Florida legislators have approved significant reforms to Florida’s alimony law and SB 1416 will head to the Governor’s desk for signature or veto.
If the bill is approved by the Governor, it would have dramatic effects on the future of alimony awards in dissolution of marriage proceedings. However, it would not have retroactive application to previous awards ordered by the courts.
The changes, in part, eliminate the possibility of permanent alimony, alter the language by which the court may factor adultery into considerations surrounding alimony, create additions to the other factors considered by the court in the amount of alimony to be awarded, alter the definitions and durations of short, moderate, and long-term marriages, and change the considerations and allowable durations surrounding the remaining types of alimony.
Interestingly, separate from the issue of alimony, the bill steps away from of it’s central topic, in part, and proposes further modifications to Florida Statute 61.13. These changes surround children’s issues pertaining to the burden for modifications of time-sharing and parenting plans when it comes to the relocation of one parent and unanticipated changes.
It is important to keep up with changes in the law that may affect you now or later. However, should change take effect, it is important to secure an advocate that understands the details and is updated as to how that change affects you.
The Rice Law Firm’s Family Division has handled many alimony determinations in dissolution of marriage proceedings and many alimony modifications. Our attorneys have served the Daytona Beach, Volusia County, and Central Florida areas since 1986.
Contact us to learn more about how current Florida law affects your circumstances and what could change moving forward. Contact us today at our Daytona Beach location at 386-310-2914.
