James F. Feuerstein IIIBankruptcy AttorneyTavares, FL ·
Florida is a no fault state, meaning the party wanting a divorce does not have to state legal grounds other than the marriage is irretrievably broken. You can request the court order the parties to meet with a marriage counselor, but I have not seen this done in a very long time.
Seek competent legal advice from a family attorney in your area so your know all of your options.
As previously suggested, you could allege that the marriage is not irretrievably broken and request that the judge order you to go to marriage counseling. This is probably a waste of time if he/she has a lawyer, since there is case law that suggests what the other side needs to say to defeat the motion.
If one of the parties wants a divorce, then you won't be able to stop. You might be able to drag it out, but it will still happen. After 21 years of marriage you need to protect yourself. Depending upon the parties comparative financial positions, you might be eligible for permanent alimony. At least consult with an experienced family law attorney.
As all other lawyers have suggested, it takes two to tango, so if one party doesn't want to stay married, it's over. The only way to prevent divorce is to convince your spouse to stay married, usually impossible after one mind is made up.
You can seek support unconnected to dissolution to get alimony and child support without a divorce. However if your spouse wants to get a divorce it is very unlikely you will be able to stop them.