Arcaro Law Group

Don’t Make These Mistakes During A Divorce In Broward County, Florida

  • By: Laura Arcaro
Avoiding divorce mistakes in Broward County, Florida: legal advice

In this article, you can discover…

  • Why it’s unwise to hide assets prior to a divorce.
  • How to handle social media and communications during a Florida divorce.
  • How an attorney can help you navigate divorce emotionally and practically.

How Can Hiding Assets In A Divorce In Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Affect The Outcome?

Hiding assets during a divorce is arguably the most serious divorce mistake that you can make. The consequences that come about as a result of doing this are quite severe. Florida law requires you to fully disclose your finances in both divorce and paternity cases. This is because courts must fairly divide marital assets and liabilities and accurately calculate child support under the Florida guidelines.

Courts and opposing attorneys have various ways to uncover hidden assets, including bank records, tax filings, and financial investigations. If you are caught concealing assets, you risk:

  • Losing credibility with the judge, opposing counsel, and potentially even your own lawyer.
  • Facing court penalties, including sanctions or losing a portion of assets.
  • Jeopardizing child custody or support determinations if outright dishonesty is a factor.

Transparency is always the best approach in a divorce. Attempting to manipulate financial disclosures can backfire big time, ultimately harming both the financial outcome and your own rights in the long term.

Why Should I Avoid Posting About My Spouse On Social Media As My Divorce Unfolds?

When going through a divorce, your safest bet is to avoid posting on social media altogether. This isn’t just about refraining from posting about your spouse it’s about not posting at all. What you share online can easily be misinterpreted, taken out of context, or even used against you in court.

People tend to post the best parts of their lives online vacations, shopping sprees, nights out at restaurants. But during a divorce, those posts can especially undermine your case. If you’re seeking spousal support or claiming financial hardship, the opposing party may use your social media posts to argue that you have more financial means than you claim. Even harmless-looking posts could suggest hidden assets or undisclosed income, they’ll argue.

Beyond the financial implications, anything you post comments, photos, and even likes can be used as evidence. If you make negative remarks about your spouse, their attorney, or the judge, it could be perceived as harassment. In child custody disputes in Ft. Lauderdale, posts like these that seem hostile or inflammatory might dramatically hurt your case and significantly impact your rights as a parent.

Divorce is already an incredibly stressful and emotional thing to experience. Posting about your anger, frustrations, or even personal victories can escalate tension between you and your spouse, making it harder to negotiate settlements or custody arrangements. Even if your post wasn’t intended to cause harm, it could be misinterpreted, leading to unnecessary complications in your case. Instead:

  • Insofar as possible, stay off social media.
  • Lock down your privacy settings on all accounts.
  • Do not delete past posts. Doing so could raise legal issues related to evidence destruction.
  • Think carefully before posting. If you’re unsure, it’s best to opt against posting.

Why Is It Important To Document Communications During A Divorce?

As you might suspect, divorce proceedings can quickly turn into he-said, she-said arguments. This makes clearly documenting conversations and agreements essential. Keeping thorough records such as emails, text messages, phone calls, and voicemails can help establish:

  • Timelines of events and agreements.
  • Proof of misconduct, such as repeated violations of time-sharing agreements.
  • Evidence of cooperation (or lack thereof) between parties.

If one parent repeatedly refuses to cooperate with a time-sharing schedule or violates temporary agreements, having a written record can be used as evidence in court. For example, if you agree to switch weekends with your co-parent, follow up with a written message like:
 Just confirming that you’ll have the kids this weekend, and I’ll have them next weekend. After that, we’ll return to our regular schedule.

This simple communication:

  • Creates a clear record of the agreement.
  • Shows you are acting in good faith and trying to avoid conflict.
  • Prevents misunderstandings that could be used against you later.

When documenting communication, be sure to always use a neutral, professional tone and avoid emotional language or accusations. Stick to the facts and keep everything as concise as you can.

How Is Involving Children In A Divorce A Mistake?

There is no situation where involving children in a divorce is appropriate it’s always a mistake. Children should never be caught in the middle of their parents’ legal battles. Speaking negatively about the other parent, pressuring children to take sides, or using them to relay messages can cause serious emotional distress and long-term harm.

In Florida, the court considers whether a parent encourages a healthy relationship between the child and the other parent as a factor in its judgments. If a parent bad-mouths their ex or discourages the child from having a relationship with them, it can negatively impact their custody case.

Your children didn’t choose the situation they find themselves in, and they shouldn’t have to bear the emotional burden. So, don’t share any of the legal details of the divorce with them. Don’t criticize their other parent in front of them. And don’t let family or friends bad-mouth your ex where the children can overhear.

Focusing on co-parenting with respect helps ensure that your children feel secure and supported rather than torn between two parents at odds that they love. Direct your energy toward this instead.

What Are The Risks Of Not Creating A Financial Budget After A Divorce?

Divorce fundamentally changes everything, including your financial circumstances. What was once a shared marital estate a single financial pot, if you will is now divided into two. While the default split is often equal, if there wasn’t much to begin with, an equal split may not leave either party with much financial security.

Many underestimate how difficult it is to live on a single income, especially when factoring in alimony and child support obligations
, health insurance and medical expenses
, property taxes, maintenance costs, and paying for utilities. This doesn’t even get at any unexpected emergencies or lifestyle adjustments that may pop up over time.

Many people want to keep the family home after divorce for stability, especially for their children. However, they often overlook:

  • Mortgage payments but now on one income
  • Property taxes and homeowners insurance
  • Maintenance and unexpected repairs

If these costs aren’t carefully considered, what was once a source of comfort can become an immense financial burden.

The sooner you create a realistic post-divorce budget, the smoother your transition will be. Planning ahead ensures financial stability, prevents overspending, and helps avoid unexpected financial struggles down the road. Think through these things and start some basic post-divorce financial planning in Florida as the conclusion of your divorce draws near if you haven’t already.

The Power Of Poor Decision-Making

In some cases, your attempt to manipulate the divorce process whether by ignoring court orders, withholding financial disclosures, or refusing to cooperate can actually ultimately benefit your ex-spouse while working against yourself.

A common mistake many make is assuming that delaying financial disclosures will create leverage in negotiations. However, judges take transparency seriously, and when one party appears to be dishonest or evasive, it can lead to severe consequences, including:

  • A larger share of marital assets awarded to the other spouse
  • The judge assuming hidden assets exist and ruling accordingly
  • Court-ordered payment of the other spouse’s legal fees

In one case we handled, our client refused to fully disclose financial information, thinking it would strengthen their bargaining position. Instead, the judge ended up ruling against them, awarding their spouse a significantly larger share of the assets than they otherwise likely would have. On top of that, the judge ordered them to cover their ex’s attorney fees, making the financial loss even greater.

Helping Clients Avoid Making Emotionally-Driven Mistakes During A Divorce

Divorce is an emotional process, and it’s easy to make impulsive decisions out of anger, fear, or frustration. Acting on emotions rather than logic and strategy oftentimes leads to regret with severe and negative long-term consequences that follow.

We strive to help clients take a step back and focus on long-term goals rather than reacting to short-term frustrations.
 Not every fight is worth the cost. We explain what’s worth pursuing and what may only lead to unnecessary conflict.

We also emphasize the importance of hard evidence. No one has gotten away with anything until the final judgment is entered. The court process allows for misconduct to come to light, so emotional retaliation is not necessary.

More than this, we also encourage constructive communication, helping our clients to de-escalate conflict and promote productive discussions with the other party.

Why Helping Floridians With Divorce Matters To Us

Family law isn’t just about legal battles it’s about guiding people through one of the most difficult, emotional, and life-changing experiences they’ll ever face. I know this not just as an attorney but from personal experience.

I’ve seen firsthand how a well-handled divorce can empower someone to rebuild their life with confidence and stability, while a poorly handled one can leave lasting emotional and financial scars. I became a lawyer to ensure that my clients don’t go through this alone that they have the guidance, support, and advocacy needed to make informed decisions and move forward with dignity and self-respect.

Divorce is never easy, but with the right strategy and support, you can come out stronger on the other side. That’s why I do what I do.

Still Have Questions? Ready To Get Started?

For more information on Divorce mistakes to avoid in Broward County, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (954) 546-7280 today.