How much does divorce mediation cost in Florida?

Short answer: If your divorce is sent to a Florida circuit court's own mediation program, state law sets the fee at $60 per person per scheduled session when your combined income is under $50,000, and $120 per person per session when it is over $50,000 but under $100,000. Indigent parties pay nothing. Private mediators set their own fees, and no official Florida source publishes what they charge.

This is general information, not legal advice. It covers Florida only.

Court-program fees set by Florida law

Florida Statutes § 44.108(2) (2026) sets the fees the clerk collects "When court-ordered mediation services are provided by a circuit court's mediation program." The fees apply "unless otherwise established in the General Appropriations Act" (the state budget).¹

Case type	Fee set by § 44.108(2)
Family mediation, combined income less than $50,000	$60 per person per scheduled session
Family mediation, combined income greater than $50,000 but less than $100,000 per year	$120 per person per scheduled session
County court case, amount in dispute not over $15,000	$60 per person per scheduled session
Party found to be indigent	No fee
Residential eviction case	No fee
Small claims case	No fee

A few things to notice:

• The fee is per person. Each spouse pays their own.
• It is per scheduled session, not per hour.
• It is based on the couple's combined income, not each person's income alone.
• "Indigent" means the court or clerk has found you unable to pay. Ask the clerk how to apply.

The same statute also adds a $1 filing fee to all circuit and county court cases to help pay for mediation and arbitration services.¹

What happens at $100,000 or more

The statute's family fees stop at combined income "less than $100,000 per year."¹ It sets no court-program fee above that. Several circuits say plainly that those couples cannot use the program:

• The 18th Circuit (Brevard and Seminole): "If the combined income is more than $100,000 you are not eligible for the Court Mediation program. You must schedule a private mediation."²
• The 11th Circuit (Miami-Dade): couples above $100,000 "are not eligible for services provided by the Court's Family Mediation Division" and "may hire a private mediator."³
• The 12th Circuit: "By law, the Family Mediation Program is not allowed to mediate for parties whose combined gross annual income is greater than $100,000.00."⁴
• The 15th Circuit (Palm Beach): those parties "will be required to obtain mediation services from an independent/private mediator."⁵

The 9th Circuit says couples above $100,000 "may select a private mediator, or the court can provide a rotation list of mediators from which to make a selection."⁶

How Florida's circuits differ

Florida has 20 judicial circuits, and each runs its own mediation program.⁷ The statutory fees are the same everywhere, but the details are not. Here is what a few circuit pages say (read on 2026-10-06):

• Session length. The 11th Circuit charges "$60 per person for each two hour session." The 9th Circuit charges "$60.00 per party for up to one 3 hour session." The 12th Circuit says "Each mediation session is up to three hours in length."³⁶⁴
• Gross or net income. The 12th and 18th Circuits use combined gross income. The 17th Circuit (Broward) describes the limit as "combined net income of less than $100,000."⁴²⁸
• Paperwork. The 12th Circuit requires financial affidavits from both parties before it will sign an order referring the case to its program.⁴
• Late cancellations. The 9th Circuit says that for cancellations "with less than 24 hours (1 full business day) notice, the full fee for parties shall be due."⁶
• Missed sessions. The 12th Circuit says a party who fails to appear "shall be assessed for the missed session."⁴

Check your own circuit's family mediation page or call its mediation office before your session.

What private mediators charge

No statute, court rule or official Florida court source publishes the rates private mediators charge. So we don't give a price range or an "average." Each private mediator sets a fee.

MediationList will show rates that mediators report on their claimed profiles once at least 10 mediators in Florida have reported them. Until then, ask each mediator for their written fee explanation and compare.

Rules every Florida certified mediator must follow on fees

The Florida Supreme Court's rules for certified and court-appointed mediators, Rule 10.380, say:⁹

• Fees "must be reasonable and consistent with the nature of the case."
• Time-based charges "must not exceed actual time spent or allocated."
• Charges for costs "may only be for costs actually incurred."
• "All fees and costs must be appropriately divided between the parties."
• Written fee explanation. Before mediation, the mediator must give the parties or their lawyers a written explanation of fees and costs. It must cover the basis and amount of charges, "including minimum fees and travel time"; postponement and cancellation charges; other charges; and each party's share if the court or the parties have already set it.
• No contingent fees. "A mediator must not charge a contingent fee or base a fee on the outcome of the process." A contingent fee is one that depends on the result.
• No referral payments. Mediators may not give or receive commissions or rebates for referrals.
• Records. Mediators must keep records supporting their charges and give an accounting on request.

A separate rule, 10.690, says a mediator "should provide mediation services pro bono or at a reduced rate of compensation whenever appropriate." Pro bono means free.⁹

If the court appoints a mediator who charges a fee

In family cases, Florida Family Law Rule 12.740(c)(3) protects people who can't afford a private fee:¹⁰

• Ability to pay first. "Unless otherwise agreed by the parties," a court may refer a family case to a mediator or program that charges a fee "only after the court has determined that the parties have the financial ability to pay a fee." The court can use financial affidavits for this.
• Judge sets the rate if there's no agreement. If the fee isn't set by § 44.108 and there's no written agreement on pay, the mediator is paid "at an hourly rate set by the presiding judge in the referral order." The judge may also decide whether the fees are reasonable.
• Split between spouses. The court may divide fees between the parties and state each share in the referral order.
• Objecting to the rate. "Parties may object to the rate of the mediator's compensation within 15 days of the order of referral."

The Florida civil rules have a separate "financial hardship" objection, but it is for county court cases sent to a fee-charging mediator, not divorces.¹¹

Other costs to know about

If a party skips a scheduled family mediation without good cause, the court, on motion, "shall impose sanctions, including an award of mediator and attorneys' fees and other costs."¹² Lawyers' fees are separate from the mediator's fee.

To compare certified family mediators near you, browse Florida family mediators or get matched.