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Questions the Judge Asks at an Uncontested Florida Hearing

Reviewed by the Amicably document team · Updated August 22, 2026

At an uncontested Florida divorce hearing, the judge asks a short, predictable set of questions to confirm your identity, your Florida residency, and that you signed your settlement agreement (and parenting plan, if you have children) knowingly and voluntarily. The exact questions, and who has to answer them, depend on which track your case follows: Simplified Dissolution needs both spouses to answer together, while a regular uncontested divorce, with or without children, usually needs only the spouse who filed.

Why the questions are short and predictable

An uncontested final hearing is not a trial. Both of you already agreed on everything: how property and debts are divided, whether alimony applies, and, if you have children, the parenting plan and child support. The judge's job at the hearing is to confirm that agreement was reached properly, not to weigh a dispute or second-guess the terms. That is why the questions are narrow and the hearing itself is usually brief.

The judge is also required to confirm a small set of legal basics before signing the final judgment: that the person answering is who the petition says they are, that Florida residency is established, that the no-fault ground for divorce applies, and that whoever signed the settlement agreement (and parenting plan) did so on their own, with a clear understanding of what it says. Nothing about the property split, the parenting schedule, or the support amount gets renegotiated out loud.

The core questions asked in every hearing

Wording varies by judge and by county, but the same five questions or their close equivalent come up in almost every uncontested hearing:

1. Identity: confirming your name and that you are the petitioner (or respondent) named in the case.
2. Residency: confirming that at least one spouse has lived in Florida for 6 months before filing, backed by the driver license, ID card, voter registration card, or corroborating witness testimony already on file with the court.
3. The no-fault ground: confirming the marriage is irretrievably broken and that there is no reasonable chance of reconciliation.
4. Voluntariness: confirming you read, understood, and signed the settlement agreement (and parenting plan, if you have children) freely, without pressure from the other spouse.
5. Name restoration: confirming whether you want a former name restored, if that request was included in your petition.

Answers to all five are almost always short: a name, a yes, or a brief confirming sentence. The judge is not looking for elaboration, and volunteering extra detail about the marriage or the disagreement that led to it is unnecessary and can slow the hearing down.

How the questions differ by track

Who answers these questions, and how many of them there are, depends on which of the three routes your case follows.

If there is no property or debt in dispute and both of you filed jointly, expect the Simplified Dissolution questions above and nothing more. If one spouse filed and the other signed the Answer and Waiver instead of appearing, only the filing spouse answers the judge in the courtroom (or on video, in counties that allow it).

The hearing, question by question

Most uncontested hearings run through the core questions in roughly the same order. Knowing the sequence ahead of time is the single easiest way to feel less nervous on the day.

1. FirstThe judge confirms who is present in the courtroom or on the video call and checks that proof of residency is already on file.
2. NextThe judge asks whether the marriage is irretrievably broken and whether there is any reasonable chance of reconciliation.
3. ThenThe judge asks whether you read, understood, and voluntarily signed the settlement agreement, and the parenting plan if you have children.
4. If applicableThe judge confirms the parenting plan and any child support terms are understood and were agreed to voluntarily.
5. LastThe judge confirms any name-restoration request, then signs the final judgment on the record.

Extra questions when there are children

In Package 3 cases, uncontested divorces with minor or dependent children, the judge adds a few questions on top of the core five. These focus on whether the parenting plan and support terms were entered into knowingly and whether they serve the children's best interest, not on re-litigating custody or a schedule:

• Confirming both parents reviewed and understood the parenting plan before signing it.
• Confirming the time-sharing schedule and decision-making terms in the plan are what both parents intend.
• Confirming the child support amount on the worksheet reflects both parents' current income, or, if the parents agreed to a different amount, that the deviation was understood and voluntary

Because these questions confirm an agreement already reached in writing, they are still brief. The judge is not asking either parent to justify the schedule or the support figure, only to confirm both understood and agreed to what they signed.

How to prepare your answers before hearing day

1. Reread your settlement agreement and parenting plan (if you have one) a few days before the hearing so the terms are fresh, not something you are seeing again for the first time under pressure.
2. Confirm which track your case follows and who is actually required to attend, so nobody shows up unprepared or misses a hearing they needed to be at.
3. Practice saying your answers out loud in short, complete sentences: "Yes, I signed it voluntarily" lands better than a long explanation.
4. Bring valid photo ID and, if it is not already filed, your proof of Florida residency.
5. Confirm your hearing format ahead of time; some Florida counties offer remote video hearings for regular uncontested cases, while others require an in-person appearance .

After the last question

Once the judge is satisfied with your answers, they sign the final judgment of dissolution and the clerk enters it in the case file. At that point the marriage is legally over immediately; there is no additional testimony or follow-up appearance required for an uncontested case. From there you can request certified copies of the judgment for banks, employers, or the passport office, and begin any name-restoration or account changes tied to the divorce.

Frequently asked questions