Category Archives: spousal support
Some Spousal Support Basics In Florida
The wave of alimony reform that swept over a number of other states in the early and mid-2010s never came ashore in the Sunshine State. Governor Rick Scott vetoed two alimony reform bills during this period, even though reformers charged that Florida’s laws on the subject were “outdated” and “not equitable.” Types of Spousal… Read More »
Alimony In Florida: A Primer
In the spring of 2016, it appeared that Florida lawmakers were poised to significantly reform spousal support laws in the Sunshine State. However, a last-minute change caused Governor Rick Scott to veto the measure, and after four failures in four years, alimony reformers were unable to muster the strength to challenge the law yet… Read More »
Fourth Appeals District Partially Throws Out Alimony-Related Suit
In a decision that could make it harder to pursue spousal support enforcement actions against recalcitrant and devious spouses, the Fourth District refused to reinstate an ex-wife’s lawsuit against her ex-husband and his new wife. When the husband and wife divorced in 1996, the husband agreed to pay $5,000 a month in spousal support,… Read More »
Spousal Support In Florida: A Primer
Little has been heard about alimony reform in the Sunshine State since lawmakers pronounced the most recent bill dead in March 2017. Governor Rick Scott vetoed the first reform measure on a technicality, and a last minute add-on led to the demise of the 2016 bill after the Florida Bar Association withdrew its support…. Read More »
RIP Florida Alimony Reform
Florida lawmakers will not consider another spousal support overhaul measure this session, even though reform advocates and the Florida Bar Association submitted a joint proposal to the Senate Children, Families, and Elders Committee. Committee Chair Rene Garcia (R-Hialeah) said the body would not consider the proposal because lawmakers have “more pressing issues” to deal… Read More »
Florida Alimony Reform, Episode III: Revenge Of The Reformers
State Representative Colleen Burton (R-Lakeland) said she introduced a third alimony reform bill because “it is the right thing to do.” This latest effort contains no time-sharing presumption, which Governor Rick Scott cited in last year’s veto letter. Earlier, in 2013, Governor Scott vetoed a similar measure, specifically objecting that the proposed law applied… Read More »
All Quiet On The Western Front
Advocates are apparently still licking their wounds after Florida Governor Rick Scott vetoed a second spousal support reform bill in April 2016. According to a recent survey, most Floridians support alimony reform, so it will probably happen eventually. Other states, including Illinois, New Jersey, and South Carolina, have significantly re-tooled their alimony laws in… Read More »
Spousal Support In The Sunshine State
Twice in the last three years, alimony reformers nearly succeeded in their efforts to re-design the system, only to be turned away at the eleventh hour. In 2013, Governor Rick Scott vetoed a reform bill because it would have been retroactive; earlier this year, he vetoed a similar measure, citing a section that created… Read More »
Spousal Support In The Sunshine State
In some recent presidential elections, Florida has been a battleground state that both Republicans and Democrats legitimately believed they could win. In recent years, Florida has also been a battleground state in terms of spousal support. In the last few years, alimony reformers have nearly succeeded in rewriting the spousal support laws, only to… Read More »
Potential Alimony Reform in Florida
The Florida Bar Association’s Family Law section withdrew its support from the pending alimony reform bill, even though it helped draft significant portions of it and lobbied for its passage. Basically, the ongoing alimony reform battle in the Sunshine State pits payor spouses (mostly men) who claim that the system is unpredictable and unfair… Read More »
