Florida's legislature recently brought sweeping changes to alimony, time-sharing, and modifications of support and alimony through amendments to statutes governing those aspects of Florida family law. The governor signed the new laws on June 30, and they took effect on July 1. As with any statutory amendments, confusion arises as to when the amended statutes apply and what impact they have on pending cases, which leads to issues for appeal. This article considers the new amendments and their ramifications for appeals.

Alimony Reform

In perhaps the most significant change, the legislature amended Section 61.08 of the Florida Statutes to eliminate permanent alimony. Alimony now may only be awarded in the form of temporary, durational, rehabilitative, or bridge-the-gap alimony. The statute requires the trial court to consider a list of factors to determine which type of alimony is appropriate. Further changes include limiting the length of an alimony award depending on the form awarded and redefining the lengths of marriages.