Florida lawmakers like others across the nation are taking the issue of permanent alimony to the legislature. Florida lawmakers are currently considering Bill 549, which would end permanent alimony in the state. Currently, Florida Statute 61.08 reads, “Permanent alimony may be awarded to provide for the needs and necessities of…
Florida recognizes four main types of alimony. (1) Bridge-the-Gap (2) Rehabilitative (3) Durational (4) Permanent These types of alimony differ in whether they are modifiable and if so in what ways. However, as a Jacksonville Family Law Lawyer, I usually run into cases where Former Husbands want to reduce the…
Not far from Jacksonville, Hillsborough County Judge Caroline Tesche is dealing with a “dead-beat dad” who owes approximately $10 million in child and spousal support. ABC News is reporting that Judge Tesche sentenced, “dead beat dad”, John Stanton to five months and 29 days in jail. However, Mr. Stanton avoided…
As a Family Law Attorney in the Jacksonville Beach area I am consistently asked how the courts calculate alimony. This is often a difficult question to answer. In Jacksonville Florida there is no basic calculation system that the courts follow; instead, there are factors that are taken into consideration when…
News stations out of San Diego, California are reporting on an interesting case that caught my attention. Crystal Harris, a Carlsbad, California resident was raped by Shawn Harris, her now ex-husband, yet the Judge in their divorce case awarded Shawn $1,000 a month in spousal support (Alimony). So when Shawn…
As a Jacksonville Divorce Attorney I am all to familiar with the topics discussed in Georgialee Lang’s article, 5 Support Arguments That Don’t Matter in Divorce Court. In the article, Ms. Lang lists and describes what she deems to be the five most common complaints in divorce cases. Ms. Lang…
Florida is a “no fault” divorce state. This means that either spouse may seek a divorce without showing cause for the desired separation. The spouse seeking a divorce has the option to simply claim the marriage is “irretrievably broken.” Generally, Jacksonville Florida courts are not concerned with which party played…
Florida is one of the many states that does not consider fault for grounds of divorce. In other words, you don’t have to show that your spouse has wronged you in any way; you just have to show that the marriage is “irretrievably broken.” The actual process is relatively straightforward.…
Florida recognizes Five types of Alimony, which include: Permanent Alimony provides for ongoing monthly payments until the death or remarriage of the recipient. Recent changes in the law allow modifications in cases of “cohabitation in a financially supportive relationship,” even without remarriage. Durational Alimony is awarded to provide the receiving…
There are multitudes of divorce cases in Florida on a daily basis that involves one spouse paying alimony to the other. Alimony in Florida is generally awarded to maintain the quality of living of the receiving spouse because that spouse would not be able to do so on his or…