Divorce Mediation in Davie, Florida
Quick Answer
How much does divorce mediation cost in Davie?
Broward mediators generally charge $200–$500 hourly, split between spouses; a case resolved in one or two sessions often totals $2,500–$5,000 — well below the cost of a contested trial.
And is it confidential? Yes. Fla. Stat. § 44.405(1) provides that “[e]xcept as provided in this section, all mediation communications shall be confidential,” with narrow exceptions in § 44.405(4)(a) — chiefly the signed written agreement itself.
What you actually pay varies by mediator and complexity; treat these as general ranges rather than a quoted fee.
Most Davie divorces settle — and mediation is how. Instead of a public trial, you and your spouse work toward an agreement with a neutral mediator, usually for a fraction of the cost and time. Pazos Law Group represents Davie clients in family mediation under Fla. Stat. § 61.183.
Davie Divorce Mediation at a Glance
- Governing law: Fla. Stat. § 61.183 & § 44.102 (court-ordered mediation)
- County: Broward County · 17th Judicial Circuit
- Typical mediator fee: $200–$500/hour, usually split · varies by mediator and complexity
- Resolves: property, alimony, time-sharing, child support
- Outcome: a consent order the judge approves
What Divorce Mediation Is
Divorce mediation is a private, structured conversation in which a neutral, experienced family mediator helps you and your spouse negotiate the terms of your own divorce. The mediator has no authority to impose a result — every decision stays with the two of you. Once you agree, the mediator drafts a marital settlement agreement that is submitted to the court as a consent order, allowing a Broward judge to finalize the divorce without a contested trial.
Florida law leans heavily on this process. Fla. Stat. § 61.183 and § 44.102 give judges in the 17th Judicial Circuit authority to send contested financial and parenting disputes to mediation before any trial date is set — and most Davie couples reach the table long before a judge ever orders it, simply because settling is quicker, quieter, and cheaper than fighting.
What Mediation Can Resolve
Nearly anything a judge could decide in a Davie divorce can instead be settled at the mediation table, including the four issues at the heart of most Florida cases:
- Dividing property and debt under Fla. Stat. § 61.075 — from the marital home and retirement accounts to acreage, agricultural equipment, and the horses and equine interests common in Davie’s ranch neighborhoods. Our Marital Asset Division Calculator gives a starting estimate.
- Spousal support under the 2023 alimony overhaul at § 61.08, which reshaped how type and duration are set; the Alimony Calculator helps you model it.
- Time-sharing and the parenting plan under § 61.13 — the schedule, holidays, and decision-making for your children.
- Child support calculated under the statutory guidelines in § 61.30; run your numbers on the Child Support Calculator.
Who Can Hear What You Say in Mediation Under § 44.405 and § 61.183(3)?
Fla. Stat. § 44.405 answers both halves of the question, because the section is called Confidentiality; privilege; exceptions. The rule comes first: subsection (1) provides that all mediation communications are confidential except as the section provides.
“Except as provided in this section, all mediation communications shall be confidential.” — Fla. Stat. § 44.405(1)
Then come the carve-outs in § 44.405(4)(a). A signed written agreement reached during mediation is not confidential and not privileged unless the parties agree otherwise. Nor is a communication that was willfully used to plan a crime, commit or attempt one, conceal ongoing criminal activity or threaten violence; that requires a mandatory report under chapter 39 or chapter 415; that is offered to prove professional malpractice during the mediation; that is offered to establish or refute grounds for voiding a settlement; or that is offered to prove professional misconduct during the mediation.
“there is no confidentiality or privilege attached to a signed written agreement reached during a mediation, unless the parties agree otherwise” — Fla. Stat. § 44.405(4)(a)
Two practical points for Davie negotiations. Under § 44.405(5) a bank statement does not become privileged because you handed it across the table, and under § 44.405(6) a party who talks about a privileged communication waives the privilege to the extent needed for the other party to respond.
“A party that discloses or makes a representation about a privileged mediation communication waives that privilege, but only to the extent necessary for the other party to respond to the disclosure or representation.” — Fla. Stat. § 44.405(6)
Does the 17th Judicial Circuit Order Divorce Mediation Under § 44.102 and § 61.183?
Whether a Davie case is ordered to mediation depends on which door the judge uses. Under Fla. Stat. § 61.183(1) the court may refer contested parental responsibility, primary residence, access, visitation or support issues in a dissolution proceeding. Under § 44.102(2)(c) the court shall refer custody, visitation and parental-responsibility issues where the circuit operates a family mediation program and the court finds a dispute — which describes the 17th Judicial Circuit.
“In circuits in which a family mediation program has been established and upon a court finding of a dispute, shall refer to mediation all or part of custody, visitation, or other parental responsibility issues as defined in s. 61.13.” — Fla. Stat. § 44.102(2)(c)
Most Broward County dissolutions therefore reach a mediator before they reach a trial date. Voluntary pre-suit mediation is also available and is common among Davie couples who would rather negotiate the numbers before a petition is on the public docket.
The statutory exception matters: on motion of a party the court shall not refer a case where it finds a history of domestic violence that would compromise the mediation process.
“Upon motion or request of a party, a court shall not refer any case to mediation if it finds there has been a history of domestic violence that would compromise the mediation process.” — Fla. Stat. § 44.102(2)(c)
How Many Sessions — and How Fast Is the Judgment Under § 61.19?
Faster than most people expect, and the constraint is statutory rather than practical. Once a signed agreement exists, Fla. Stat. § 61.19 allows entry of the final judgment as soon as 20 days have passed from the filing of the original petition — and even earlier if the court finds that the delay would work an injustice.
“No final judgment of dissolution of marriage may be entered until at least 20 days have elapsed from the date of filing the original petition for dissolution of marriage.” — Fla. Stat. § 61.19
Two other timing rules apply before that. § 61.021 requires six months of Florida residence by one party before filing, and § 61.052 makes the marriage’s irretrievable breakdown a sufficient ground, so no waiting period for fault or separation is added.
The session itself is normally a half day to a full day for a Davie couple. What extends the calendar is preparation — complete financial affidavits, a business valuation, a pension statement under § 61.076 — not the mediation.
If We Reach Impasse in Davie, What Does § 44.102(5)(a) Say Next?
Impasse is a normal outcome, not a catastrophe. When no agreement is reached the mediator reports that bare fact to the court — and nothing more, because the substance stays confidential under Fla. Stat. § 44.405(1). The case simply returns to the litigation track it was already on.
“An impasse has been declared by the mediator; or … The mediator has reported to the court that no agreement was reached.” — Fla. Stat. § 44.102(5)(a)
Partial agreement is common and useful. Davie couples frequently settle equitable distribution under § 61.075 and the parenting plan under § 61.13 while leaving alimony under § 61.08 for the judge, which narrows the trial to one issue and shortens it.
Whatever the parties do agree can still be reduced to a consent order under § 61.183(2), reviewed by the parties and their attorneys and entered by the court; only the open issues are tried.
Fees can also shift. § 61.16 lets the court order one spouse to contribute to the other’s attorney’s fees, suit money and costs based on need and ability to pay, and under Rosen v. Rosen the court may weigh how the parties have conducted the litigation as well.
Who Pays for the Mediator Under § 61.16 and Rosen v. Rosen?
Yes. A mediated settlement in a Florida family case is a contract when signed and a court order once entered. Fla. Stat. § 61.183(2) sets out the mechanism: the mediator prepares a consent order incorporating the agreement, the parties and their attorneys review it, and the court enters it if approved.
“a consent order incorporating the agreement shall be prepared by the mediator and submitted to the parties and their attorneys for review … Thereafter, the consent order may be enforced in the same manner as any other court order.” — Fla. Stat. § 61.183(2)
That is also why the signed agreement sits outside the confidentiality rule. Under § 44.405(4)(a) there is no confidentiality or privilege attached to a signed written agreement reached during a mediation unless the parties agree otherwise — without that exception the document could not be enforced.
“there is no confidentiality or privilege attached to a signed written agreement reached during a mediation, unless the parties agree otherwise” — Fla. Stat. § 44.405(4)(a)
Setting one aside is difficult. Casto v. Casto, 508 So. 2d 330 (Fla. 1987) allows a marital agreement to be challenged for fraud, duress, deceit, coercion, misrepresentation or overreaching, and § 44.405(4)(a)5. permits mediation communications to be offered for the limited purpose of establishing or refuting such grounds. That is a narrow door, and a Davie spouse should have independent counsel review the terms before signing rather than after.
What Mediation Costs in Davie
In Broward County, private family mediators generally bill $200 to $500 an hour, and that fee is normally shared by the spouses rather than paid by one side. A Davie divorce that comes together in a session or two usually lands between $2,500 and $5,000 in total mediator fees — a small fraction of what a fully litigated case can cost once depositions, experts, and trial preparation are added. Where the estate includes ranch property or equine assets that need appraisal, budget for that appraiser separately. Our Florida Divorce Cost Estimator can help you plan. What you actually pay varies by mediator and complexity; treat these as general ranges rather than a quoted fee.
Why Davie Couples Choose Mediation
Davie couples tend to choose mediation for a handful of practical reasons:
- Speed — a settled case can wrap in weeks rather than the year or more a contested docket can demand.
- Confidentiality — what is said in mediation stays private, unlike testimony in an open courtroom.
- Cost control — you pay for focused negotiating hours instead of months of motions and hearings.
- Ownership of the outcome — you and your spouse write the agreement, which matters when it covers a family business, land, or animals a stranger in a robe would value very differently.
- A calmer co-parenting footing — lower conflict at the outset makes the years of shared parenting that follow easier.
Where Davie Cases Are Mediated
Davie divorce cases are filed in the 17th Judicial Circuit (Broward County), which administers family mediation through the Broward County Courthouse, 201 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale. A court will not order mediation where it finds a history of domestic violence that would compromise the process (Fla. Stat. § 44.102).
Mediating a Divorce in Davie: Local Context
Couples who choose mediation in Davie face the same local realities that shape any divorce here — and understanding them helps you reach a durable agreement at the table rather than litigating in court.
Davie is the only Broward municipality with explicit equestrian zoning, and it has more horse properties — over 2,500 documented equine parcels — than any other South Florida city. Equine assets in divorce raise valuation issues most attorneys never encounter. The horses themselves are personal property under Florida law, but their value depends on bloodlines, competition history, training investment, and breeding potential. USEF (United States Equestrian Federation) registration, microchip records, and discipline-specific appraisers (hunter/jumper, dressage, western, polo) are often required for accurate valuation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does divorce mediation cost in Davie?
Broward mediators generally charge $200–$500 hourly, split between spouses; a case resolved in one or two sessions often totals $2,500–$5,000 — well below the cost of a contested trial. What you actually pay varies by mediator and complexity; treat these as general ranges rather than a quoted fee.
Are horses and ranch property divided in mediation?
Yes. Equine and agricultural assets are marital property if acquired during the marriage. Mediation lets you agree on values and who keeps what — often using an independent equine or land appraiser — instead of leaving those judgment calls to a court.
Will a Broward judge make us mediate?
Often. Under Fla. Stat. § 44.102 and § 61.183, the 17th Judicial Circuit routinely refers contested divorces to mediation before trial, and many Davie couples start the process voluntarily.
Do we each still need our own attorney?
A mediator stays neutral and cannot advise either spouse, so having your own lawyer review the numbers and the final agreement protects you before you sign.
Is divorce mediation confidential in Florida?
Yes, by statute. Fla. Stat. § 44.405(1) provides that “[e]xcept as provided in this section, all mediation communications shall be confidential,” and § 44.405(2) gives each party a privilege to refuse to testify about them. The exceptions in § 44.405(4)(a) are narrow: a signed written agreement is not confidential, and there is no privilege for a communication used to plan or commit a crime or threaten violence, for mandatory chapter 39 or 415 reports, or for proving malpractice or misconduct during the mediation.
Can what I say in mediation be used against me later?
Generally no. Fla. Stat. § 44.405(2) gives a mediation party a privilege to refuse to testify and to prevent others from testifying about mediation communications in a later proceeding. But § 44.405(5) is important: information that was already admissible or discoverable does not become protected merely because it was disclosed or used in mediation. A knowing and willful breach of confidentiality carries civil remedies under § 44.406.
Do we have to be separated before mediating in Davie?
No. Florida has no separation requirement. Fla. Stat. § 61.052 permits dissolution on a finding that the marriage is irretrievably broken, and § 61.021 requires only that one party has resided in Florida for six months before the petition is filed. Couples frequently mediate before a petition is filed at all, then file with a signed agreement and wait out the 20 days required by § 61.19.
Prefer the full overview? See our Florida divorce mediation practice page, our guide comparing mediation vs. going to court, or connect with a Davie divorce attorney.
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