A default judgment! How did that happen? You were served with a divorce petition and did not file an answer within 20 days. That is the rule - you have 20 days after you were served to file an answer to a petition for dissolution of marriage in Florida. When you do not file your answer or file any paper on time, the clerk's office can enter a default judgement.
First, it is not much of a "judgment" legally speaking. It is the first step to limiting a defendant's right to defend him/herself. If there are no money issues involved in the divorce, the final hearing can be held without any further notice to the defaulted party. That does not happen often in divorce cases. In family court a default judgment has limited effect due to the two remaining reasons.
Second, child custody (parenting plans) cannot be decided by default. Third, money issues like child support and alimony require that you be permitted to dispute the amount. So the only time a default will actually cut off your right to participate and receive notice is if there are no child or money issues.
When a default judgment has been entered, a motion to vacate can be filed. Those motions are "liberally" granted. A motion to vcate requires that there was no gross negligence involved in the failure to answer and a defense that you can assert. Again, for family cases like divorce, the terminology does not quite fit. If you have a good reason for not answering, the default judgment will likely be vacated.
It can be confusing when you represent yourself. Get help when you don't know what to do next or how to do something. It's always better to ask first than risk having your do it your divorce case become a do it yourself disaster.
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