There is currently an effort underway in Florida to change Florida’s alimony laws. In 2013, the Florida House and Senate passed a bill that would end permanent alimony, as well as capping payments based on salary and the length of marriage.
Some of the provisions of the bill were retroactive, so courts could have modified existing arrangements between spouses. However, the bill was vetoed by Governor Scott.
As part of the legislative process, men and women told the legislature about how alimony payments had nearly bankrupted them, and some ex-wives argued they needed the payments because they had given up their careers to raise children and manage the household.
Others raised concerns that it would be unfair to modify existing alimony arrangements, because property had been divided between spouses based on the expectation of alimony payments in the future.
No new alimony reform bills have been introduced this legislative session, but one lawmaker is reportedly working on a new bill. He says the new bill won’t include the more controversial provisions in last year’s bill.
Instead, it will include smaller fixes to the alimony system, including allowing retirees to stop paying alimony, and including language in the law that says that both spouses should expect their standard of living to fall after a divorce.
No one knows what the future will hold in Florida. Permanent alimony may be discontinued in the near future, or it may continue as is. If permanent alimony laws are modified, they may be modified retroactively to affect those who are already paying alimony, although that looks to be unlikely, since that was one of the main reasons last year’s bill was vetoed by the Governor.