Plain-English guides on divorce, child custody, alimony, military family law, and mediation, by Steven C. Fraser, Esq.
71 articles
In an initial Florida child support case, the court can award support back to the date the parents stopped living together, up to 24 months before the petition was filed. How the lookback works, which income the court uses, how prior payments are credited, and how the retroactive amount gets paid.
October 12, 2026Florida lets either parent modify child support when the guideline amount would change by at least 15 percent or $50, whichever is greater. What counts as a substantial change, how to test it before filing, and the traps in section 61.30(1)(b).
October 6, 2026Florida child support runs on net income, and section 61.30(3) lists exactly which deductions get you from gross to net. What counts, what does not, and where the Financial Affidavit and the worksheet meet.
October 2, 2026Florida switches from the standard child support formula to the gross-up method when each parent has at least 73 overnights a year. How the switch works, what it does to the number, and why parenting plans get negotiated around it.
September 28, 2026A free Florida child support calculator that runs the section 61.30 guidelines and prints a Form 12.902(e) worksheet. What to enter, where the numbers come from, why overnights matter, and what the court can change.
September 23, 2026W-2 thinking fails when an executive's compensation is mostly equity. Restricted stock units, incentive stock options, deferred compensation, and SERPs each have different tax treatment, vesting schedules, and tracing analyses, and Florida's equitable distribution under § 61.075 hits each one differently.
August 10, 2026Florida's 2023 alimony reform eliminated permanent alimony. For 25-year marriages where one spouse stayed home, the math has changed. Here's what stay-at-home parents are actually receiving in 2026 cases under the new durational caps and the 35% income-difference ceiling, with the worked numbers and the settlement strategy that follows.
July 25, 2026A Florida-resident parent gets a job offer in another state. Two statutes apply at once: § 61.13001 governs whether you can relocate; UCCJEA governs which state has continuing custody jurisdiction afterward. They overlap but say different things, and getting it wrong can cost you everything.
July 10, 2026Each Northeast Florida–area base creates different family-law scenarios, P-8A workups at NAS Jax, DDG forward deployments from Mayport, Title 10 activations at Camp Blanding, and SSBN patrols at Kings Bay. Six anonymized scenarios and what the Fourth Judicial Circuit actually did with each.
June 25, 2026Most one-day contested family law mediations end in impasse. Breaking a Florida divorce mediation into five focused sessions (time-sharing, child support, assets, debts, and alimony) settles more cases for less money. A Jacksonville family lawyer and certified mediator explains the method.
June 20, 2026Florida E-Portal interface changes, the 2026 filing fee, parent education class options, SB 1416 alimony certification language, and what the Fourth Judicial Circuit actually requires from start to finish, by a Jacksonville family law attorney.
June 10, 2026Florida's rebuttable presumption of equal timesharing took effect July 1, 2023. After three years and a body of Fourth Circuit case law, here's what's actually happening when parents fight over time with their children, and what evidence is working.
May 25, 2026People try to fix IRS passport revocations on their own every day. Here's what happens when they do, and why the mistakes people make in the first 30 days are often the hardest to undo.
May 21, 2026You already knew child support arrears could block a new passport. What you probably didn't know is that the IRS can revoke the passport sitting in your drawer right now. Here's why that's a very different problem.
May 19, 2026Your passport is flagged for child support arrears. Here's the exact roadmap to getting cleared, what Florida requires, how long it takes, and why having an attorney in your corner changes everything.
May 16, 2026Most dads don't know how the federal passport denial pipeline actually works. Here's the step-by-step: from Florida DOR to HHS to the State Department, and why the fix has to start at home.
May 14, 2026Working dads who let child support fall behind are getting flagged by the federal government and denied passports. Here's what's happening, and what you can do.
May 12, 2026Learn how Florida courts handle substance abuse in child custody cases, including drug testing, supervised visitation, and step-up parenting plans.
March 25, 2026Protect your credit score during a Florida divorce with strategies for joint debt, credit monitoring, account closures, and post-divorce rebuilding.
March 10, 2026Explore your options for dividing the marital home in a Florida divorce, including buyouts, deferred sales, refinancing, and homestead exemptions.
February 25, 2026Understand Florida's no-fault divorce law, what irretrievably broken means, and how fault still factors into alimony and equitable distribution.
February 10, 2026Learn how Florida's 2024 HOA reform laws affect marital home valuation, exclusive use, and assessment responsibilities during divorce.
January 25, 2026Understand how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act changed alimony tax treatment in Florida and what it means for your divorce settlement negotiations.
January 10, 2026Discover how parallel parenting plans work in Florida high-conflict custody cases, including communication rules and decision-making boundaries.
December 25, 2025Understand how Florida courts treat military BAH, COLA, hazardous duty pay, and other allowances when calculating child support and alimony.
December 10, 2025Learn how Florida courts allocate extraordinary child support expenses for healthcare, private school, tutoring, and extracurricular activities.
November 25, 2025Understand temporary (pendente lite) alimony in Florida, including how to request it, the need and ability standard, and its impact on the final judgment.
November 10, 2025Understand how businesses are valued in Florida divorce, including valuation methods, marital vs. non-marital interests, and the role of forensic accountants.
October 25, 2025Learn how Florida long-distance parenting plans work, including time-sharing schedules, transportation costs, virtual visitation, and UCCJEA jurisdiction.
October 10, 2025A step-by-step guide to filing for divorce in Duval County, Jacksonville, including local procedures, fees, and Fourth Judicial Circuit requirements.
September 25, 2025Learn when and how alimony can be modified in Florida, including cohabitation, retirement, and substantial change in circumstances under Fla. Stat. 61.14.
September 10, 2025Learn what happens after mediation impasse in a Florida family law case, including the litigation track, discovery, trial preparation, and what to expect.
August 25, 2025Understand how a domestic violence injunction impacts child custody in Florida, including the rebuttable presumption against the perpetrator.
August 10, 2025Understand how the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act protects active-duty military members in Florida divorce cases, including stays and default protections.
July 25, 2025Learn how Florida stalking and cyberstalking injunctions work, including how to petition, evidence requirements, and the effect on firearms and contact.
July 10, 2025Florida has no set age when a child can choose which parent to live with. Learn how courts consider a child's preference under Fla. Stat. 61.13(3).
June 25, 2025Learn how to identify, trace, and protect non-marital assets in a Florida divorce under Fla. Stat. 61.075, including inheritance and pre-marriage property.
June 10, 2025Compare mediation and litigation for Florida family law cases. Learn the benefits of mediation including cost savings, confidentiality, and control.
May 25, 2025Florida courts can impute income to self-employed parents for child support. Learn how imputed income works under Fla. Stat. 61.30 and what to expect.
May 10, 2025Learn about temporary relief in Florida divorce cases, including pendente lite support, emergency motions, temporary time-sharing, and injunctions.
April 25, 2025Social media posts can become evidence in Florida divorce and custody cases. Learn what to avoid posting and how digital evidence is used in court.
April 10, 2025Florida grandparent visitation rights are limited by statute and case law. Learn when grandparents can petition under Fla. Stat. 752 and Troxel.
March 25, 2025Understand how military pensions are divided in Florida divorce, including USFSPA, the 10/10 rule, DFAS direct payments, and SBP elections.
March 10, 2025Learn the enforcement tools Florida courts use when a parent fails to pay child support, from income deduction to license suspension and contempt.
February 25, 2025Practical tips for preparing for family law mediation in Florida, including what to bring, how to define priorities, and what makes mediation succeed.
February 10, 2025Practical legal strategies for divorcing a high-conflict or narcissistic spouse in Florida, including documentation, protective orders, and custody tools.
January 25, 2025Learn how Florida courts calculate alimony awards, including the statutory factors under Fla. Stat. 61.08 that determine amount and duration.
January 10, 2025Learn Florida's relocation rules for parents moving with children after divorce, including the 50-mile threshold, notice requirements, and court factors.
December 25, 2024Understand Florida's 2023 alimony reform under SB 1416, including the elimination of permanent alimony, durational caps, and new modification rules.
December 10, 2024Understand Florida paternity actions, voluntary acknowledgment, DNA testing, and how establishing paternity affects custody and time-sharing rights.
November 25, 2024Explore Florida prenuptial and postnuptial agreement requirements, enforceability standards, and what these agreements can and cannot address.
November 10, 2024Understand when and how to modify child support in Florida, including the substantial change standard, income reduction, and the 15% threshold rule.
October 25, 2024Learn when and how to modify a Florida parenting plan, including the substantial change standard, relocation triggers, and the supplemental petition process.
October 10, 2024An in-depth review of all 20 best interests factors under Fla. Stat. 61.13(3) that Florida courts use to determine custody and time-sharing arrangements.
September 25, 2024A detailed walk-through of Florida child support calculations under Fla. Stat. 61.30, including income, deductions, overnights, and deviation factors.
September 10, 2024Understand realistic Florida divorce timelines, from the 20-day waiting period to contested cases lasting 18+ months, and what factors affect duration.
August 25, 2024Understand military divorce in Florida, including SCRA protections, jurisdiction for stationed members, pension division under USFSPA, and the SBP.
August 10, 2024Learn about Florida's five types of protective injunctions, the filing process, temporary orders, and their impact on custody and firearms.
July 25, 2024Understand Florida's rebuttable presumption of equal time-sharing under HB 1301, effective July 1, 2023, and how it affects custody litigation.
July 10, 2024A comprehensive checklist of 10 categories of documents Florida residents should gather before filing for divorce, including mandatory disclosure items.
June 25, 2024Understand the requirements, process, and limitations of simplified dissolution of marriage in Florida under Fla. Stat. 61.052(2).
June 10, 2024Learn what documents to bring, questions to ask, and goals to define before your first consultation with a Florida divorce attorney.
May 25, 2024A guide to Florida parenting plans under Fla. Stat. 61.13(2)(b), covering time-sharing schedules, holiday rotation, communication, and high-conflict strategies.
May 10, 2024Learn why Florida courts require mediation in family cases, what happens during a session, and how mediation can resolve divorce and custody disputes efficiently.
April 25, 2024Understand how Florida calculates child support using the Income Shares Model under Fla. Stat. 61.30, including income, overnights, and add-on expenses.
April 10, 2024Learn how Florida divides marital property and debts through equitable distribution under Fla. Stat. 61.075, including the family home and retirement accounts.
March 25, 2024Understand all four types of Florida alimony under Fla. Stat. 61.08, including eligibility, duration limits, and factors courts consider in awarding support.
March 10, 2024Six common Florida custody myths debunked, including the 50/50 presumption under HB 1301, the role of income, and how courts actually decide time-sharing.
February 25, 2024Florida uses time-sharing and parental responsibility instead of custody. Learn how Fla. Stat. 61.13 governs parenting plans and decision-making.
February 10, 2024Compare contested and uncontested divorce in Florida. Learn the cost, timeline, and process differences to determine the right path for your situation.
January 25, 2024Learn Florida divorce basics including the 6-month residency requirement, where to file, no-fault grounds, and what to expect during the process.
January 10, 2024