Today's News
DAILY SRQ Monday business edition
MONDAY, JULY 3, 2023 |
FROM JACOB COAL
Image courtesy of Facebook: Joe Gruters and Ron DeSantis.
An overhaul of Florida's child support laws was one of the last outstanding issues of the legislative session at the end of June. But ultimately, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill sponsored by state Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota.
The bill was one of the last two signed by DeSantis, along with legislation updating the Florida Retirement System. The new law went into effect Saturday, hours after it was signed, and largely eliminated future permanent alimony cases in Florida. Rehabilitation maintenance cannot currently last longer than five years.
“I appreciate the governor signing SB 1416 into law,” Gruters said. “It is long overdue and a win for Florida families.”
DeSantis had no comment on why he signed the bill this year after vetoing a similar bill sponsored by Gruters in 2022. Last year, the governor said he rejected the previous bill because it was partially retroactive and would impact existing divorce agreements.
Critics of the bill maintain this fear.
“On behalf of the thousands of women our group represents, we are very disappointed with the governor’s decision to sign the child support reform bill,” said Jan Killilea, a spokeswoman for the First Wives Advocacy Group. “We believe that by signing him he has put older women in a situation that will cause financial devastation. The so-called “family values” party has just contributed to the erosion of the institution of marriage in Florida.”
However, much of the speculation about DeSantis' plan with the legislation has centered on the fact that Gruters publicly supported former President Donald Trump's campaign for governor. Gruters attributed this to Sarasota suffering a disproportionate share of line-item vetoes in the budget this year.
But Gruters felt the support bill had as much support as possible on both sides this year. For the first time, the Florida Bar's Family Law Section endorsed the final language.
“Importantly, unlike previous legislation, this bill did not contain provisions that would negatively impact existing child support payments or otherwise harm Florida families,” said a joint statement from Family Law Section Chair Sarah Kay. and former chairman Philip Wartenberg.
Florida Family Fairness, which has advocated for years to end permanent support, praised the change in state law.
“Florida Family Fairness is pleased that the Florida Legislature and Governor DeSantis have passed a bill that ends permanent alimony and codifies into law the right to retirement for existing alimony payers,” FFF Chairman Michael Buhler said in a statement. “Anything that provides clarity and ends permanent alimony is a win for Florida families.”
Image courtesy of Facebook: Joe Gruters and Ron DeSantis.
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