Florida
Divorce, lawyers, and free legal help in Florida — verified against official sources.
How divorce filing works in Florida
Florida's courts offer the Florida Courts Help self-help app with 186 Supreme Court-approved family law forms — including divorce — with plain-language instructions. Start with the court's family-law help page before anything else.
Florida Courts — Family Law Self-Help
The official starting point: the Florida Courts Help app with approved divorce forms and instructions.
flcourts.org — family law help →Find a divorce lawyer
The Florida Bar — Lawyer Referral Service
The Florida Bar's statewide referral service (running since 1972). Call 1-800-342-8011.
floridabar.org — lawyer referral →New to hiring a lawyer? Read Start Here first — it covers what to ask and what to bring.
Free or low-cost legal help
Florida Law Help
Statewide free legal information, built by Florida's legal services programs.
floridalawhelp.org →Report Child Abuse or Neglect
Call the Florida abuse hotline at 1-800-962-2873, or report online.
myflfamilies.com — how to report abuse →Call 211
Free, confidential referrals to local help. Dial 211 from any phone.
211.org →Unpaid wages in Florida
Your boss owes you pay and won't hand it over? Here's where to file and how long you have in Florida.
Where to go
no state agency — file with the federal Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division
Time limit to file
4 years (state min-wage suit); 2 years (FLSA)
What the floor is
$15.00 (2026)
Changing your name in Florida
Whether it's marriage, divorce, or just time for a fresh start — here's the process in Florida.
How it works
petition the circuit court (fingerprinting required)
Typical court fee
~$400
Newspaper notice required?
no
Small claims court in Florida
Suing someone without a lawyer, for smaller amounts, in a simpler court. Here's how it works in Florida.
Maximum claim
$8,000
Filing fee
$55–$300 depending on claim size
Can you bring one?
yes — allowed
Clearing your criminal record in Florida
Expungement or sealing can hide eligible arrests and convictions from background checks. Here's where Florida stands.
Can records be cleared?
yes — expungement and sealing
What qualifies
dismissed, dropped, or acquitted charges; eligible withheld-adjudication offenses may be sealed
Waiting period
none — apply once eligible (FDLE certificate required)
Child support in Florida
How child support gets calculated — and when it ends — in Florida.
How it's figured
income shares statutory guidelines schedule in F.S. § 61.30; administered by the Florida Department of Revenue
When it ends
age 18, or high school graduation with support possible to age 19 if still in school
Lemon law in Florida
Bought a new car that's constantly in the shop? Florida's lemon law may get you a refund or a replacement.
Which vehicles qualify
new vehicles purchased or leased for personal, family, or household use (including demonstrators)
When it's legally a lemon
3+ repair attempts for the same defect (with a final repair opportunity after written notice), or 30+ cumulative days out of service, within the 24-month lemon law rights period
What you get
full purchase-price refund or replacement vehicle
Tenant rights in Florida
Renting comes with rights most people never hear about until something goes wrong. Here are the key ones in Florida.
Notice before eviction
15 days to end month-to-month; 3-day notice to pay or vacate for nonpayment
Deposit limits & return
No statutory maximum; return within 15 days if no deductions, otherwise 30 days' written notice of intent to impose a claim on the deposit
When the landlord won't fix things
No general repair-and-deduct statute; may terminate the lease or withhold rent after 7 days' written notice for the landlord's failure to maintain
DUI / DWI in Florida
Driving under the influence carries some of the stiffest penalties in everyday law. Here's how Florida handles it.
Blood alcohol (BAC) limit
0.08; enhanced penalties at 0.15
Typical penalties
Up to 6 months in jail, $500-$1,000 fine, 6-month to 1-year license revocation
How far back DUIs count
5 years for second-offense enhancements, 10 years for third, lifetime for fourth
Gun laws in Florida
Gun laws vary a lot from state to state — what's perfectly legal in one state can be a crime in another. Here's the big picture for this state. Laws change often, so double-check anything before you act.
Carrying a concealed handgun
Permitless carry for 21+ (18+ military) since July 1, 2023; license still available
Carrying openly
Generally allowed (open carry ban struck down as unconstitutional Sept 2025)
Background checks & waiting periods
Private sales: Not required Waiting period: 3 days (excluding weekends/holidays; waived for license holders).
Extreme risk protection
Yes — (Risk Protection Orders, since 2018). Courts can temporarily order firearms removed from someone found to be a danger.
Reciprocity
Generally recognizes valid out-of-state licenses
Filming the police: your rights in Florida
Federal appeals courts across the country have recognized a First Amendment right to photograph and record police officers performing their official duties in public. The U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled on it directly. The right does not protect interfering with officers, trespassing, or breaking other laws while you record.
All-party consent
State law generally requires everyone recorded to consent — but on-duty officers in public have no reasonable expectation of privacy, so courts have held that recording them is protected. (Fla. Stat. § 934.03)
Buffer-zone law — in effect
25-foot HALO law (Fla. SB 184, 2024) — in effect since Jan. 1, 2025
Section 934.03 only protects conversations with a real expectation of privacy, which on-duty officers in public do not have — the 11th Circuit (Smith v. City of Cumming, 2000) protects filming them. Under the HALO law, after a verbal warning you must stay 25 feet back from a first responder on duty, but the law itself says peaceful audio/video recording is a legitimate purpose and not harassment by itself.
Drug & alcohol addiction help in Florida
Addiction is a health issue, and help is out there — including court programs that can send people to treatment instead of jail. No insurance needed to call.
SAMHSA National Helpline
Free, confidential referrals to treatment — call 1-800-662-4357 (English & Spanish).
Human trafficking victims in Florida
If you or someone you know is being forced to work or forced into sex against their will, you are a victim of a crime and help is available — immigration status does not matter.
National Human Trafficking Hotline
Call 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733 — free, confidential, for victims and anyone who suspects trafficking.
Bullying in Florida
Every state has an anti-bullying law, and every school must have a plan. If your child is being bullied, document what happens and report it in writing to the school — and know what your state’s law requires.
Homelessness help in Florida
If you are homeless or at risk of losing your housing, help is close by. Shelters, food, health care, and long-term housing programs exist in every community.
211 homeless services
Dial 211 and press 6 for homeless services in your area.
VA homeless veterans
Homeless veterans: call the VA National Call Center at 1-877-424-3838 (877-4AID-VET), 24/7.
Deed fraud & squatters in Florida
Thieves can forge a deed to steal your home’s title — many counties offer free recording alerts that notify you if anything is filed against your property. And if someone is living in your property without permission, your state has specific rules for removing them: you generally cannot just change the locks.
FBI: protect your property from deed fraud
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center alert on parcel-owner impersonation →