Separation in Tampa & Saint Petersburg

Serving Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties with law offices in Largo, Holiday & Palm Harbor

K. Dean Kantaras is Board Certified in Marital and Family Law by the Florida Bar

For couples, separation may be a first step in determining whether their troubled marriages can be saved without divorce.  Florida law does not directly support legal separation in Saint Petersburg, Tampa, or anywhere within the state.  But, the law does have certain provisions that approximate a legal separation by providing legal avenues to resolve spousal and child support, as well as custody and time sharing (visitation) issues.

How the law supports legal separation in Tampa and Saint Petersburg

Even when a couple expects a separation in the Tampa area to be temporary, important issues need to be resolved during the time the parties live apart—they must decide how both spouses and their children are to receive any needed financial support, where the children will reside during the Tampa legal separation, and the conditions of time sharing for the spouse who does not reside with the children.

To ensure the best interests of both spouses and the children, these issues must be resolved legally.  Separating couples have two basic options:

• By negotiating a Tampa or Saint Petersburg separation agreement:  With the help of skilled local attorneys, the couple can negotiate the terms of their separation and document the terms in a separation agreement.  The benefit of a Saint Petersburg or Tampa separation agreement is that it also meets legal requirements if the couple later decides to pursue an out-of-court divorce through collaborative divorce, uncontested divorce, or divorce mediation.
• By obtaining assistance from the courts:  When a couple cannot resolve the important issues pertaining to their separation, Florida law allows these issues to be decided by a judge in court.

Contact the Law Offices of Kantaras & Andreopoulos

Our divorce law firm has extensive local legal knowledge to protect your interests in an emotionally-charged time.  K. Dean Kantaras is board certified in marital and family law by the Florida Bar.  Those wishing to know more about the skilled representation we can offer in all aspects of family laws in Florida are invited to contact our firm at (727) 781-0000, or use our online contact form.

Our multiple offices are conveniently located in Largo, Clearwater, Holiday, and Palm Harbor, and we help clients in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties.