Highland Beach Divorce Attorney

By Nadia Pazos, Family Law Attorney, Pazos Law Group · Updated May 2026

Highland Beach is a small, exclusive oceanfront town nestled between Boca Raton and Delray Beach. Its 3-mile coastline is lined with oceanfront condominiums, mid-century estates, and luxury single-family homes. Divorces in 33487 typically involve luxury real estate, retirement-stage finances, and second-marriage estate planning issues.

Divorce in Highland Beach: An Overview

Highland Beach (ZIP 33487) is a 3-mile-long oceanfront town in southern Palm Beach County with about 4,000 residents. The town consists primarily of oceanfront and Intracoastal condominium buildings, plus a smaller number of single-family estates. Median home values are among the highest in Palm Beach County. Highland Beach is also home to a substantial retirement population. Many residents are in their 60s, 70s, or 80s, with finances dominated by retirement accounts, investment portfolios, social security, and pensions. Second marriages are common, which often raises:

• Prenuptial agreement enforceability questions
• Treatment of inherited and pre-marital assets
• Estate planning coordination — how the divorce affects existing wills, trusts, and beneficiary designations
• Spousal alimony in retirement-stage marriages
• Florida homestead and tax implications of any settlement

Family Law Services for Highland Beach Residents

Pazos Law Group represents clients in Highland Beach across the full spectrum of family law matters that tend to arise in high-asset households:

• High-net-worth divorce — Equitable distribution of complex marital estates, business interests, deferred compensation, retirement accounts, and offshore holdings.
• Business owner divorce — Valuation of closely-held businesses, treatment of partnership interests, and structuring buyouts.
• International divorce coordination — Where parties or assets are outside the United States, including coordination with foreign counsel.
• Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements — Drafting and enforcement under Fla. Stat. § 61.079.
• Child custody and time-sharing — Parenting plans addressing private school placements, international travel, and security.
• Mediation and collaborative divorce — Confidential settlement processes that keep financial details out of public court filings.

Where Your Case Is Heard

15th Judicial Circuit of Florida — Family Division at the Palm Beach County Courthouse, 205 N. Dixie Hwy, West Palm Beach. Mediation is required in nearly all contested cases before a final hearing can be set.

Specific Considerations for Highland Beach Divorces

Quiet oceanfront town between Boca Raton and Delray

The Town of Highland Beach is a small oceanfront municipality sitting on the barrier island between Boca Raton and Delray Beach. It is one of South Florida’s quieter and more residentially oriented affluent enclaves — with a substantial seasonal/winter population, a high concentration of established retirees with significant retirement assets, and a smaller permanent population than its more famous neighbors. Divorces in Highland Beach commonly involve oceanfront condominiums and direct-beach homes, retirement-account allocation through QDROs, second-home/snowbird considerations, family trust interests, and multi-state asset structures.

Within Highland Beach

Divorces commonly involve residents of properties along Ocean Boulevard, the high-rise oceanfront towers (Penthouse Towers, Carlton Highland, the Ambassador, the Plaza), and the canal-front and Intracoastal-side residential corridors. Property values range broadly from established condominium units to nine-figure direct-oceanfront estates.

Florida domicile and seasonal residence

Many Highland Beach residents established Florida domicile after relocating from higher-tax northeastern states — or maintain residences in two or more states (winter in Highland Beach, summer in New York/New Jersey/Connecticut). Fla. Stat. § 61.021 requires six months of Florida residency before filing for dissolution. The timing and substance of domicile establishment matters: Florida courts examine where the marital partnership’s economic center actually was, not just where the parties slept on any given night. Multi-state property allocation under Fla. Stat. § 61.075 requires careful analysis of pre-marital vs. marital acquisition timing.

Retirement-account allocation through QDROs

Highland Beach’s established retiree population commonly involves divorces with substantial retirement-account portfolios accrued over long careers. 401(k), 403(b), and pension plans are divided by Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) under ERISA § 206(d)(3) and IRC § 414(p). IRAs are divided under IRC § 408(d)(6). Many Highland Beach residents also hold rollover IRAs that combine multiple prior-employer plans; tracing the pre-marital vs. marital portions through decades of contributions and rollovers requires careful documentation.

Family trust interests

Highland Beach residents commonly hold beneficial interests in family trusts — both as grantors of trusts established for their own children/grandchildren and as beneficiaries of trusts established by their own parents. The marital-classification analysis depends on whether the spouse is a grantor or beneficiary, the trust’s structure, and whether marital funds were contributed. Florida’s Trust Code is at Fla. Stat. ch. 736.

Palm Beach County Courthouse

Highland Beach family law matters can be heard at the South County Courthouse, 200 W Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach — the closest courthouse for most Highland Beach residents. The main Palm Beach County Courthouse at 205 N Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach handles certain matters and appeals. The 15th Judicial Circuit operates a robust mediation program under Fla. Stat. § 44.404.

Worked Example: Highland Beach Oceanfront-Condo Divorce

Sample case. Both spouses mid-60s, married 18 years (second marriage for both), two adult children from prior marriages. Primary residence: Toscana Tower oceanfront condo on the south end of Highland Beach ($3.9M, paid off in cash from the husband’s 1990 real estate liquidation). Wife brings a non-marital portfolio inherited from her family ($6.2M brokerage in a separate-property trust). The couple signed a 2007 prenuptial agreement preserving each side’s separate property and waiving alimony.

Key issues this fact pattern raises:

• Prenuptial enforcement. Florida applies the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act (Fla. Stat. ch. 61, pt. III) and the procurement standards from Casto v. Casto, 508 So. 2d 330 (Fla. 1987). 2007-era prenups in this demographic typically have full schedules attached and notarized acknowledgments. Enforcement is the likely outcome absent specific challenges to disclosure adequacy or duress at signing.
• Title characterization. The Toscana Tower condo was paid in cash from husband’s pre-marital funds. If maintained in his name and no marital funds touched maintenance, taxes, or capital improvements during the marriage, the entire $3.9M is non-marital under Fla. Stat. § 61.075(6)(b). If marital funds did touch carry costs, an enhanced-value marital component may exist.
• Wife’s inherited portfolio. Inherited property is non-marital. Inheritance kept in a separate-property trust with no commingling typically retains its non-marital character throughout the marriage.
• Alimony waiver. Both parties waived alimony in the prenup. Florida enforces prenuptial alimony waivers absent unconscionability at signing or at enforcement.
• Highland Beach condo specifics. Toscana, Mosaic, Coronado, Beach Walk, and other Highland Beach buildings have HOA estoppel and assessment lien issues that affect transferability mechanics if either party seeks to sell or refinance. The 33487 oceanfront condo insurance market has tightened materially in 2024–2026, which can affect carry-cost analysis.

This is the kind of case where mediation under Fla. Stat. § 44.404 typically resolves cleanly in one or two sessions. The prenup framework limits the disputed issues to title characterization and any minor carry-cost contributions; the substantive economic delta is usually small enough that the cost of contested litigation exceeds the disputed amount.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is alimony different in a retirement-stage divorce?

Yes. Florida alimony under Fla. Stat. § 61.08 considers income, ability to pay, and need. In retirement-stage divorces, income is often fixed (social security, pensions, retirement withdrawals) rather than employment-based. Alimony may be ordered, but the analysis is different than for working-age spouses. The 2023 reforms also affect long-term marriages.

How does my pre-marital condo in Highland Beach get treated?

A condominium owned before the marriage is non-marital. However, mortgage payments, renovations, or assessments paid with marital funds during the marriage may create marital equity that the other spouse can claim. Active appreciation during the marriage caused by marital effort or funds is also subject to equitable distribution.

My estate plan was created during the marriage. Does it change with divorce?

Florida law automatically revokes a spouse's status under a will or trust on divorce unless the document expressly provides otherwise. Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance may also require updating. Estate planning should be reviewed contemporaneously with the divorce.

Should I update my prenup if I'm in my second marriage?

If the prenup is decades old and the circumstances have changed substantially, a postnuptial agreement (under Fla. Stat. § 61.079) may be advisable. Common triggers: substantial change in net worth, addition of children, sale of pre-marital businesses, or one spouse retiring.

How is a long-marriage divorce different?

Florida defines 'long-term' as 20 years or more. Long-term marriages permit longer alimony, more equitable-distribution flexibility, and more weight to standard-of-living considerations. Many Highland Beach divorces fall into this category.

Also Serving Nearby Communities

Related Reading

• High-Net-Worth Divorce in Florida — Complete Guide
• Florida Equitable Distribution Explained
• Divorce for Business Owners in Florida
• Hidden Assets in a Florida Divorce

The information on this page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Florida family law is fact-specific. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship with Pazos Law Group.