How does the court decide how to divide the assets?
In Florida, a dissolution of marriage proceeding includes the distribution of marital assets and liabilities between the parties. The court begins with the premise that these will be divided equally but if there is justification for an unequal distribution then it is considered equitable and not necessarily equal. Some of the factors that the court considers to determine if the assets and liabilities are equal are as follows: 1. Duration of the marriage; 2. Economic circumstances of the parties; 3. Contribution to the marriage by each spouse, i.e. care of children, services as homemaker; 4. Whether either party interrupted their career or educational opportunities; 5. The desirability of retaining any asset, for ex. in a corporation or professional practice; 6. The contribution of each spouse to the acquisition, enhancement, and production of income whether the asset is marital or non marital; 7. The desirability of retaining the marital home; 8. The intentional dissipation, waste, dep
