Dale L. Bernstein has watched Land O’ Lakes grow from a scattering of subdivisions into one of Pasco County’s busiest communities, and family law cases have grown right along with it.
His office represents clients throughout Land O’ Lakes in divorce, child custody, child support, paternity, and domestic violence matters, drawing on nearly 40 years handling family law cases in the Sixth Judicial Circuit.
Land O’ Lakes has grown from a rural crossroads into one of Pasco County’s largest communities, with a population of roughly 38,900 residents and more than 10,000 family households, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Nearly a third of those households include children under 18, which means custody and time-sharing disputes come up alongside divorce filings more often here than in communities with an older population.
New subdivisions along Collier Parkway, Ehren Cutoff, and the Suncoast Parkway corridor have brought young families to Land O’ Lakes from Tampa, Orlando, and out of state, often with complex property and custody questions tied to a recent move.
A case here often involves out-of-state assets, recent relocations, or a parenting plan that must account for a long commute along State Road 54 or the Veterans Expressway.
Dale L. Bernstein has represented Pasco County families in divorce and family law matters since 1986, following his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law.
He is admitted to the Florida Bar, the U.S. District Court for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court, and he previously chaired the Florida Bar Family Law Section’s Professionalism Subcommittee.
You can read more about his background on his attorney profile page.
Handling a family law case for nearly 40 years means recognizing which disputes settle through negotiation and which ones require a judge’s decision.
That experience shapes how each Land O’ Lakes case gets prepared from the first consultation, rather than treating every filing the same way.
Family law matters filed by Land O’ Lakes residents are generally heard at the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center at 38053 Live Oak Avenue in Dade City, since Land O’ Lakes falls within East Pasco for court purposes.
The Pasco County Clerk’s office processes family law filings at this location as well as the West Pasco Judicial Center in New Port Richey, and which one applies to a given hearing depends on the judge and division assigned to the case.
Knowing which courthouse and judge will handle a case, and how that judge tends to approach contested time-sharing or property division, shapes how a case gets prepared from the first filing. That local familiarity is part of what a Land O’ Lakes family lawyer brings to a case beyond knowledge of the statutes themselves.
A divorce filed in Land O’ Lakes typically requires the court to divide marital property under Florida’s equitable distribution rules, decide whether alimony applies, and, when there are children, establish a parenting plan and child support obligation.
None of these issues gets decided in isolation, since a decision about the marital home can affect what a support calculation looks like once the case is finalized.
A Pasco County divorce generally addresses:
Florida’s 2023 divorce rate stood at 3.0 per 1,000 residents, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, meaning Land O’ Lakes families going through this process are far from alone in the surrounding Tampa Bay area.
Attorney Bernstein represents clients on both sides of a Pasco County divorce, whether the case settles through negotiation or proceeds to a contested hearing.
Florida law refers to custody as parental responsibility and time-sharing rather than the older terms some clients still use, and a judge deciding these issues has to apply the best-interest factors set out in Florida Statute 61.13.
Some of the factors a Pasco County judge weighs most heavily include:
For a Land O’ Lakes family, that often means addressing which school zone the children will remain in, how a long commute along US 41 or the Suncoast Parkway affects exchange logistics, and whether a parent relocating for work triggers Florida’s separate relocation statute.
A time-sharing schedule that looks reasonable on paper can fall apart quickly if it ignores these practical details.
Florida calculates child support using a formula in Florida Statute 61.30 that factors in both parents’ incomes, the number of overnights each parent has with the children, health insurance costs, and childcare expenses.
The guideline calculation typically accounts for:
The formula produces a starting number, but a court can deviate when the guideline amount would be unjust, such as for extraordinary medical costs or additional children from another relationship.
Disputes here often come down to how a parent’s income gets calculated, particularly for self-employed parents or those who recently changed jobs.
When parents are not married, paternity has to be established before a court can enter orders on custody, time-sharing, or child support.
This can happen voluntarily through a signed acknowledgment or through a paternity action filed with the court, which may include genetic testing if parentage is disputed.
A paternity case resolves more than just who the legal father is. It also sets the same parental responsibility, time-sharing, and support framework that applies in a divorce, so the outcome shapes the relationship between a Land O’ Lakes parent and child for years afterward.
A Land O’ Lakes resident facing domestic violence can request a temporary injunction from the court without the other party present, and Florida law requires a full hearing within 15 days of that temporary order.
Missing that hearing, whether you are the petitioner or the respondent, can result in an injunction being dismissed or made permanent without your side of the story being heard.
These cases move on a compressed timeline compared to a typical family law filing, which makes early legal guidance especially important.
An injunction can also affect custody and time-sharing decisions in a related divorce or paternity case, so the two matters rarely stay separate for long.
Couples in Land O’ Lakes increasingly enter marriage with retirement accounts, a business, or a home purchased before the relationship began, and a prenuptial agreement can define how those assets are treated if the marriage later ends.
A postnuptial agreement serves a similar purpose for couples who want that clarity after the wedding.
Florida generally enforces these agreements when:
An agreement drafted without those safeguards risks being challenged and set aside during a later divorce, which defeats the purpose of having one in the first place.
Florida courts, including those in the Sixth Judicial Circuit, generally require mediation before a contested family law issue can come before a judge.
This applies to divorce, time-sharing, and support disputes alike, and it gives both sides a chance to reach an agreement outside the courtroom before using the court’s limited hearing time.
The Sixth Judicial Circuit’s alternative dispute resolution program outlines how this process works for Pasco and Pinellas County cases.
Mediation does not mean giving up the right to a contested hearing. It does mean a Land O’ Lakes case is more likely to resolve through negotiation with an attorney present than to require a full trial.
New residential development in Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, and Trinity has brought families to this part of Pasco County who are working through divorce or custody matters without deep roots in the local court system.
Attorney Bernstein represents clients from these communities along with Lutz and Odessa near the Pasco and Hillsborough County line, where family law cases sometimes involve questions about which county’s courts have jurisdiction.
Whether a case involves a starter home near US 41 or a larger property near the Suncoast Parkway, the same Florida statutes and Sixth Judicial Circuit procedures apply. What changes from case to case is how those rules interact with a family’s specific finances, parenting schedule, and future goals.
Whether you are filing for divorce, responding to a paternity action, or need an emergency injunction, Dale L. Bernstein, Chartered Law Office has represented Pasco County families in family law matters for nearly 40 years.
Call 727-862-4411 or contact us online to schedule a consultation with a Land O’ Lakes family lawyer and discuss the next steps in your case.
Most Land O’ Lakes cases are heard at the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center in Dade City, since Land O’ Lakes falls within East Pasco for court purposes. Call 727-862-4411 and we can confirm which courthouse and division your case falls under.
Yes. Attorney Bernstein represents both mothers and fathers in establishing paternity, along with the custody, time-sharing, and support orders that follow. Call 727-862-4411 to discuss your paternity matter.
A Pasco County judge considers the length of the marriage, each spouse’s income and earning capacity, and the standard of living during the marriage before deciding whether alimony applies.
Call Dale L. Bernstein, Chartered Law Office at 727-862-4411 to discuss whether alimony may be a factor in your case.
The court can order the home sold and the proceeds divided, award it to one spouse as part of the overall property division, or allow a parent to remain there temporarily for the children’s stability. Call 727-862-4411 to talk through the options for your Land O’ Lakes home.
Florida courts can enforce an order through a contempt action, which may result in makeup time-sharing, a judgment for unpaid support, or other penalties against the noncompliant parent. Call Dale L. Bernstein, Chartered Law Office at 727-862-4411 to discuss enforcing your Pasco County order.