No more permanent alimony? State bill proposes new limits on requirements
A bill that would eliminate the concept of permanent alimony and allow people to reduce or end alimony payments when they reach retirement age is moving through Florida’s house of representatives, the Miami Herald reports. The bill also proposes that the duration of alimony be limited to 50 percent of a marriage’s length without “clear and convincing evidence that exceptional circumstances justify the need for a longer award of alimony”
The Florida Bar’s family law section opposes HB 231 (PDF), the Miami Herald reports.
Ritch Workman, a Republican state representative from Melbourne, is sponsoring the bill. The Florida House Civil Justice Subcommittee has approved it, and it’s slated to go to the House Judiciary Committee.
Workman, who is divorced but indicated that he does not pay or receive alimony, according to the Herald, described Florida’s current alimony laws as “archaic.”
“I want to make this so people can get divorced and move on with their life,’’ he said.
