Alimony
Alimony
Strategic representation in alimony matters — bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, durational, and beyond.
The most misunderstood corner of family law.
Alimony evokes strong reactions on both sides of a divorce — and almost as much misinformation as emotion. Florida's alimony statute was substantially reformed in 2023, eliminating permanent alimony in new cases and reshaping the framework that governs every other form of spousal support.
The new landscape rewards careful analysis. The factors the court weighs have not disappeared; they have been reorganized, and they apply against a backdrop of clearer durational caps and a sharper focus on the receiving spouse's path back to self-sufficiency.
Five forms, one careful analysis.
Florida recognizes bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, durational, and temporary alimony, along with a narrower category of lump-sum awards. Bridge-the-gap addresses identifiable short-term needs as a spouse transitions to single life. Rehabilitative supports a defined plan — additional education, retraining, or licensing — that will restore the receiving spouse's earning capacity.
Durational alimony provides economic assistance for a set period following marriages of moderate or longer length, with statutory caps tied to the length of the marriage. Temporary alimony bridges the time between the filing of the petition and the entry of the final judgment. Each serves a different purpose, and a well-crafted award often combines more than one.
Factors that shape the award.
When alimony is at issue, the court evaluates the standard of living established during the marriage, the duration of the marriage, the age and physical and emotional condition of each party, the financial resources of each party, and the contributions of each spouse to the marriage — including homemaking, childcare, and support of the other's career.
Earning capacity is examined alongside actual earnings. A spouse who has stepped away from the workforce may be imputed income reflecting what they could reasonably earn after a transition; a paying spouse with variable compensation will see the court look beyond a single year's income to a more representative picture.
Awards that change with circumstances.
Most alimony awards may be modified upon a substantial change in circumstances — retirement, a meaningful change in income, the receiving spouse's remarriage, or a supportive relationship that functions like a marriage. Bridge-the-gap is the exception: it is non-modifiable in amount and duration.
The 2023 reforms added clearer guidance on retirement-based modifications and tightened the framework for evaluating supportive relationships. The firm helps clients on both sides of a modification petition present the evidence the court actually weighs, rather than the evidence the parties wish were dispositive.
Alimony is not a punishment, and it is not a reward. It is the law's careful answer to a difficult economic question.
An advocate who clarifies, rather than inflames.
Alimony cases turn on careful financial analysis and an honest reading of the statute. The firm represents both prospective payors and prospective recipients, and the work is the same in either role: build a complete and accurate picture of income, capacity, and need; identify the form and duration of alimony that fits; and present the case in a way the court can reliably adopt.
Sound counsel rarely makes an alimony case louder. It tends, instead, to make it shorter — and to produce an outcome that holds up over time.
Speak with counsel before the conversation hardens.
Alimony conversations rarely improve on their own. The earlier they involve experienced counsel, the more likely they are to resolve at a structure both spouses can live with and the court will approve.
Initial consultations are confidential and conducted personally by Gabrielle. You will leave with a candid view of the statute as it now stands, the realistic range of outcomes for your matter, and the steps that make sense for you.