Instead, alimony payments would depend on the length of a marriage.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Lawmakers in the Florida House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that will overhaul the state’s child support laws. The measure now goes to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature.
By a vote of 74 to 42, MPs agreed to pass the law (SB 1796) that abolishes permanent alimony.
Instead, alimony payments would depend on the length of a marriage.
The wording of the law states: “Permanent maintenance may not exceed 50 percent of the duration of a marriage lasting between three and ten years, 60 percent of the duration of a marriage lasting between 10 and 20 years, or 75 percent of the duration of a marriage transcend a marriage lasting 20 years or more.”
The bill also allows child support recipients who have incomes less than 130 percent of the federal poverty line and who care for children with disabilities to opt out of the suspension of payments. A judge can then grant an extension of maintenance.
However, critics of the bill say the change fails to take into account what is in the child’s best interests.
In a statement, the Florida Bar Department of Family Law asked DeSantis to veto the bill. The attorney group says the bill could have “serious implications” for pending child support payments.
“Proposed alimony changes in this bill are retroactive and will affect existing and pending alimony payments, affecting countless prenuptial agreements and final judgments,” Heather L. Apicella, chair of the Florida Bar Association’s family law division, said in part.
“This sets a dangerous precedent for contractual arrangements in Florida, and we are deeply concerned that this public policy will erase justice and establish a system that greatly favors one party while needlessly harming the other. It will also result in lengthy litigation, driving up divorce costs and creating a backlog in an already overburdened family court system.”
If signed by DeSantis, the law will go into effect on July 1, 2022.
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