major decisions affecting the child, including education, healthcare, and religious upbringing.
Effective July 1, 2023, Florida law establishes a rebuttable presumption that equal timesharing is in the best interests of the child. Either party may rebut this presumption by presenting evidence that equal timesharing is not in the child’s best interests based on the statutory factors in Fla. Stat. § 61.13(3).
Child Support in Coral Gables Divorce and Paternity Cases
Florida calculates child support under an 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 figure is apportioned between the parents by income share and adjusted for health insurance, uncovered medical costs, and work-related child care. The number of overnights in the parenting plan feeds directly into the calculation.
Coral Gables cases regularly involve facts the guidelines schedule does not resolve on its own: combined income above the top of the schedule, compensation that is not a salary, or a business owner whose reported income and actual cash flow diverge. Each of those requires the court to determine net income before the guidelines can be applied, and any departure from the guidelines figure has to be supported by written findings.
Paternity in Coral Gables
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 practical consequence is frequently misunderstood. Until a court enters an order, an unmarried father has no enforceable right to timesharing or to share in major decisions, and the mother has no enforceable claim for support. Being named on the birth certificate is not a judicial determination of paternity and does not by itself create timesharing rights. The same proceeding that establishes paternity can also set a parenting plan, a timesharing schedule, and a support obligation.
Prenuptial Agreements for Coral Gables Residents
Many Coral Gables residents seek prenuptial or postnuptial agreements to protect significant premarital assets, business interests, or family wealth. Under Fla. Stat. § 61.079, a properly executed premarital agreement can address property rights, alimony, and asset division in the event of divorce or death. The Law Firm of Jeffrey Alan Aenlle, PLLC drafts and reviews prenuptial and postnuptial agreements for Coral Gables clients and advises on enforceability under Florida law.
Frequently Asked Questions: Coral Gables Divorce Attorney
Where is my divorce case filed if I live in Coral Gables?
Coral Gables is in Miami-Dade County, so the case is filed in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. The primary family courthouse is the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center at 175 NW First Avenue, Miami, Florida 33128.
Is my spouse entitled to half of everything?
Not automatically, but 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 that divides marital assets unequally in a contested case has to make specific written findings tied to the statutory factors.
Is my professional practice a marital asset?
The practice itself generally is, to the extent it was built during the marriage. The harder question is goodwill. Under Thompson v. Thompson, 576 So. 2d 267 (Fla. 1991), goodwill is divisible where it reflects the tendency of clients to return to the practice irrespective of the individual practitioner’s reputation. Value tied to one person’s reputation and continued presence is treated differently.
How is a closely held business valued in a Florida divorce?
As a question of fact, with expert testimony. There is no statutory formula. In contested cases each side typically retains a valuation expert, and the trial court decides which valuation is better supported by the evidence.
What date determines whether an asset is marital?
The earliest of the date the parties enter a valid separation agreement, another date expressly set in that agreement, or the date the petition for dissolution is filed. That is why filing timing can matter to the size of the marital estate.
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.
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.
Serving Coral Gables and Surrounding Communities
In addition to Coral Gables, the firm represents clients from Brickell, Coconut Grove, Key Biscayne, South Miami, Pinecrest, and other Miami-Dade County communities. For a complete overview of the firm’s Miami-Dade service area, visit our Miami-Dade County family law page.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a Coral Gables Divorce Attorney
If you are facing a divorce or family law matter in Coral Gables, 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.