On June 17, 2022, the ‘Alimony Reform Bill’ that passed both chambers of the Florida legislature this past legislative session, was sent to Florida Governor DeSantis’ office for review. The Governor has until the end of this month to approve the bill and make it law, veto the bill, or if the Governor does not take action either way, it will automatically become law in Florida, effective July 1, 2022.
Key provisions of the Reform Bill are as follows:
- Elimination of permanent alimony.
- Limits rehabilitative alimony to five years and bar the awarding of durational alimony for marriages shorter than three years.
- Durational alimony would be awarded for half the length of a marriage that lasts between three and ten years, sixty percent of the length of marriages between ten and twenty years, and seventy-five percent for marriages that lasted twenty years or more.
- Limits durational alimony payments to the recipients “reasonable needs” or thirty-four percent of the difference in incomes, whichever is less.
- Creates a “wind-down” period that would permit a retiring ex-spouse, after providing formal notice, to reduce alimony payments 25% per year over four years.
Some other provisions that were included bit are separate from alimony issues are as follows:
- Creates a rebuttable presumption that equal time sharing is in the best interest of children.
- Changes relocation procedure to require proof of a substantial change of circumstances.
We will update this information as it becomes available. At Rice Law Firm we have handled many alimony cases for many clients over the years. If you would like to consult with an experienced divorce lawyer on these issues, please give me a call.
