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Pazos Law Group South Florida Divorce & Family Law

Boca Raton Divorce Lawyer & Family Law Attorney

Quick Answer

How long does a divorce take in Boca Raton, Florida?

The statutory minimum is 20 days. Fla. Stat. § 61.19 bars entry of a final judgment of dissolution — absent a showing of injustice — until at least 20 days have passed from the filing of the original petition, and § 61.021 conditions filing on the fact that “one of the parties to the marriage must reside 6 months in the state before the filing of the petition.” In practice an agreed Boca Raton dissolution is entered about four to eight weeks after filing. A contested case in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit ordinarily takes eight months to eighteen months, driven by discovery, valuation under § 61.075(7), and the court’s trial calendar.

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By Nadia Pazos, Family Law Attorney, Pazos Law Group · Updated

Boca Raton is one of Palm Beach County's most affluent cities, with a substantial international community, executive professionals, and complex marital estates. Pazos Law Group represents Boca Raton clients in divorce, high-net-worth divorce, and complex family law matters.

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How long does a divorce take in Boca Raton, Florida?

Twenty days, minimum. Fla. Stat. § 61.19 states that no final judgment of dissolution may be entered until at least 20 days have elapsed from the filing of the original petition, and the court may shorten that only on a showing of injustice. The 6-month residency condition in § 61.021 must already be satisfied on the filing date.

A Boca Raton dissolution in which both spouses sign a settlement agreement generally reaches final judgment four to eight weeks after filing. Add a disputed § 61.08 claim, a § 61.13 parenting plan, or closely held companies and country-club-community homes that has to be appraised, and the realistic window in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit widens to eight to eighteen months.

How much does a divorce cost in Boca Raton, Florida?

The Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller publishes the current dissolution of marriage filing fee and related charges on its own fee schedule rather than in the statutes; check the clerk’s filing fee schedule before you budget, because the clerk revises it.

Everything after the filing fee depends on conflict, and every figure below varies by complexity. In Boca Raton, uncontested flat fees commonly run $1,000–$2,500 with no minor children and $1,500–$3,500 with them; contested cases typically start at a $5,000–$15,000 retainer billed hourly, with the unused balance refundable.

Fla. Stat. § 61.16 gives the court authority to order one party to pay the other’s attorney’s fees and suit money, guided by need, ability to pay, and the factors set out in Rosen v. Rosen. Reaching agreement at mediation under § 44.102 is normally the single largest cost saving available in a Boca Raton case.

Where do I file for divorce in Palm Beach County, Florida?

Boca Raton cases are filed with the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller and assigned to the Family Division of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit (15th) at the Palm Beach County Courthouse, 205 N. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. The South County Courthouse at 200 W Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, is geographically closer for most Boca Raton residents. Petitions are submitted through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, and the clerk collects the filing fee at that point.

Residency is jurisdictional. Fla. Stat. § 61.021 requires that one of the parties to the marriage reside 6 months in the state before the filing of the petition, and § 61.052(2) requires that fact be corroborated. Venue lies in the county of the parties’ last joint residence or the respondent’s county. Once the case is open, § 61.19 prevents entry of a final judgment for at least 20 days, absent a showing that the delay would cause injustice.

Who can file in Boca Raton under Fla. Stat. § 61.021?

One spouse, six months, before filing. That is the whole of Fla. Stat. § 61.021: “one of the parties to the marriage must reside 6 months in the state before the filing of the petition.” Neither spouse needs to have lived in Boca Raton specifically, and neither needs to be a US citizen — the statute asks about residence in Florida. Proof is required under § 61.052(2), typically a Florida driver license or voter registration predating the filing by more than six months, or corroborating testimony. Without it the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit cannot enter a judgment at all.

How is property divided under Fla. Stat. § 61.075?

Florida is an equitable distribution state, not a community property state. Fla. Stat. § 61.075(1) directs that the court “must begin with the premise that the distribution should be equal,” unless there is a justification for an unequal distribution based on the statutory factors. In a Boca Raton case that premise runs into closely held companies and country-club-community homes, which is why classification comes before division.

Section § 61.075(6)(b) defines nonmarital assets — property owned before the marriage, and gifts and inheritances to one spouse alone — and keeps them out of the pot unless they were commingled. Section § 61.075(7) requires the court to set a valuation date, which matters when an asset moves in value during the case. Section § 61.075(6)(a)1.b brings back into the marital estate the enhancement in value of a nonmarital asset that came from marital labor or marital funds.

How are retirement accounts and pensions actually divided?

Fla. Stat. § 61.076 governs the distribution of retirement plans on dissolution, and § 61.075(6)(a)1.e makes vested and nonvested retirement benefits accrued during the marriage marital property. In practice the marital share of a 401(k), IRA, or defined-benefit pension is identified, valued as of the § 61.075(7) date, and transferred by a qualified domestic relations order or equivalent plan-specific instrument. Boca Raton households with long careers and employer plans should expect the QDRO to be drafted and entered as a separate step after the final judgment.

Is time-sharing presumed equal in Florida since July 1, 2023?

Yes — but it is a presumption, not a rule. Effective 1 July 2023, Fla. Stat. § 61.13(2)(c)1. provides that equal time-sharing with a minor child is in the child’s best interests, rebuttable by a preponderance of the evidence. A Boca Raton parent who wants a different schedule must put on evidence under the § 61.13(3) best-interest factors — the child’s school and community history, each parent’s demonstrated capacity to be involved, the division of parental responsibilities before the case, and the rest of the statutory list. Whatever schedule results then feeds directly into the § 61.30 support calculation.

How is child support calculated under Fla. Stat. § 61.30?

Child support in Boca Raton is set by the guidelines in Fla. Stat. § 61.30. The calculation takes both parents’ net incomes, applies the statutory schedule, allocates the result proportionally, and adds health insurance premiums and child care. Deviations beyond 5 percent require written findings.

Section § 61.30(11)(b)8. supplies the threshold that changes the math: a parent exercising at least 20 percent of the annual overnights has a “substantial amount of time” with the child, and the gross-up formula applies. Income is broadly defined and includes bonuses, commissions, and self-employment earnings — relevant wherever closely held companies and country-club-community homes are in play.

Is mediation required before a contested hearing in Boca Raton?

Effectively, yes. Under Fla. Stat. § 44.102 a court may order the parties to mediation, and § 61.183 applies that authority to contested family matters — property, support, and parenting. Before the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit will give a Boca Raton case a contested final hearing, the parties will ordinarily have to certify that mediation was attempted and impassed.

Confidentiality is what makes it work. Fla. Stat. § 44.405 creates a privilege covering mediation communications, with defined statutory exceptions, so a position taken to settle cannot be used as an admission at trial. Anything the parties do sign at mediation is enforceable.

What kinds of alimony can a court award under Fla. Stat. § 61.08?

Since the 2023 amendments, Fla. Stat. § 61.08 recognizes temporary, bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, and durational alimony, and permanent alimony has been eliminated. The court must find need and ability to pay before awarding anything, and must make written findings on the type awarded and why.

Section § 61.08(8) caps durational alimony by reference to the length of the marriage, which gives Boca Raton parties a far more predictable range than the pre-2023 law did. Alimony and equitable distribution under § 61.075 interact: an unequal distribution can reduce or eliminate a support claim, and the two are usually negotiated together.

Statutory citations link to the official text published by the Florida Legislature. General information about Florida family courts is published by the Florida State Courts System. This page is general information about Florida law, not legal advice for your case.

Divorce in Boca Raton: An Overview

Looking for a Boca Raton family law attorney? Pazos Law Group represents Boca Raton families in divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, paternity, and post-judgment modifications. The City of Boca Raton is known for its concentration of executives, business owners, retirees with substantial assets, and an international community. Divorces in Boca Raton frequently involve significant homes, business interests, retirement and investment portfolios, and international elements.

Many Boca Raton residents establish Florida domicile after relocating from higher-tax states — New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois — and these moves often surface in divorce proceedings. Courts examine domicile under Florida’s six-month residency rule (Fla. Stat. § 61.021) and consider where the marital partnership’s economic center actually was during the marriage when classifying property as marital or non-marital under Fla. Stat. § 61.075.

Within Boca Raton, divorces commonly involve residents of communities such as Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, The Sanctuary, Boca West Country Club, St. Andrews Country Club, The Polo Club of Boca Raton, Bocaire Country Club, Old Floresta, Boca Bath & Tennis Club, and the Mizner Park downtown corridor. Property in these communities frequently raises issues around country-club membership transferability, deed restrictions, and HOA cooperation in disclosure that a Florida family law attorney must navigate.

Why Local Experience Matters

Boca Raton cases regularly call for sophisticated handling of business valuation, international asset disclosure, retirement account division, and privacy strategies for high-profile clients. Pazos Law Group routinely works with forensic accountants, certified business valuators, and tax counsel where the marital estate involves a closely held business, equity compensation (RSUs, ISOs, deferred comp), real estate beyond Florida, or trust interests.

Privacy is a frequent concern for Boca Raton clients whose names are recognized locally or regionally. Florida divorce filings are public records under Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420 unless a specific exception applies, but the financial affidavit and certain attached schedules can be sealed under § 2.420 with proper motion practice. Strategic use of mediation under Fla. Stat. § 44.405 also keeps the most sensitive disclosures out of public dockets.

Family Law Services for Boca Raton Residents

Pazos Law Group represents Boca Raton clients in the full range of family law matters:

Where Your Case Is Heard

Boca Raton divorces are heard in the 15th Judicial Circuit of Florida, Family Division. The main courthouse for Palm Beach County is at 205 N Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, with a South County Courthouse at 200 W Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, which is geographically closer for most Boca Raton residents. Many Boca Raton family law matters — including dissolution petitions, parenting plan modifications under Fla. Stat. § 61.13, and post-judgment alimony enforcement — can be filed and heard at the South County Courthouse.

Initial case management conferences and uncontested final hearings are commonly assigned to general magistrates under Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.490. Magistrate reports are subject to exception within 10 days (Rule 12.490(f)). For contested high-asset cases, judges in the family division apply the Palm Beach County local procedures alongside Florida statewide rules.

About Pazos Law Group

Pazos Law Group is a South Florida family law firm founded by Nadia Pazos, who has practiced since 2005 and is licensed in both Florida and New York. Nadia holds the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell — Martindale-Hubbell’s highest rating — and by Avvo Clients’ Choice. The firm serves clients in English and Spanish throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

Specific Considerations for Boca Raton Divorces

Closely-held businesses and professional practices

Boca Raton has a high concentration of entrepreneurs, medical and dental practice owners, financial advisors, and family-office professionals. When a spouse owns a closely held interest, Florida courts apply Fla. Stat. § 61.075 to classify the business as marital, non-marital, or mixed. Valuation typically requires a qualified business appraiser using one or more of the income, market, or asset approaches consistent with the AICPA SSVS No. 1 standards. Goodwill is divided into personal (non-marital) and enterprise (marital) components under Thompson v. Thompson, 576 So. 2d 267 (Fla. 1991).

Equity compensation and deferred compensation

Executives based in Boca Raton or commuting to South Florida corporate offices often hold restricted stock units (RSUs), incentive stock options (ISOs), non-qualified stock options (NSOs), and deferred-comp plans. The marital portion is generally calculated using a time-rule fraction (Jensen v. Jensen, 824 So. 2d 315 (Fla. 1st DCA 2002), and progeny) based on when the grant was earned relative to the date of marriage and the cut-off date set by the court. Federal tax treatment under IRC §§ 83, 409A, and 422 affects valuation timing and the form of the equitable distribution award.

Trusts and inherited wealth

A significant share of Boca Raton residents hold beneficial interests in revocable trusts, dynasty trusts, or family limited partnerships. Whether a trust interest is reachable in divorce depends on the trust’s structure (revocable vs. irrevocable), the spouse’s level of control, and whether marital funds were contributed. Distributions received during the marriage may be treated as income for alimony purposes under Fla. Stat. § 61.046(8) even where the corpus remains non-marital.

International elements

Boca Raton’s international community — Brazilian, Argentine, Venezuelan, Canadian, Israeli, and European residents are common — produces divorces with foreign assets, dual citizenships, and child custody questions across borders. The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (1980) governs cross-border parenting disputes between signatory countries. FBAR and FATCA disclosures may apply to foreign accounts, and enforcement of property orders against foreign real estate generally requires coordinated foreign counsel.

Pre- and post-nuptial enforcement

Florida has adopted the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act (Fla. Stat. ch. 61, pt. III), and the appellate courts have routinely enforced properly executed pre- and post-nuptial agreements with full disclosure. Challenges typically focus on procurement (duress, lack of disclosure) or unconscionability at execution under Casto v. Casto, 508 So. 2d 330 (Fla. 1987). Boca Raton clients entering second or later marriages frequently rely on these instruments to define the disposition of pre-marital wealth.

Faster, lower-cost options in Boca Raton: if you and your spouse agree on the major issues, an uncontested divorce or a predictable flat-fee divorce is usually the fastest, least expensive path for Boca Raton families.

What Our Clients Say

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“Nadia and her team were a pleasure to work with, especially during tough times. They managed to navigate some sticky situations with creativity and delivered the best results I could have hoped for. I highly recommend Pazos Law Group.”

— Brian Coolidge, Google Review
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“My divorce was really complex and as soon as I met Nadia and I explained my case, I knew that I had to go with her, not only because she is very professional but also because she has an excellent team.”

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Reviews reflect the experiences of individual clients. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are Boca Raton divorce cases heard?

Boca Raton and all Palm Beach County divorce cases are heard in the 15th Judicial Circuit of Florida at the Palm Beach County Courthouse, 205 N Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach.

How are international assets handled in a Boca Raton divorce?

International assets must be disclosed in the financial affidavit and may be subject to division if marital. Beyond Florida's framework, US tax disclosures (FBAR, FATCA) may apply, and enforcement of orders against foreign property may require coordinated counsel abroad.

What if I am retired and worried about losing my retirement?

Florida's equitable distribution divides only the marital portion of retirement accounts. Pre-marital balances are typically non-marital. Fla. Stat. § 61.08 also requires the court to consider each party's financial resources, including retirement assets, when determining alimony.

Can a Boca Raton divorce be filed at the South County Courthouse in Delray Beach?

Yes. The Palm Beach County 15th Judicial Circuit maintains a South County Courthouse at 200 W Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, which handles family law matters including dissolution petitions, modifications, and contempt proceedings. This is geographically closer for most Boca Raton residents than the main courthouse in West Palm Beach.

How is a closely held business valued in a Boca Raton divorce?

Closely held businesses are valued by a qualified business appraiser using one or more of the income, market, or asset approaches consistent with AICPA SSVS No. 1. Florida law distinguishes personal goodwill (non-marital) from enterprise goodwill (marital) under Thompson v. Thompson, 576 So. 2d 267 (Fla. 1991). The valuation date is set by the court, typically the date of filing or the date of trial.

Are prenuptial agreements enforceable in Boca Raton?

Yes. Florida has adopted the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act (Fla. Stat. ch. 61, pt. III). Properly drafted prenuptial agreements with full financial disclosure are routinely enforced by the 15th Judicial Circuit. Challenges typically focus on procurement (duress, fraud, lack of disclosure) or unconscionability at execution, per Casto v. Casto, 508 So. 2d 330 (Fla. 1987).

Will my Boca Raton divorce be on the public record?

Florida divorce filings are public records under Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420 unless an exception applies. Financial affidavits and specific attachments can be sealed by motion when statutory criteria are met. Resolving disputes in mediation under Fla. Stat. § 44.405 generally keeps sensitive financial detail out of the public docket.

Do you handle complex, high-asset divorces in Boca Raton?

Yes. Many Boca Raton divorces involve complex asset division — closely held businesses and professional practices, executive and deferred compensation, restricted stock, trusts and inherited wealth, and country-club or oceanfront real estate. These cases often need business valuation, forensic accounting, and careful marital/non-marital tracing under Fla. Stat. § 61.075. See our high-net-worth divorce practice for how complex Boca Raton estates are valued and divided.

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Also Serving Palm Beach County

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Divorce in Boca Raton: Affluent Communities & Executive Wealth

Boca Raton combines gated country-club communities, oceanfront and intracoastal homes, and a substantial population of executives, professionals, and affluent retirees. Marital estates frequently include a high-value home, executive compensation (bonuses, restricted stock, deferred comp), retirement portfolios, and sometimes a business interest — all of which require careful classification and, often, forensic analysis for both equitable distribution and alimony. Many Boca marriages are long-term, putting the 2023 alimony duration limits squarely in play, and retirement-related modification issues are common. Privacy-minded clients often favor mediation. Boca Raton cases are filed in the 15th Judicial Circuit (Palm Beach County), at the Main Courthouse in West Palm Beach.

Speak with a Boca Raton Family Law Attorney

Pazos Law Group offers confidential consultations for Boca Raton clients in divorce, child custody, and complex family law matters.

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The information on this page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading or sharing this content does not create an attorney-client relationship with Pazos Law Group. Florida law and the application of statutes change over time; please consult a licensed Florida attorney about your specific situation.