Gov. Ron DeSantis is signing new legislation that will abolish permanent alimony in Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis enacted several new laws, including legislation revising the state’s child support laws by eliminating permanent child support payments. Click the video player below to take a look at other new laws in effect in Florida. But proponents say the law won’t apply to existing child support agreements, while opponents say it could happen. DeSantis signed the bill into law Friday night. The new law went into effect on Saturday. Proponents say this bill will limit how long an ex-spouse must pay child support. They also say it reduces litigation by providing more certainty when calculating alimony. Staying Current: The Latest Headlines and Weather from WPBF 25. Republican State Assemblyman John Snyder of Martin County, who approved the bill, shared the following statement with WPBF 25 News: “As society changes, we have more households in which both spouses work. By getting rid of permanent alimony, the bill strikes a good balance between supporting the spouse, who may not earn as much income during the marriage, while also encouraging them to be self-supporting. “The bill will also reduce litigation by providing more certainty about how child support is calculated.” Opponents like Orlando Democratic State Representative Anna Eskamani say this new law will hurt many Florida residents — especially women Women are already deprived of their rights when it comes to women’s issues and we seem to be going backwards in so many different policy areas and I was very concerned that this is another example of that,” Eskamani said. “We’re taking this process out of the hands of a judge and moving it into the legislature, where it can be very political and very biased.” She also says it’s possible this new law will allow judges to award some existing child support agreements end, and that the new law won. This does not only apply to future agreements. Follow us on social networks: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok, Palm Beach County Democratic Senator Lori Berman agrees with Eskamani. “I submitted an amendment to say that this bill is not retroactive and they would not accept my amendment. So I’m concerned that parts of it, while they’ve stated that it’s not retroactive, will actually have the same effect as if it were retroactive,” Berman said. Boca Raton-based First Wives Advocacy Group founder Jan Killilea says the organization was disappointed by DeSantis’ decision to sign the bill into law, putting older women in a situation that will cause financial devastation,” Killilea said. “The so-called ‘Family Values’ party has just contributed to the erosion of the institution of marriage in Florida.” Desantis vetoed a similar bill last year. WPBF 25 News contacted the DeSantis office for comment on this new law. Never miss a thing: sign up for personalized newsletters and alerts from WPBF 25 News

Florida –

Gov. Ron DeSantis enacted several new laws, including legislation revising the state’s child support laws by eliminating permanent child support payments.

Click the video player below to take a look at other new laws coming into effect in Florida

While proponents say this law doesn’t apply to existing child support agreements, opponents say it could.

DeSantis signed the bill into law Friday night. The new law went into effect on Saturday.

Proponents say this bill will limit how long an ex-spouse must pay child support. They also say it will reduce the number of lawsuits by providing more certainty when calculating child support payments.

To stay updated: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25

Republican Rep. John Snyder of Martin County, who approved the bill, shared the following statement with WPBF 25 News:

“As society changes, there are more and more households where both spouses work. By getting rid of permanent alimony, the bill strikes a good balance between supporting the spouse, who may not earn as much income during the marriage, and encouraging self-support.”

“The bill will also reduce litigation by providing more certainty about how child support is calculated.”

Opponents like Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando say this new law is harmful to many Florida residents — especially women.

“Florida has already stripped women of their rights when it comes to women’s issues and we seem to be going backwards in so many different policy areas and I was very concerned that this could be another example of that,” Eskamani said. “We do.” Take this process out of the hands of a judge and into the legislature, where it can be very political and very biased.

She also says it’s possible this new law will allow judges to terminate some existing child support agreements and that the new law won’t just apply to future agreements.

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Democratic Senator Lori Berman of Palm Beach County agrees with Eskamani.

“I submitted an amendment to say that this bill is not retroactive and they would not accept my amendment. So I’m concerned that parts of it, while they’ve stated that it’s not retroactive, will actually have the same effect as if it were retroactive,” Berman said.

Boca Raton-based First Wives Advocacy Group founder Jan Killilea says the organization was disappointed by DeSantis’ decision to sign the bill.

“We believe that with his signing he has put elderly women in a situation that will lead to financial devastation,” Killilea said. “The so-called ‘family values’ party has just contributed to the erosion of the institution of marriage in Florida.”

Desantis vetoed a similar bill last year.

WPBF 25 News has reached out to the DeSantis office for comment on this new law.

Never miss anything again: Sign up for personalized newsletters and alerts from WPBF 25 News