2017 Alimony Reform Bill will not go forward

Alimony reform efforts began early this year with the filing of HB 283 with a companion bill filed in the Senate. The Senator sponsor, attorney Kathleen Passidomo, announced yesterday that the chairman of the children, family and elder affairs committee refused to hear the bill. Because of this, the alimony bill will not go forward in 2017. The alimony bill would have provided much needed guidelines for determining alimony in divorce cases, but would have had little impact on existing alimony awards. It is uncertain what will happen with Florida alimony reform efforts in the future, if anything. It is likely that there will be no further attempts to modify Florida’s alimony laws until after Governor Scott leaves office in 2018. This will leave the current law in place for the next couple of years, likely generating unnecessary litigation in current divorce cases and an uncertain and unpredictable outcome for those seeking to retire, as well as their former spouses who are receiving alimony.
We will continue to follow this issue and will keep you updated on any changes or progress.