In Florida, if you are unable to locate your spouse to serve them with divorce papers, you can request to publish a notice of the divorce in a newspaper in the area where your spouse was last known to reside. This is known as “divorce by publication.”
To proceed with a divorce by publication in Florida, you must first make a diligent effort to locate your spouse, including checking with family, friends, and searching public records. If you are still unable to find them, you can ask the court for permission to serve them by publication.
The court will typically require you to submit an affidavit detailing your efforts to locate your spouse, as well as the information to be included in the publication notice. The notice must be published in a newspaper approved by the court for a specified period of time, usually once a week for four consecutive weeks.
After the publication period, if your spouse does not respond, you may be able to proceed with the divorce as a default judgment. It is important to follow the specific procedures and requirements set by the court to ensure that the divorce by publication is valid.
It is recommended to consult with an experienced divorce attorney in Florida to guide you through the process and ensure that your rights are protected.