Florida is a no-fault state, which means you do not have to prove wrongdoing to end a marriage. You file a petition for dissolution of marriage in circuit court, and at least one spouse must have lived in Florida for six months before filing. In Fort Lauderdale, those cases are heard in the family division of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit.
From there, the timeline depends on whether the divorce is contested. Couples who agree on the major issues can finalize relatively quickly, while disputes over assets or children stretch the process out. A female divorce attorney who practices regularly in Broward County can give you a realistic sense of where your case is likely to land before you commit to a path.
