Military Divorce in Florida: Dividing the Military Pension
The USFSPA, the "frozen benefit" rule, the real meaning of the 10/10 rule, and why the SBP election deadline can quietly cost a former spouse everything.
Read the guide →
Green Bench Law, PLLC · Tampa Bay, Florida
Some disputes settle. Yours may need a fight.
Green Bench Law is a Tampa Bay family law firm — divorce, time-sharing, and support — with a veteran-owned focus on military and veteran family matters, plus civil litigation and select criminal defense. Trial-tested. On your side of the bench.
Florida Bar Member since 2018
Military & Veteran Family Law
Former Assistant Public Defender
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran
Bilingual — English / Español
In court, "the bench" means the judge. We make sure your side is heard from it.
Our core focus
Florida family law, handled with strategy — not just sympathy
Family cases are won with preparation: clean financial disclosure, credible evidence, realistic parenting proposals, and a lawyer who knows when to negotiate and when to set the case for hearing.
Because our founder is also a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator, you get something rare: an advocate who knows exactly how the other side's mediator and the court will evaluate your case — and builds your position accordingly.
Divorce / Dissolution
Contested and uncontested, including high-conflict and complex-asset matters.
Time-Sharing & Parenting Plans
Building plans that courts approve and families can actually live with.
Child Support
Guideline calculations, deviations, enforcement, and modification.
Alimony
Claims and defenses under Florida's reformed alimony statute.
Paternity
Establishing rights and responsibilities for unmarried parents.
Modifications & Enforcement
When circumstances change — or court orders are ignored.
Protective Injunctions
Petitioners and respondents in domestic, dating, repeat violence & stalking cases.
Interstate Cases
Multi-state custody and support under the UCCJEA and UIFSA.
A veteran serving veterans
Military & veteran family law
Military divorces aren't civilian divorces with uniforms. They involve federal statutes layered over Florida law — pension division under the USFSPA, VA disability rules the state court can't touch, deployment provisions, and PCS moves that scatter a case across state lines. Our founder is a Marine Corps veteran; with MacDill AFB in our backyard, these cases are a core focus, not a sideline.
Military Divorce & Pension Division
Getting the money right when one spouse serves.
- Military retired pay division under the USFSPA
- The "frozen benefit" rule & DFAS direct-pay orders
- Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) elections
- TSP, BAH & allowances in support calculations
VA Disability & Support
What can — and can't — be divided or counted.
- VA disability in property division vs. support
- Retired-pay waivers and their consequences
- CRDP / CRSC issues
- Protecting benefits while meeting obligations
Deployment & Time-Sharing
Parenting plans that survive military life.
- Temporary modifications during deployment
- Designating family to exercise time-sharing
- SCRA protections & stays
- PCS moves, relocation & interstate custody (UCCJEA)
Also in our wheelhouse
Criminal defense & civil litigation
Criminal Defense & Record Relief
Trial experience from the public defender's office — where defense is learned the hard way, in front of juries.
- Misdemeanor defense
- Record sealing & expungement
- Suppression & constitutional motions
Civil Litigation
Balanced experience on both plaintiff and defense sides — so we anticipate the other table's playbook.
- Contract & business disputes
- Property & HOA litigation
- Defamation & privacy torts
- Pre-suit demands & strategy
Not Sure What You Need?
That's exactly why the first consultation is free. Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly what kind of help you need — even if it isn't us.
- Free initial phone consultation
- Plain-language case assessment
- Referrals to trusted specialists when appropriate
Could your dispute settle instead?
Not every case needs a courtroom. Our founder also serves as a Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator and Approved Arbitrator through a separate neutral practice, Miller the Mediator. If both sides are ready to talk, mediation can resolve a dispute in a single day — confidentially, and at a fraction of the cost of litigation.
Important: a mediator is a neutral, not your advocate. Miller the Mediator cannot serve as the neutral in any matter where Green Bench Law represents a party, and vice versa.
Miller the Mediator
Mediation & arbitration · FL, GA & TX
In-person Tampa Bay or remote via Zoom
Your advocate
Joshua C. Miller, Esq.
Founder, Green Bench Law, PLLC
- Florida Bar Member since 2018
- J.D., Stetson University College of Law
- Trial experience — Assistant Public Defender, Florida's 12th Judicial Circuit
- Balanced civil litigation background: plaintiff & defense
- Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit, County & Family Mediator
- Guardian ad Litem certified
- U.S. Marine Corps — linguist & intelligence analyst
"Knowing how cases settle is exactly what makes you dangerous when they don't."
Josh's path to the courtroom ran through the Marine Corps, where he served as a linguist and intelligence analyst — work that demanded precision under pressure. As an Assistant Public Defender he tried cases for clients who couldn't afford to lose, then moved into civil litigation on both sides of the "v."
His family mediation certification isn't a side credential — it's a strategic edge. He has sat in the neutral's chair in hundreds of disputes and knows precisely how mediators reality-test positions and how judges evaluate parenting plans, support calculations, and credibility. Your case gets built with that endgame in view from day one.
🌐 Full representation available in English and Spanish — not just translation, but advocacy.
Florida family law, explained
Military Family Law
Military Family Law
Military Family Law
Florida Family Law
Florida Family Law
Florida Family Law
Criminal Record Relief
Protective Injunctions
From the blog
Plain-language guides to the questions we hear most. Informational only — not legal advice for your specific situation.
VA Disability and Divorce: What Florida Courts Can and Can't Touch
VA disability can't be divided as property — but it absolutely counts for support. The federal rules every divorcing veteran and military spouse should understand.
Read the guide →Deployment and Time-Sharing: How Florida Protects Servicemember Parents
Florida law has specific rules for parents who deploy — temporary modifications, designating family to exercise your time-sharing, and SCRA protections.
Read the guide →Florida's 50/50 Time-Sharing Presumption: What Parents Need to Know
Since July 2023, Florida law starts from a rebuttable presumption that equal time-sharing is in the child's best interests. What that does — and doesn't — mean.
Read the guide →How Child Support Is Actually Calculated in Florida
It's not a guess — it's a statutory formula. Florida's income shares model, what counts as income, how overnights move the number, and when courts deviate.
Read the guide →Alimony in Florida After the 2023 Reform: The New Rules
Permanent alimony is gone. Durational alimony now has caps tied to marriage length. What the reform means whether you expect to pay or receive support.
Read the guide →Sealing or Expunging Your Florida Criminal Record: Who Qualifies
One arrest shouldn't follow you forever. The difference between sealing and expunction, the eligibility rules, and how the FDLE process actually works.
Read the guide →What to Expect at a Florida Injunction Hearing
Injunction cases move in days, not months. How the hearing works, what evidence matters, and why both petitioners and respondents need to prepare fast.
Read the guide →
Get started today
The first conversation is free
Book directly on the calendar, call, or send a brief intake below.
(813) 485-5540
Email: Josh@GreenBenchLaw.com
Instagram: @GreenBenchLaw
Serving: Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco & statewide Florida
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