Tarpon Springs Divorce Attorney

Division of property and debt

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

Our Tarpon Springs divorce attorneys at the Law Offices of K. Dean Kantaras, P.A. understand the challenges couples face when divorcing. Property division is often a contentious and emotionally charged issue.

How does Florida law address debt and assets division?

Florida is an equitable distribution state, which means that the courts divide property fairly, but not necessarily equally.

Our Tarpon Springs divorce lawyers can help you by characterizing which assets are marital property and separate property. Property division only applies to marital assets, that is, property jointly or individually acquired during marriage.

Types of problems frequently encountered with property division

The following are examples of issues that often arise with property division:

• When one spouse receives an inheritance, and the money is not kept in a separate bank account or is used to cover marital expenses, then the court may not consider it separate property.
• When a spouse wastes money or hides assets, the court may ze all assets. It can also result in a distribution that favors the other spouse to compensate for the waste.
• Real estate can be problematic if it is not divisible. Solutions may include distributing property of similar value, such as one spouse gets the home and the other gets the vacation home and the yacht. Or spouses can sell the property and divide the proceeds. Another option is for one spouse to buy the other spouse's share of value in the property. Often couples agree on allowing the custodial parent to use the home so the children can remain in it until they graduate from high school. After the children leave home, spouses can then sell the house and receive their fair distribution.
• When married couples commingle separate assets by depositing the assets earned in a joint account, it becomes difficult to trace and often makes the property marital instead of separate. Florida courts view property or accounts categorized under tenants by the entireties (joint accounts) as gifts between spouses, which classify it as marital property.

Rely on a skilled divorce law firm

Contact the Law Offices of K. Dean Kantaras, P.A. online to meet with a Tarpon Springs divorce lawyer to discuss property division options or call one of our convenient office locations to arrange a consultation.  We have divorce law firms in Palm Harbor, Largo, and Holiday.