Military Divorce in Pensacola Florida
Pensacola FL Military Divorce Lawyers
When you are going through a divorce in the state of Florida you have a lot of unknowns to deal with as you try to negotiate the system and reach agreeable terms with your spouse. But two things that are probably not going to pose a challenge would be the matter of residency and the physical availability of your ex-to-be. However, when one or both of the parties are serving in the United States military, an added layer of complexity exists and these seemingly routine matters can become impediments to the proceeding.
According to Chapter 61.021 of the Florida Statutes either the petitioner or the respondent must have resided in the state for a period of not less than six months prior to the action to be considered a resident for the purposes of filing a dissolution of marriage petition. For members of the armed forces who may have recently been stationed in Florida, or for those who call Florida home but have been stationed or deployed elsewhere for significant periods of time, this requirement can stand in the way of moving forward with the divorce.
Another divorce issue that is specific to members of the military involves the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. This act was passed in 2003, and one of its provisions states that people who are on active duty in the armed forces are not required to address civil actions until they are discharged. So, if you live in Florida and your spouse is on active duty in Afghanistan, he or she does not have to respond to a divorce petition that you may file until after discharge from the armed forces.
Military service deployments and transfers can cloud family issues like child custody and support as well. It is always a good idea to seek legal representation when you are getting divorced, but people in the military have an added dimension of legal complexities to contend with, making access to family law expertise all the more important.
For legal advice about military divorce and related family issues involving the military, contact a Pensacola FL family lawyer to arrange for a free consultation.
