Highland Beach Divorce Lawyer & Family Law 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.

How long does a divorce take in Highland Beach, 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 Highland Beach 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 oceanfront barrier-island condominium units between Boca Raton and Delray Beach 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 Highland Beach, 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.

Attorney’s fees are the larger number and they vary by complexity. As illustrative flat-fee ranges, an uncontested case with no minor children commonly runs $1,000–$2,500 and an uncontested case with minor children $1,500–$3,500. Contested Highland Beach matters are normally handled on an initial retainer in the $5,000–$15,000 range drawn down against hourly billing; unused retainer is refundable. Where oceanfront barrier-island condominium units between Boca Raton and Delray Beach are involved, appraisal and forensic accounting costs sit on top of that.

Fla. Stat. § 61.16 lets the court order one spouse to pay the other’s fees and suit money after considering need and ability to pay, together with the broader factors the Florida Supreme Court identified in Rosen v. Rosen. A fee award under § 61.16 is discretionary, not automatic.

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

You file in the circuit court, not a city court. For Highland Beach that means the Family Division of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit (15th), with the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller accepting the petition at the Palm Beach County Courthouse, 205 N. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. All filings go through the statewide e-filing portal.

The petition must establish the § 61.021 residency condition — 6 months of Florida residency by one party before filing — and § 61.052(2) requires corroboration of it. Once filed, § 61.19 starts the 20-day clock before a final judgment can be entered. The Florida State Courts System maintains a general overview of Florida family courts.

Who can file in Highland Beach under Fla. Stat. § 61.021?

Under Fla. Stat. § 61.021, “one of the parties to the marriage must reside 6 months in the state before the filing of the petition.” Residence means physical presence with intent to remain; a Highland Beach address alone will not carry it if the spouse actually lives elsewhere. Corroboration is required by § 61.052(2). Meeting § 61.021 gives the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit power to dissolve the marriage — personal jurisdiction over an out-of-state spouse for support and property is a separate question.

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

Fla. Stat. § 61.075(1) tells the judge to “begin with the premise that the distribution should be equal” and to depart from it only for reasons the statute recognizes. That is the frame every Highland Beach divorce starts in, whether the estate is a house and two retirement accounts or oceanfront barrier-island condominium units between Boca Raton and Delray Beach.

Classification comes first. Under § 61.075(6)(b), assets acquired before the marriage and gifts or inheritances to one spouse are nonmarital. Under § 61.075(6)(a)1.e, vested and nonvested retirement benefits accrued during the marriage are marital. Under § 61.075(7), the court picks the valuation date. Getting those three right usually decides the case before any argument about percentages.

How do overnights change the child support number?

They change it substantially past a defined threshold. Fla. Stat. § 61.30(11)(b)8. treats a parent as exercising a “substantial amount of time” when that parent has the child for at least 20 percent of the overnights in the year, which switches the calculation to the gross-up method and can materially reduce the guideline obligation. Twenty percent of a year is 73 overnights. For Highland Beach parents negotiating a § 61.13 parenting plan, the schedule and the support number are the same negotiation.

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

Yes, as a rebuttable presumption. Fla. Stat. § 61.13(2)(c)1., effective 1 July 2023, provides that equal time-sharing with a minor child is in the best interests of the child, and that the presumption may be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence. It is a starting point, not a mandate: a Highland Beach judge who finds the presumption rebutted must still build the parenting plan from the best-interest factors in § 61.13(3), which cover everything from each parent’s capacity to facilitate a close relationship with the other parent to the child’s home, school, and community record.

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

Fla. Stat. § 61.30 is a guidelines statute. Each parent’s net income is determined, the combined figure is run against the statutory support schedule, and the obligation is divided in proportion to income with health insurance and work-related child care added on. Written findings are required to depart from the guideline amount by more than 5 percent.

The single largest variable in most Highland Beach cases is the overnight count. Under § 61.30(11)(b)8., a parent who has the child for at least 20 percent of the overnights is exercising a “substantial amount of time” and the gross-up method applies. Because § 61.13(2)(c)1. now presumes equal time-sharing, that threshold is met far more often than it was before July 2023.

Is mediation required before a contested hearing in Highland Beach?

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 Highland Beach 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?

Four, since the 2023 rewrite of Fla. Stat. § 61.08: temporary, bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, and durational. Permanent alimony was eliminated. The court first makes a finding on need and ability to pay, then selects the form and the amount, and § 61.08(8) caps how long durational alimony may run relative to the length of the marriage.

For Highland Beach spouses, the practical consequence is that a long marriage no longer implies an indefinite award. Rehabilitative alimony requires a specific and defined plan; bridge-the-gap addresses identifiable short-term needs and cannot be modified. Where oceanfront barrier-island condominium units between Boca Raton and Delray Beach make income hard to pin down, proof of ability to pay becomes the contested issue.

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 Highland Beach: An Overview

Looking for a Highland Beach family law attorney? Pazos Law Group represents Highland Beach families in divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, paternity, and post-judgment modifications. 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. § 44.102.

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 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.

Faster, lower-cost options in Highland Beach: 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 Highland Beach families.

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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.

How much does a divorce cost in Highland Beach?

Beyond the court's filing fee, the total cost depends primarily on whether your divorce is uncontested or contested. An uncontested divorce, where both spouses agree on all terms, is significantly less expensive. Contested cases involving disputes over assets, support, or time-sharing cost more because they require negotiation, discovery, and sometimes trial.

Do I need a reason to get divorced in Florida?

No. Florida is a no-fault divorce state (Fla. Stat. § 61.052). You only need to state that the marriage is irretrievably broken; you do not have to prove adultery, abandonment, or any other wrongdoing.

How is alimony decided in Florida?

Alimony is based on one spouse's need and the other spouse's ability to pay, under Fla. Stat. § 61.08. Florida's 2023 alimony reform (SB 1416) eliminated permanent alimony and established standards for durational alimony tied to the length of the marriage.

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Also Serving Nearby Communities

Related Reading

• Highland Beach Prenuptial Agreement Attorney
• High-Net-Worth Divorce in Florida — Complete Guide
• Florida Equitable Distribution Explained
• Divorce for Business Owners in Florida
• Hidden Assets in a Florida Divorce
• our South Florida coverage map — where the firm handles divorce, prenup and mediation matters.
• durational alimony after the reform — what spouses can and cannot ask for today.
• injunctions for protection in family cases — the temporary and final hearing process.
• the child support formula, explained — a plain reading of Florida’s guideline worksheet.
• the limits on grandparent visitation — what the statute allows and what courts have struck down.
• alternatives to legal separation in Florida — separate maintenance, postnuptial agreements and parenting petitions.

Divorce in Highland Beach: Oceanfront Between Boca and Delray

Highland Beach is a small, affluent oceanfront town of luxury condominiums and estates tucked between Boca Raton and Delray Beach, with many seasonal and retiree residents. Divorces here often involve a high-value oceanfront unit or home, significant retirement and investment assets, and sometimes the question of which state is the proper forum when a couple splits time between Florida and a northern residence. Long marriages make the 2023 alimony framework and the tracing of non-marital wealth important. Discretion is a priority, so mediation is frequently preferred. Highland Beach cases are filed in the 15th Judicial Circuit (Palm Beach County), at the Main Courthouse in West Palm Beach.

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.