Almost every part of our lives became disturbed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has been unprecedented, from impacting the way we do our work to our ability to get medical treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic has, sadly, also contributed to an increase in divorce rates across Florida. There are several challenging issues surrounding divorce during this period.
It is important to understand how the pandemic will affect your different circumstances if you are one of those with a pending divorce case or considering filing a divorce during the pandemic.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Divorce in Florida
The following are some of the major areas of concerns you should bear in mind when considering a divorce in Florida;
- Selling your marital house
During the pandemic, you may not be able to sell your house easily. As part of a divorce, many married couples want to sell their marital house. However, selling your house can be problematic, not to mention that the downturn has had a significant impact on home prices in Florida and across the United States given that the housing market crashed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the COVID-19 pandemic, despite record-low mortgage rates that may appeal to potential buyers, selling the house may take longer than usual.
- Ability to live apart
While the statutes of family law in Florida do not have an obligatory waiting period to seek a divorce, many Florida married couples choose to live separately before filing for divorce. Living apart for a while after all can help spouses recognize whether their disagreements or disputes are solvable or whether their marriage is leading to a divorce. The coronavirus pandemic affected the ability of Floridians to find adequate housing and afford rent because, in the midst of economic crises, most individuals are unable to earn a living and separate their ways easily.
- Alimony and Child support
Alimony and child support may be hard to negotiate. Since the coronavirus pandemic has taken away many job opportunities and limited the ability of many Floridians to earn a living, it can be tougher to negotiate the appropriate payments for alimony and/or child support. It would be difficult to negotiate alimony and child support orders if either partner was furloughed or laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Consult with a Florida Divorce Attorney
It is strongly recommended that you speak to an experienced Florida Divorce Attorney if you have questions about divorce during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Florida Divorce lawyers will advise you of your legal choices once you share your particular concerns. There are often benefits and drawbacks of waiting to file for divorce versus filing now especially during the pandemic, and this is a critical discussion to have with your lawyer. This decision depends on each relationship and should be based on your particular situation (with proper advice, of course). All you can do is learn about the potential impact of a certain way of timing your divorce and then make an informed decision based on the information you have learned in this article.
References for personal use
https://aamlflorida.org/2020/04/17/locked-up-marriage-and-divorce-during-covid-19/