Copies of final judgments can be purchased through the Miami-Dade County Clerk of Court at the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center, Family Court, 175 NW 1st Avenue, 14th Floor, Miami, FL 33128 or any of the District Offices. Copies may also be purchased online here.
You must arrange to have the petition served on your spouse by a certified process server or a deputy sheriff. That person must also prepare documents to file in the court file certifying the petition was properly served.
The parties involved cannot formally serve divorce papers because they clearly have an interest in the outcome of the litigation, and hence are not to be trusted with a procedural pre-requisite such as service. Also, in a lot of states, only law enforcement or licensed process servers can serve documents.
Your wife must be personally served by anyone over 18 other than you unless you included a Form FL-117 (Notice and Acknowledgment of Receipt) that she has to sign and date to accept that she is waiving the requirement for personal service. Did she agree to be served by mail?
In Florida, divorce records are available to the public, which means that to look at someone's divorce decree, all a person needs to do is request a copy of the records from the court clerk in the county where the divorce was finalized. Many records can even be virtually requested online.
No Court Appearance: In Florida, it is possible to finalize an uncontested divorce without needing a court appearance if all issues have been resolved and both parties have signed the necessary paperwork.
The divorce of marriage (DOM) process begins when a petitioner files a DOM petition with the court. The respondent is then served with paperwork. The parties will exchange certain information during discovery.
An uncontested divorce in Florida takes between six weeks and three months. A contested divorce takes between six months to a year to come to a resolution. Keep in mind that you must meet Florida state residency requirements prior to filing for divorce.
To start a divorce or legal separation, you begin by filling out two court forms: a Petition and a Summons. If you and your spouse (or domestic partner) have children together, you will also need to fill out at least one other form about your children.