Miami Private InvestigationsSuspecting that a partner is unfaithful is one of the hardest things a person can live with. Some clients come to us with clear warning signs; others simply feel that something has changed and can't name it. Either way, what you need is the same: verifiable facts and unbiased documentation, gathered lawfully and quietly, so you can decide what to do about your relationship, your family or a divorce. Sometimes the answer confirms the suspicion; sometimes it shows there is nothing to find, and that reassurance is worth just as much.
When to hire an infidelity investigator
No single behavior proves an affair. What usually brings people to us is a pattern that no longer adds up:
- New secrecy around the phone. A changed passcode, the phone always face-down, deleted message threads.
- A schedule that doesn't match the story. Late meetings, new gym hours, or "business trips" with vague details.
- Unexplained money. Cash withdrawals, restaurant or hotel charges, gifts you never received, or a card or account you didn't know existed.
- Emotional distance. Less interest in family time, or defensiveness at simple questions.
- A new online life. A second social media profile, a messaging app you have never seen them use, or the same unfamiliar name surfacing again and again.
Why verify before you confront
Confronting a partner on suspicion alone usually produces a denial and more careful behavior, which closes the window in which anything could have been documented. If you are wrong, an accusation can damage a relationship that was never in danger. Investigating yourself is risky too: following someone is easy to notice, and the most tempting shortcuts, such as recording calls, reading a spouse's accounts or hiding a tracker in the car, can be crimes in Florida (see below) and can hand the other side leverage in a divorce. If you think a divorce is likely, talk to a family-law attorney early; the order in which you take steps can matter.
How an infidelity investigation works
- Confidential consultation. You tell us what you have noticed; we ask about your partner's routine, workplace, vehicles, and which days feel wrong. We tell you honestly whether surveillance is likely to help, or whether another step, such as a background check on the other person, would answer the question faster. If you already have an attorney, we can coordinate with them.
- A focused plan. Good infidelity work targets specific windows (the Thursday "late meeting", the weekend conference), not open-ended watching. The plan sets the dates, hours, number of investigators and what has to be documented.
- Surveillance. Licensed investigators observe and record your partner's movements, meetings and locations from public places, without alerting them. Where it helps, we add lawful research: identifying the person your partner meets and checking public records for marital status, criminal history or aliases.
- Documentation. Every observation is captured as it happens, with time-stamped photos and video and running notes of times and addresses.
- Written report and testimony. You receive a clear written report of what was seen, when and where. If the matter goes to court, the investigator who made the observations can testify.
What a Florida PI can legally do, and what we can't
Florida licenses private investigators and agencies under Chapter 493, Florida Statutes, through the FDACS Division of Licensing. A license lets us observe and document. It does not give us police powers or an exemption from privacy law.
What we can do
- Conduct surveillance from public places and photograph or film what is openly visible from where we are lawfully present.
- Research public records and lawful data sources, including background research on the person your partner is seeing.
- Document publicly posted online activity (social media investigations).
- Interview willing witnesses, and testify to what we observed.
What we can't do, and you shouldn't either
- Record conversations without everyone's consent. Florida is an all-party-consent state: intercepting a call or private conversation is lawful only when "all of the parties to the communication have given prior consent" (s. 934.03, F.S.). A violation is a third-degree felony, and an illegally intercepted conversation, and any evidence derived from it, cannot be received in evidence (s. 934.06, F.S.). That covers a voice recorder hidden in the car and a call-recording app installed on a spouse's phone.
- Put a GPS tracker on a car without the required consent. Under s. 934.425, F.S., no one may install a tracking device or tracking app on another person's property, or use one to follow them, without that person's consent. The law gives private investigators no general exception: a PI is exempt only where the client would be exempt. Consent is also presumed revoked once a married spouse files a petition for dissolution of marriage, or either person files for an injunction for protection. A violation is a third-degree felony and, for a licensee, grounds for discipline (s. 493.6118(1)(y), F.S.). If vehicle ownership is in question, ask your attorney first.
- Trespass. Entering or remaining in a structure or conveyance without authorization is trespass (s. 810.08, F.S.), as is entering other property after notice is given by posting, fencing or actual communication, or entering the unenclosed curtilage of a home to commit another offense (s. 810.09, F.S.). We do not enter homes, hotel rooms, posted or gated property, or anyone's car.
- Pretext for phone or bank records. Obtaining another person's telephone calling records through false statements is prohibited in Florida (s. 817.484, F.S.), and federal law bars obtaining a bank customer's information through false or fraudulent statements (15 U.S.C. § 6821). We never pose as your spouse, or anyone else, to a phone carrier or bank. Your attorney can explain how financial records are obtained through the divorce itself.
- Impersonate law enforcement or access someone's phone, email or social media accounts. Impersonating an officer is grounds for license discipline (s. 493.6118(1)(i), F.S.).
Evidence and reporting
What you receive:
- Time-stamped video and photographs of what was observed, captured from lawful vantage points.
- A detailed written report in chronological order: dates, times, addresses, vehicles, who was present and what was seen.
- Court testimony when it is needed. Florida requires evidence to be authenticated before it is admitted (s. 90.901, F.S.); the investigator who recorded the footage can testify to how and when it was captured.
Because every piece is gathered lawfully, your attorney can work with it. For more on how surveillance is used once a case is filed, read our guide to surveillance evidence in a divorce.
Does adultery matter in a Florida divorce?
- Florida is a no-fault state. A marriage may be dissolved only because it is "irretrievably broken" or for a party's mental incapacity (s. 61.052, F.S.). Adultery is not a ground for divorce, and you do not need to prove it to end the marriage.
- Alimony. "The court may consider the adultery of either spouse and any resulting economic impact in determining the amount of alimony, if any, to be awarded" (s. 61.08, F.S.). The 2023 reform (CS/SB 1416, chapter 2023-315, effective July 1, 2023) removed permanent alimony. The types now listed are temporary, bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative and durational.
- Custody and time-sharing. Florida starts from a rebuttable presumption that equal time-sharing is in the child's best interests, and the court weighs a list of best-interest factors (s. 61.13, F.S.), including the moral fitness of the parents, their mental and physical health, and each parent's capacity to keep the child's environment free from substance abuse. The focus is the child, so a parent's conduct matters to the extent it bears on those factors. See our child custody investigations.
- Money spent on an affair. The intentional dissipation or waste of marital assets within two years before the petition is filed, or afterward, is a factor that can justify an unequal distribution (s. 61.075, F.S.). Gifts, travel, hotels or rent paid for a new partner can become relevant, which is where an asset search can complement surveillance.
Cost and timeline factors
Every case is scoped individually, so we don't publish a price list. What actually drives the time and cost of an infidelity case:
- Hours of surveillance. The biggest factor. A known window, such as one evening a week, needs far fewer hours than unknown times.
- Number of investigators. A subject who drives through heavy Miami traffic or moves between several locations may need more than one investigator to follow without being noticed.
- Travel. Work outside Miami-Dade, overnight stays or out-of-town "business trips" add time and expense.
- Evidence needs. A report for your own peace of mind is different from a case being prepared for court testimony, background research on a third party, or an asset search.
- Timing. Nights, weekends and holidays are when many of these cases happen.
Surveillance is planned in blocks and reviewed with you as it goes, and the scope is agreed with you before the first hour is worked.
Confidentiality
Your call, your identity and the details of your case stay private. Florida treats the "willful betrayal of a professional secret or any unauthorized release of information" by a licensee as grounds for discipline (s. 493.6118(1)(e), F.S.). In practice, you tell us at the start which phone number or email is safe to use, and our investigators work so the subject does not notice them. Consultations are available in English or Spanish.
Why clients and attorneys choose us
- Licensed and verifiable: Florida agency license A1800135. Check it yourself on the FDACS agency license search.
- Veteran-led and bilingual (English and Español).
- Rated 4.9★ from 88 Google reviews.
- Trusted by attorneys: lawyers at firms including Morgan & Morgan, Cornish Hernandez Gonzalez, Asilia Law, Goldberg & Rosen and Scheer Legal have recorded testimonials. Watch the attorney testimonials.
Related services
Discreet, documented observation for personal and legal matters.
Evidence bearing on a child's welfare and time-sharing.
Hidden accounts, property and spending in a divorce.
Our guide to choosing the right investigator.
How lawful surveillance is used once a case is filed.
Scenario by scenario: GPS, recordings, phones and records under Florida law.
Our statewide services and licensing overview.
Areas we serve
Our office is at 4000 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Suite 470, in Coral Gables. From there our investigators serve all of Miami-Dade County, including Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Doral, Key Biscayne, South Miami, Pinecrest and Westchester, and work across South Florida. Divorce and time-sharing cases in Miami-Dade are heard in the 11th Judicial Circuit.