Uncontested Divorce With Children Port St. Lucie FL: $750

An uncontested divorce with children in Port St. Lucie is a dissolution where both parents agree on all issues, including time-sharing, parental responsibility, and child support. Our firm prepares the entire case, including the required parenting plan, for a $750 flat attorney fee (court costs of about $408-$410 and notary are separate). Cases with minor children file in the 19th Judicial Circuit for St. Lucie County under Florida Statutes Chapter 61.

What Counts as an Uncontested Divorce With Children in Port St. Lucie?

A divorce is uncontested only when you and your spouse agree on every issue in the case. When minor or dependent children are involved, that agreement must cover more than property and debts. Under F.S. 61.13, you must also agree on a full parenting plan, a time-sharing schedule, how you will share parental responsibility, and the amount of child support calculated under the F.S. 61.30 guidelines.

If you and your co-parent already agree on where the children will live, how holidays are split, who makes major decisions, and how support will be paid, your case can move forward as an uncontested divorce with children in Port St. Lucie. If any of those issues are in dispute, the case is contested, mediation or a judge may become involved, and the flat fee does not apply.

Florida is a no-fault state under F.S. 61.052. The only ground for dissolution is that the marriage is irretrievably broken. You do not need to prove wrongdoing, and you do not need your spouse's permission to end the marriage. What you do need, for a smooth uncontested case, is a complete written agreement that a St. Lucie County judge can approve.

Can You Use a Simplified Dissolution If You Have Children?

No. Florida's simplified dissolution path under F.S. 61.052(2), using Form 12.901(a), is only available when the couple has no minor or dependent children, neither spouse seeks alimony, and both spouses attend the final hearing. Because you have children, you cannot use that route.

Instead, a divorce with kids proceeds as a regular uncontested dissolution using the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage with Dependent or Minor Children, Form 12.901(b)(2). This path is resolved through a written Marital Settlement Agreement plus a Parenting Plan. It preserves your right to financial disclosure and does not require both spouses to appear the way simplified dissolution does. The table below compares the two paths.

What Must the Parenting Plan Include?

Every Florida divorce involving minor children requires a parenting plan approved by the court under F.S. 61.13. This is not optional, even when parents fully agree. The plan is a written roadmap for how you will raise your children in two households, and a St. Lucie County judge must find it serves the best interests of the child.

A complete parenting plan for a Port St. Lucie family should address:

• A time-sharing schedule showing where the children stay on weekdays, weekends, holidays, and school breaks.
• Parental responsibility, meaning how you share major decisions about education, health care, and other important matters.
• How the children's school-related and other activities are handled.
• Methods and technologies the parents will use to communicate with the children.
• Which parent's address is used for school boundary determination.

As of July 1, 2023, F.S. 61.13(3) directs Florida courts to begin with the presumption that equal time-sharing is in the best interest of the child. That presumption can be rebutted, but for agreeing parents it often means a roughly balanced schedule is readily approved. Our firm drafts the parenting plan so it is complete, internally consistent, and ready for the judge to sign.

How Is Child Support Calculated in an Uncontested Case?

Child support is not something parents can simply skip or set at any number they like. Under F.S. 61.30, Florida uses an income-shares model that considers both parents' net incomes, the number of overnights each parent has under the time-sharing schedule, health insurance costs, and child care expenses. The result is entered on a Child Support Guidelines Worksheet, Form 12.902(e).

Because the F.S. 61.30(11)(b) extended time-sharing calculation adjusts the obligation when a parent has a substantial share of overnights, your parenting schedule directly affects the support number. Parents in an uncontested divorce with children in Port St. Lucie can agree on support, but the agreed amount must generally match the guideline figure, or the court needs a written explanation for any deviation. A judge reviews the worksheet to confirm the children are provided for. Our firm runs the guideline calculation and prepares the worksheet so your agreement will hold up at the final hearing.

Florida also requires divorcing parents of minor children to complete the Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course under F.S. 61.21 before the final judgment is entered. Both parents must finish this state-approved course and file their certificates.

Where Do You File a Divorce With Children in Port St. Lucie?

Port St. Lucie sits in St. Lucie County, which is part of Florida's 19th Judicial Circuit. Dissolution cases are filed with the St. Lucie County Clerk of the Circuit Court, and the family division of the 19th Judicial Circuit handles the matter. You may file in St. Lucie County if either spouse has lived there and at least one spouse has met Florida's 6-month residency requirement under F.S. 61.021.

Most filings are submitted electronically through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal at myflcourtaccess.com, rather than in person. The St. Lucie County Clerk sets the filing fee for a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. As of August 2026, that county filing fee is typically about $408 to $410, though court filing fees are set by each county clerk and are separate from our flat attorney fee. Always verify the current amount with the St. Lucie County Clerk before filing.

For step-by-step help with the mechanics of filing, see our guides on how to file an uncontested divorce in Port St. Lucie and where the Port St. Lucie divorce court is located. For an uncontested case with an agreed parenting plan, the 19th Circuit generally still sets a brief final hearing so the judge can confirm the terms and enter the Final Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage.

What Does an Uncontested Divorce With Children Cost in Port St. Lucie?

Our firm handles an uncontested divorce with children in Port St. Lucie for a $750 flat attorney fee, the same price in every one of Florida's 67 counties. That fee covers preparing your petition, Marital Settlement Agreement, parenting plan, child support worksheet, and the other required documents, plus reviewing them and answering your legal questions.

Several costs are separate from the attorney fee and paid directly by the client:

• The St. Lucie County filing fee, typically about $408-$410 (set by the clerk; verify current amount).
• Notary fees for signing documents.
• A process server or certified mail fee if your spouse must be formally served.
• The Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course fee, usually a modest per-parent charge.

The table below contrasts the flat-fee uncontested path with a traditional contested retainer.

For a deeper cost breakdown, see our Port St. Lucie uncontested divorce cost guide.

Why Use a Licensed Florida Attorney Instead of a Form Service?

Online form fillers and non-lawyer document-preparation services can type your information onto blank forms, but by law they cannot give legal advice or catch substantive problems. In a case with children, the stakes are higher. A parenting plan that is vague about holidays, a child support worksheet that uses the wrong overnight count, or an MSA that misdivides a retirement account can lead a judge to reject the paperwork or, worse, create problems you only discover years later.

When our firm prepares your uncontested divorce with children in Port St. Lucie, a licensed Florida attorney drafts and reviews every document, confirms the parenting plan and child support figures are complete and consistent, and answers your questions along the way. You get full attorney representation at a flat, transparent price, not a stack of forms and a disclaimer that no legal advice was provided.

An uncontested flat-fee divorce is a good fit when both spouses genuinely agree on all issues and the finances are straightforward. If there is a dispute over time-sharing, a business to value, or contested alimony, the case is likely contested and needs a different approach. Our firm will tell you honestly which category your situation falls into. You can also start a conversation with our AI assistant at Ask Victoria or read the Port St. Lucie uncontested divorce overview.

What Are the Steps From Start to Final Judgment?

An uncontested divorce with children generally follows this sequence in St. Lucie County:

Frequently Asked Questions

(See the FAQ section below.)

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about Florida divorce law and does not constitute legal advice. Every case is unique. The Law Office of Antonio G. Jimenez can prepare your uncontested divorce for a $750 flat attorney fee (court costs and notary separate); contact our office to confirm whether your case qualifies as uncontested.