FLORIDA ALIMONY REFORM

TIMELINE

Florida Alimony Reform TimeLine:

2013

A bill passed by both the House and Senate was vetoed by Governor Rick Scott (retroactivity issue).

2014

During an election year no alimony reform was legislation was proposed.

2015

Bills with guidelines regarding ranges for duration and amounts were proposed in both the House and Senate. The bills were held up when the House and Senate were unable to negotiate the state budget. The Florida Alimony Reform legislative session was thus ended and alimony reform was shelved for the remainder of the year.

2016

Bills similar to those proposed in 2015 were introduced. These bills decided that 50/50 timesharing of children would be presumed in every divorce. This provision would also be included in the alimony reform statute. The bill was was vetoed.

2017

Senate Bill 412 is proposed and awaits its first committee hearing. It is believed that the current SB 412 should not warrant another veto by the governor for reasons that it does not include any provisions for retroactivity and child-sharing. The bill is reflective of changing social and demographic patterns. It defines changes of circumstances to allow modifications, takes in consideration the financial abilities for those who pay and who receive alimony.

3.31.2017: The proposal is dead for this year’s legislative session. Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Chairman Rene Garcia said he won’t schedule the bill for a hearing. Source

Florida Alimony Reform TimeLine:

2013

A bill passed by both the House and Senate was vetoed by Governor Rick Scott (retroactivity issue).

2014

During an election year no alimony reform was legislation was proposed.

2015

Bills with guidelines regarding ranges for duration and amounts were proposed in both the House and Senate. The bills were held up when the House and Senate were unable to negotiate the state budget. The Florida Alimony Reform legislative session was thus ended and alimony reform was shelved for the remainder of the year.

2016

Bills similar to those proposed in 2015 were introduced. These bills decided that 50/50 timesharing of children would be presumed in every divorce. This provision would also be included in the alimony reform statute. The bill was was vetoed.

2017

Senate Bill 412 is proposed and awaits its first committee hearing. It is believed that the current SB 412 should not warrant another veto by the governor for reasons that it does not include any provisions for retroactivity and child-sharing. The bill is reflective of changing social and demographic patterns. It defines changes of circumstances to allow modifications, takes in consideration the financial abilities for those who pay and who receive alimony.

3.31.2017: The proposal is dead for this year’s legislative session. Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Chairman Rene Garcia said he won’t schedule the bill for a hearing. Source

1.17.2020 The House Alimony Reform Bill Now Has a Senate Companion: House Republicans Robert “Alex” Andrade, Spencer Roach and Anthony Sabatini introduced HB 843, in another attempt to reform alimony laws in Florida. On January 13th, Senator Kelli Stargel joined fellow Republicans by introducing her own version of the alimony reform bill, SB 1832.

Lawmakers want to eliminate permanent alimony and allow the obligor, person obligated to pay alimony, to retire and not be subject to garnishment from their retirement funds. It prioritizes the use of bridge-the-gap and rehabilitative alimony and limits durational alimony to 50% of the total length of the marriage. It also caps the durational alimony to 25% of the parties’ combined net income and further caps the total considered net income at $300,000. Additionally, the obligee, a person who is owed alimony, will be responsible for purchasing life insurance on the obligor, if they so desire. This removes the burden from the payer being forced to carry a life insurance policy with the former spouse as the beneficiary.

Section 2: The proposal allows the obligor to request a modification if he or she discovers the recipient has entered into a supportive relationship. Inversely, the obligee no longer will be able to request an increase of alimony based on income or assets provided by the payer’s new spouse.

 

If you need help with:

  • Alimony
  • Contested/Uncontested Divorce with/without assets and/or children
  • Child Custody/Time-sharing disputes.
  • Parenting Plans/Visitation.
  • Paternity matters and Parental rights.
  • Back Child Support.
  • Florida divorce laws regarding Couples with Children.
  • Child Custody Revocation.
  • Modification of Child Support or Time-sharing.
  • Or any other matters regarding Alimony and Divorce

…then contact me right away for help with your case.

Questions? Call (877) 822-1479 OR use the button below to check my Calendar for availability

TOP 10 Reasons to Mediate

  1. Cost

The cost of hiring an independent, unbiased mediator to assist you in designing your
own settlement is always much less than hiring multiple attorneys, accountants,
financial advisors and appraisers. Attorneys foster an adversarial approach to
resolution of issues, necessitating both sides to hire multiple specialists and pay
astronomical professional fees in order to protect legal rights, many times leaving both
parties to the dispute stripped of all financial resources. In mediation, both parties select
and split the cost of one unbiased mediator and equally unbiased accountants,
appraisers, etc. to facilitate a long-term agreement between themselves that makes the
most of financial resources for the future.

  1. Build on the Positive

Mediating instead of litigating gives you the opportunity to build a positive future as you
move forward with your lives in different directions, instead of a negative one. By
conserving financial resources, communicating and showing respect instead of fighting,
taking control of your family’s future and making your own choices, and viewing your
separation from the perspective of a team instead of as adversaries, all parties can
maintain their mental, emotional and physical health and move into the future in a
positive way.

  1. Control

Litigation leaves you in a position where attorneys and judges make the important long-
lasting decisions that affect you and your family. Don’t surrender your power of choice
and the control over your future. A professional mediator can help you design your
own arrangements for the future that make the most sense for your own situation.

  1. It’s Easier on the Family

The break down of the family is emotionally debilitating Litigation encourages both
parties to act as enemies, making the loss of relationship even more traumatic.
Independent, unbiased mediators instead foster a collaborative relationship that allows
both parties to consider their own needs, each others’ future needs and the children’s
needs in devising a plan that makes sense for everyone without breaking the bank, or
further damaging emotional health.

  1. Manages Emotions Better

Mediators believe that four stages of emotions are experienced during broken relationships:

  • Acquaintance;
  • Intimacy;
  • Loss of intimacy;
  • Business-like relationship

Attorneys will leave you at loss of intimacy and encourage adversarial behavior.
Mediators can assist in taking you to a business-like relationship that will foster healing.

  1. Easier on the Children

Litigation is adversarial and creates “sides” to be taken. Children can get caught in the
crossfire. There is no need to place your family in a gladiator arena. Transition into this
new phase of life as peacefully as possible by allowing a professional mediator to assist
you in devising a long-term “parenting plan”, rather than having custody arrangements
dictated by a court. Demonstrate to your children that even though Mom and Dad will be
living separately, they will still be Mom and Dad, and will both continue to take an active
role in continuing to parent and protect them.

  1. Confidentiality

Everything said and done in mediation sessions is completely confidential. In the event
that not all issues are resolved in mediation and litigation becomes necessary, the
details do not proceed to the courtroom. Litigation is public record. Keep your life private.

  1. Legal Information

Mediators do not have to be attorneys. Why? Because mediation does not center
around legal rights and entitlements. Although family mediators have been rigorously
trained and certified by their state’s Supreme Court, and possess significant knowledge
about family law in their jurisdictions, they do not focus on the law. Mediators, rather,
focus on the best interests of both parties to the dispute.

  1. You Can Still Go to Court

Mediation is a tool to peacefully resolve issues. Not all issues, however, may be
resolved in mediation… and that’s OK. In mediation, the focus is not on individual legal rights.
The focus is on everyone’s best interests. Once you and your spouse make the
important decisions about your collective best interests, they will be presented to a
judge. You will only need to be in court to let the judge know you both agree on the
agreement you have created. If you are only concerned about what your legal rights
are, then mediation is not for you. However, you will need to surrender you rights to
control your own future to attorneys and judges.

  1. Paperwork

Your professional, independent mediator will assist you in completing all required
paperwork for filing with the court during mediation. Expensive attorneys are not
necessary to complete paperwork!

Reasons you should hire an iMediate Inc. Family Law Mediator

  • Online dispute resolution with multiple parties via iChat.
  • Highly experienced in dissolution of marriage in Florida.
  • Certified State Supreme Court family law mediators.
  • Continuing education for all of our family law mediators.
  • Flexible scheduling for online dispute resolution.
  • Our family law mediators are up to date with new Florida marriage laws, trends and
    statutes that govern dissolution of marriage in Florida.

Learn More about Self-Representation in matters of Child Custody & Timesharing

 

Questions? Call (877) 822-1479 OR use the button below to check my Calendar for availability

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Matthew Brickman is nothing short of a genius. He actually was able to do something that not alot of people can do, and that is to get me and my ex-wife to agree to terms that is mutually beneficial to our son. I do like to joke, ALOT, but all joking aside, this gentleman, Matthew Brickman, is in my opinion the best mediator in the business, and I have had the pleasure ( or dis-pleasure) of working with a few of them. His fee is more than resonable, and his results are respected by more than one judge. He gets a definite A+ in my book.
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I cannot RAVE enough about Matthew Brickman. I am 100% sure, if we had been with any other person, it would have taken more than one session to come to an agreement. Matthew is extremely patient, very kind, extremely knowledgeable and helpful in helping facilitate two people going through a really difficult time in making some major life decisions. I could not imagine going through this process without his expertise. I thought it didn't really matter WHO we mediated with. I was proven wrong after this experience. I have zero regrets. Have nothing but amazing things to say about him!
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I have had the pleasure of completing 3 mediations with Matthew. Matthew works very quickly. I have had success with parenting plans and a divorce. He can navigate the process very quickly and I have been satisfied with the results every time. I have had 2 mediations in person and one by webex and the webex mediation, I feel is the most effective tool that I have seen.
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ABOUT

MATTHEW BRICKMAN

Matthew Brickman is a Florida Supreme Court certified family and appellate mediator who has worked in the 15th and 19th Judicial Circuit Courts since 2009 and 2006 respectively.

He was also a county civil and dependency mediator who mediated hundreds of small claims, civil and child-related cases. Matthew was a certified Guardian Ad Litem with the 15th Judicial Circuit. He recently completed the Harvard Law School Negotiation Master Class which is strictly limited to 50 participants and the Harvard Business School’s Negotiation Mastery program as one of the 434 high-level professionals in a student body from across the globe, all with multiple degrees and certifications from the most prestigious institutions.

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Matthew Brickman is a proud member of The Family Law Section of the Florida Bar

THE TOP 10 REASONS TO MEDIATE

Learn more about the advantages of using an experienced mediator who can conduct your session online.