Permanent maintenance no longer exists in Florida.
governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation (SB 1416), which is revising Florida divorce law. The most notable change removes the possibility for divorced couples to remain financially tied together forever.
The measure was among the last items passed by the legislature, awaiting a decision from the governor. It goes into effect on July 1, the day after DeSantis signed it.
The signing ends years of effort to reform the Florida divorce process. Sen. Joe Gruters, a Republican from Sarasota, had supported the Senate bill. representative John Templea Republican from Wildwood, campaigned for the legislation in the House of Representatives.
Florida Family Fairness ran a petition campaign encouraging supporters of the bill to contact DeSantis.
“This bill allows both parties to retire with dignity while giving courts discretion to protect vulnerable dependents,” the document said petition. “There has never been a more equitable and balanced proposal to change Florida’s outdated child support laws.”
But all proposed maintenance changes have been met with resistance for years. The Advocacy of the First Wives said the legislation disadvantages women in divorce and ultimately harms the children involved in the process.
“Our first concern is the retrospective application of the bill. Our second concern is the lack of enforcement of the current law, and our third concern is that we believe the draft law has been enforced by a terrorist group for a decade,” said a spokesman for the organization Jan Killilea. “Women who have spoken out critically about the Child Support Reform Act have been subjected to verbal attacks on social media.”
The organization expressed surprise and concern that DeSantis signed the bill.
“On behalf of the thousands of women our group represents, we are deeply disappointed in the governor’s decision to sign the Child Support Reform Act,” Killilea said in a statement. “We believe that by signing, he has put elderly women in a position that will lead to financial devastation. The so-called “Family Values” party has just contributed to the erosion of the institution of marriage in Florida.”
Proponents of the bill say fears of repercussions are unwarranted and lawmakers have ensured the bill will not affect existing divorce judgments and settled cases.
Divorce lawyers say that in practice the new law embeds many changes in the law that have been slow to penetrate the courtrooms.
“We do not anticipate that the changes in Florida child support payments will have a profound impact on our work at the DeWitt law firm,” the attorney said Moses DeWitt. “It’s just going to codify a lot of what the case law already says. While there are some changes, I don’t think we will have a material impact on the amount or duration of most child support payments. The changes will likely not be as drastic as some think.”
Concerns from women’s groups prompted DeSantis to do so veto a similar bill passed by the legislature last year. Before DeSantis, Governor. Rick Scott Also Vetoed previous laws deal with the same topic.
Gruters believed that lawmakers had finally found a compromise on the issue. The Florida Bar Association’s family law division opposed last year’s legislation but voted in favor this year.
“I appreciate that the governor signed the SB 1416 bill into law. It’s long overdue and a win for Florida families,” Gruters said. “Special thanks to House Sponsor Rep. John Temple and to (attorneys) Lisa Hurley And Nelson Diaz for your tireless work.”
The negotiating parties said they ended up in a place that is accessible to everyone involved in the divorce process.
“The Florida Bar Association’s Family Law Division sponsored legislation in this session to make sensible changes to Florida’s child support laws, including eliminating permanent child support and maintaining the long-standing Pimm decision relating to the impact of retirement on child support,” it said it a joint statement by the chair of the family law department Sarah Kay and immediate past chairman Phillip Warenberg.
“Importantly, unlike previous legislation, this bill did not contain provisions that would adversely affect existing child support payments or otherwise harm Florida families.”
The couple released a statement praising DeSantis after signing the bill.
“We thank Gov. DeSantis for signing legislation that would make sensible changes to child support, including eliminating permanent child support and maintaining the long-standing Pimm decision relating to the impact of retirement on child support,” Kay and Wartenberg said.
“Importantly, the Section was grateful to have worked with supporters of this legislation during the 2023 session to ensure it does not negatively impact existing child support payments or otherwise harm Florida families.”
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