South Tampa Divorce Lawyer Serving South Tampa Families

When a marriage ends, the decisions you make about your children, home, finances, and future can have consequences for years. Having a South Tampa divorce lawyer who understands both Florida family law and the Tampa community can help you approach those decisions with a clear strategy.

Foley Family Law represents individuals and families throughout South Tampa in divorce, child custody, alimony, property division, and related family law matters. Led by William S. Foley, Esq., our family law team focuses on practical solutions while preparing every case for the possibility of litigation.

Whether you and your spouse agree on most issues or you are facing a contested, high-asset divorce, our attorneys are ready to help.

Call (813) 272-2345 to schedule a confidential consultation with a South Tampa divorce lawyer.

Divorce Representation for South Tampa Families

South Tampa is one of Tampa’s most established residential areas, encompassing communities and neighborhoods such as Hyde Park, Palma Ceia, Bayshore Beautiful, Davis Islands, Ballast Point, Beach Park, Virginia Park, Sunset Park, and areas surrounding MacDill Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard.

Divorce cases involving South Tampa residents are generally handled through the Hillsborough County court system and the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit.

Foley Family Law’s Tampa office is located at 505 East Jackson Street in downtown Tampa. Our attorneys regularly handle Hillsborough County divorce and family law cases involving parenting plans, timesharing, alimony, child support, real estate, retirement accounts, business interests, investments, and other marital assets.

Divorce cases involving South Tampa residents are generally handled through the Hillsborough County court system and the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit.

South Tampa’s demographics can also make divorce cases financially complicated. The broader Tampa area has more than 166,000 households, and 45.7% of Tampa residents age 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree. South Tampa itself includes many professional households, business owners, executives, physicians, attorneys, military families, and couples who have accumulated substantial home equity and retirement assets.

When those marriages end, the details matter.

A South Tampa divorce lawyer at Foley Family Law can help identify the issues that need to be addressed and build a strategy around your family’s circumstances.

When those marriages end, the details matter.

A South Tampa divorce lawyer at Foley Family Law can help identify the issues that need to be addressed and build a strategy around your family’s circumstances.

What Our South Tampa Divorce Lawyers Handle

No two marriages—or divorces—are exactly alike. Some couples agree on nearly everything. Others disagree about parenting, property, support, or finances from the beginning.

Our South Tampa divorce lawyers handle a full range of Florida divorce and family law matters.

Contested Divorce

When spouses cannot reach an agreement regarding significant issues such as timesharing, property division, alimony, or child support, the divorce may become contested.

Our attorneys negotiate when an agreement makes sense while preparing to present your case in court when necessary.

Uncontested Divorce

If you and your spouse agree on the major terms of your divorce, an uncontested divorce can provide a more efficient path forward.

Even when you agree, properly drafted agreements matter. We can help prepare and review documents addressing property, debts, parenting responsibilities, support, and other issues before your divorce is finalized.

Collaboratave Divorce

Collaborative divorce can allow couples to resolve their differences outside traditional courtroom litigation.

For South Tampa couples who value privacy or want greater control over negotiations, collaborative divorce may provide an alternative way to address financial and parenting issues.

Child Custody and Timesharing

Florida custody cases focus on parental responsibility, timesharing, and parenting plans.

For South Tampa parents, a parenting plan may need to account for school schedules, extracurricular activities, transportation between homes, holidays, vacations, and each parent’s work obligations.

Our attorneys help parents pursue parenting arrangements focused on their children’s best interests while protecting their parental rights.

Child Support

Florida child support calculations consider factors including each parent’s income, the number of overnight stays with each parent, childcare costs, and health insurance expenses.

A South Tampa divorce lawyer can help make sure income and expenses are properly documented so that support calculations accurately reflect your family’s circumstances.

Alimony

Florida’s alimony laws have changed significantly in recent years. Whether support is appropriate depends on factors including the length of the marriage, the parties’ financial circumstances, and the applicable Florida statutes.

Our attorneys represent clients seeking alimony as well as clients responding to alimony requests.

Equitable Distribution and Property Division

Florida follows equitable distribution principles when dividing marital assets and liabilities.

Property division can involve:

– The marital residence
– Investment properties
– Bank accounts
– Brokerage accounts
– 401(k)s and retirement plans
– Pensions
– Stocks and investment portfolios
– Business interests
– Vehicles
– Personal property
– Credit card balances
– Mortgages and other debts

Determining which assets are marital, identifying nonmarital property, and properly valuing significant assets can become some of the most important parts of a South Tampa divorce.

High Asset Divorce

South Tampa has some of Tampa’s most valuable residential real estate and many households with substantial financial assets.

High-asset divorce may involve business ownership, executive compensation, investment portfolios, multiple properties, retirement accounts, trusts, stock awards, bonuses, professional practices, or other complicated financial interests.

These cases require careful financial analysis.

Our South Tampa divorce lawyers can work to identify marital assets, determine appropriate valuations, analyze financial records, and pursue an equitable distribution of the marital estate.

Military Divorce

South Tampa’s proximity to MacDill Air Force Base makes military divorce particularly relevant to the community.

Military divorces may involve issues that do not arise in a typical civilian case, including military retirement benefits, deployment, relocation, jurisdiction, military disability pay, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, and parenting schedules affected by military obligations.

Foley Family Law handles military divorce and family law matters for Tampa Bay families.

Why South Tampa Families Choose Foley Family Law

Family law is our focus. Foley Family Law concentrates on divorce, custody, support, and family law matters rather than treating divorce as one small part of a general legal practice.

Experience in Hillsborough County. Our attorneys regularly handle family law matters in Hillsborough County and understand the procedures involved in Tampa-area divorce cases.

A strategy from the beginning. Divorce is easier to navigate when you understand what happens next. We work with clients to identify priorities, potential problems, negotiation opportunities, and realistic outcomes.

Experience with complicated financial cases. South Tampa divorces can involve valuable homes, businesses, investment accounts, retirement savings, and substantial household income. Our attorneys handle complex and high-asset divorce litigation.

Transparent pricing. We discuss fees and pricing options so clients have a clearer understanding of the financial side of hiring a divorce attorney.

Client-focused representation. Your case is not simply a court filing. Decisions involving your children, finances, and property can affect your life long after the final judgment is entered.

Divorce in South Tampa Can Involve Significant Assets

South Tampa is different from many communities in Hillsborough County.

The area includes some of Tampa’s best-known residential neighborhoods and a large concentration of professionals, executives, business owners, military personnel, and established families.

That can make the financial side of divorce especially important.

A marital estate may include a South Tampa residence with substantial equity, retirement savings accumulated over a long marriage, investment accounts, rental properties, privately held businesses, professional practices, bonuses, or stock-based compensation.

One of the first questions is determining what is marital property.

An asset being titled in only one spouse’s name does not automatically mean that the asset is excluded from equitable distribution. Likewise, property owned before marriage may have both marital and nonmarital components depending on what occurred during the marriage.

Real estate can create another major decision.

Should the house be sold? Can one spouse afford to refinance and buy out the other’s interest? Is remaining in the home financially realistic after the divorce? Would keeping the home temporarily provide stability for the children?

A knowledgeable South Tampa divorce lawyer can evaluate these questions as part of the larger financial picture instead of considering each asset in isolation.

About South Tampa

South Tampa is not a separately incorporated city, so there is no single official Census population figure covering every neighborhood commonly considered “South Tampa.” The area generally refers to the portion of Tampa south of downtown and includes numerous neighborhoods between Tampa Bay, Hillsborough Bay, and MacDill Air Force Base.

What is clear from Census data is that Tampa continues to grow.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimated Tampa’s population at 413,554 as of July 1, 2025, compared with 384,959 residents counted in the 2020 Census. That’s growth of roughly 7.3% from the 2020 estimates base to 2025.

A few statistics provide additional context for families living in South Tampa and the surrounding city:

Tampa had approximately 166,278 households based on 2020–2024 Census data.
The city’s owner-occupied housing rate was 50.3%.
Approximately 45.7% of Tampa adults age 25 and older had a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Tampa averaged approximately 2.31 people per household.
A Census-derived profile covering southwest Hillsborough County and South Tampa reports approximately 59,221 households.
In that broader South Tampa-area profile, approximately 48% of residents age 15 and older were married.
The same profile reports divorced status for approximately 9% of men and 14% of women, although the estimates carry margins of error.

South Tampa also stands out economically. A 2026 City of Tampa housing assessment using ACS data found that approximately 43% of South Tampa households were above 120% of area median income.

Why do these numbers matter in divorce?

Because homeownership, household income, marriage, children, retirement savings, and professional careers all influence the issues that can arise when a marriage ends.

For a South Tampa homeowner, the house may represent one of the couple’s largest assets. For a professional couple, dividing retirement plans, investments, bonuses, or business interests may be just as important. For parents, maintaining school and community stability may shape timesharing negotiations.

Our goal is to understand the complete picture before recommending a strategy.

South Tampa Real Estate and Divorce

For many South Tampa couples, their residence is one of the most valuable assets in the marriage.

Neighborhoods surrounding Bayshore Boulevard, Hyde Park, Davis Islands, Palma Ceia, Beach Park, Sunset Park, and Bayshore Beautiful contain a wide range of high-value homes and established residential properties.

During divorce, there are generally several possibilities for dealing with a marital home.

The spouses may sell the property and divide the net proceeds. One spouse may refinance the mortgage and buy out the other’s interest. In certain situations, the parties may agree that one spouse will remain in the home for a period of time.

The right decision depends on far more than emotional attachment to the property.

Mortgage rates, equity, taxes, insurance, maintenance costs, income after divorce, and the ability to qualify for refinancing can all affect whether keeping the home makes financial sense.

Your South Tampa divorce lawyer can help evaluate the property as part of your overall equitable distribution strategy.

South Tampa Divorce and Parenting Plans

South Tampa families often build their schedules around schools, sports, extracurricular activities, work obligations, and the significant traffic corridors connecting neighborhoods throughout Tampa.

A workable parenting plan should reflect everyday life.

Florida parenting plans can address regular timesharing schedules, holidays, school breaks, summer vacations, transportation, communication, decision-making responsibilities, travel, and other parenting issues.

The goal should not simply be creating a schedule that looks balanced on paper. It should be creating an arrangement that works for your children and can realistically be followed by both parents.

Our South Tampa divorce attorneys help parents negotiate and litigate parenting plans when necessary.

FAQs About South Tampa Divorce Lawyers and Florida Divorce

Where do I file for divorce if I live in South Tampa?

South Tampa is part of the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County. Divorce cases are generally filed through the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court and handled within Florida's Thirteenth Judicial Circuit when Hillsborough County is the appropriate venue.

An attorney familiar with Hillsborough County family court can guide you through the local process.

What happens to our South Tampa home during divorce?

There is no automatic rule requiring the house to be sold.

Depending on the circumstances, you might sell the home and divide the proceeds, one spouse might buy out the other's interest, or another arrangement may be negotiated.

The property's equity, mortgage, marital versus nonmarital contributions, financial circumstances of each spouse, and parenting plan can all affect the decision.

Is Florida a 50/50 divorce state?

Florida applies equitable distribution to marital assets and liabilities. Courts generally begin with the premise that distribution should be equal, but Florida law allows courts to consider statutory factors that may support an unequal distribution.

The classification and valuation of property can therefore be just as important as the percentage ultimately awarded to each spouse.

Will I receive alimony in a South Tampa divorce?

Alimony is not automatic.

Whether alimony is available depends on Florida law and the specific financial circumstances of the marriage, including factors such as the length of the marriage, financial need, and the other spouse's ability to pay.

Because Florida's alimony laws have undergone major changes, it is important to discuss your circumstances with a Florida family law attorney rather than relying on outdated information.

How are retirement accounts divided in a Florida divorce?

The marital portion of retirement benefits may be subject to equitable distribution.

Dividing certain employer-sponsored retirement plans may require a Qualified Domestic Relations Order, commonly called a QDRO. Properly identifying the marital portion and completing the necessary documents can help prevent costly tax or distribution problems.

What if my spouse owns a business?

A business or an ownership interest in a business can become an important issue during divorce.

Depending on when the business was created, how it was funded, and how its value changed during the marriage, some or all of its value may be considered marital.

Business valuation may require examination of financial statements, tax returns, cash flow, ownership documents, compensation, liabilities, and other records.

Can we get an uncontested divorce if we agree on everything?

Yes. Couples who agree on their major divorce issues may be able to proceed through an uncontested process.

A written marital settlement agreement should clearly address applicable property, debts, support, and parenting issues. Having an attorney prepare or review the agreement can reduce the risk of ambiguous provisions creating disputes later.

Do I need a South Tampa divorce lawyer if my spouse and I are friendly?

An amicable relationship can make divorce considerably easier, but there are still legal and financial decisions to make.

An attorney can help you understand the consequences of the agreement before you sign it. That is particularly important when the marriage involves children, real estate, retirement savings, significant income, or business interests.

How long does a divorce take in South Tampa?

There is no single timeline.

An uncontested case can generally move much faster than a divorce involving disputes over children, property, support, or financial disclosure. Litigation, discovery, mediation, expert valuations, and court availability can extend the process.

During your consultation, our attorneys can discuss a more realistic timeline based on the circumstances of your case.

How much does a South Tampa divorce lawyer cost?

The cost of a divorce depends largely on complexity and the amount of disagreement between the spouses.

A straightforward uncontested matter generally requires less attorney time than a contested divorce involving custody disputes, business valuations, significant assets, or litigation.

Foley Family Law offers transparent pricing options and discusses expected fees with clients before representation begins.

Areas We Serve Near South Tampa

Foley Family Law represents divorce and family law clients throughout South Tampa and surrounding Tampa communities, including:

Hyde Park, Davis Islands, Palma Ceia, Bayshore Beautiful, Ballast Point, Beach Park, Virginia Park, Sunset Park, Harbour Island, MacDill, Tampa Heights, Downtown Tampa, West Tampa, Seminole Heights, and other communities throughout Hillsborough County.

Our Tampa office is conveniently located at:

505 East Jackson Street
Suite 205
Tampa, FL 33602

Learn more about our divorce, contested divorce, uncontested divorce, child custody, alimony, equitable distribution, high-asset divorce, military divorce, and family law services.

Talk With a South Tampa Divorce Lawyer Today

Divorce can affect where you live, how often you see your children, what happens to property you spent years building, and what your finances look like after your marriage ends.

You deserve to understand your options before making those decisions.

Foley Family Law represents clients throughout South Tampa and Hillsborough County with a focused approach to divorce and family law. Whether you are considering filing, have already been served, or simply need to understand what could happen next, our attorneys can help you develop a plan.

TAKE THE FIRST STEP BY SPEAKING WITH A SOUTH TAMPA DIVORCE LAWYER AT FOLEY FAMILY LAW.

505 East Jackson St.

(813) 272-2345

Mon - Fri: 9 - 5