DeSantis Vetoes Alimony Reform

Ron DeSantis vetoed Florida Senate Bill 1796, which proposed a major overhaul of Florida’s alimony and child time-sharing laws. DeSantis’ vetoed killed reformers attempts to make Florida’s alimony laws uniform across families in the State.

As it stands now, Florida alimony is dependent on many factors, including the length of a marriage, the financial capacities of the spouses and the history and lifestyle enjoyed during the marriage. Florida alimony is very fact specific, and can become the source of many arguments during contested divorces. Permanent alimony is available in long term marriages (over 17 years), but unlikely in short term marriages (under 7 years).

The Florida Legislature proposed doing away with permanent alimony, and making alimony rewards dependent on the length of a marriage. Such reforms would have made alimony awards more predictable, but less flexible. Advocates of the Bill claimed such certainty would reduce conflict and make divorces more equitable and predictable. Critics believed the Bill would have hurt spouses who primarily took care of the home and were not a part of the workforce.

Governor DeSantis’ veto citied the Bill’s retroactivity (ability to affect divorce agreements and rulings taking place before the Bill’s creation) as the major area of concern. “[G]iven [the] retroactive effect as the Legislature intends, it would unconstitutionally impair vested rights under certain preexisting marital settlement agreements," the Governor wrote.

To understand the effects of the veto, and to get a better idea of how alimony may work in your case, we recommend you reach out to an experienced and caring legal professional for more information. For more on the veto, see the following CBS News article.