The following article will provide a brief overview of the child custody laws in Florida. First of all, so you know where this information is coming from, I am a family law attorney in Florida (Sarasota County to be exact), and I regularly help clients navigate difficult issues in divorce – including child custody and support issues as well.

So this article is written by an attorney, and is designed to discuss the relevant law. However, please keep in mind that this is a general overview, not legal advice.

A Shift in Perspective

To start out, it is important to know Florida has abolished traditional child custody law in favor of flexible parenting plans. This is in effort to get parent’s away from the mentality that divorce with children is all about Continue reading →

Dan Policastro

Dan Policastro is an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Florida. Dan represents individuals and businesses in Divorce and Family law, Commercial and Business Litigation, Real Estate Litigation, Corporate law, and Intellectual Property Law matters from his office in Venice, Florida. Learn more about Dan by reading his about page.

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Child support is a major issue when when filing for divorce with dependent minor children. Much like determining alimony and dividing the marital property, determining child support can be highly contentious and even overwhelming for those who have made the decision to file for divorce. Thankfully, child support is pretty formulaic – there isn’t as much room for the back and forth argument that you often find in other family law issues, because the awards for child support are largely controlled by your net income and Federal guidelines.

The purpose of this article is to give you a basic overview of how child support works in Florida. I am a family law attorney who practices in Sarasota County, so the information provided here will be especially relevant to residents of Sarasota County. We fall into the jurisdiction of the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of the State of Florida.

First of all, it’s important to explain Continue reading →

Dan Policastro

Dan Policastro is an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Florida. Dan represents individuals and businesses in Divorce and Family law, Commercial and Business Litigation, Real Estate Litigation, Corporate law, and Intellectual Property Law matters from his office in Venice, Florida. Learn more about Dan by reading his about page.

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Much like the division of property upon a divorce, alimony is often a huge concern when filing for divorce in Florida.

Alimony, which is also known as “maintenance” or “spousal support” was at one point only awarded to the wife. This was based on the traditional common law role of the husband, which created a lifetime obligation for the husband to provide for the wife. Modern Florida statutes have abolished those antiquated common law rules, and the Supreme Court has ruled that states may not assign marital rights based on gender. So in today’s world alimony can just as easily be awarded to a husband as it can to a wife.

The modern rules of alimony in the state of Florida are governed Continue reading →

Dan Policastro

Dan Policastro is an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Florida. Dan represents individuals and businesses in Divorce and Family law, Commercial and Business Litigation, Real Estate Litigation, Corporate law, and Intellectual Property Law matters from his office in Venice, Florida. Learn more about Dan by reading his about page.

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