Alimony and Spousal Support in Florida

The court may award temporary, bridge-the-gap (up to 2 years), rehabilitative (up to 5 years, with a written plan) or durational alimony; the statute does not list permanent alimony. Durational alimony is not available for marriages under 3 years and may not exceed 50% of the length of a short-term marriage (under 10 years), 60% of a moderate-term marriage (10 to 20 years), or 75% of a long-term marriage (20+ years), except in exceptional circumstances. It is capped at the lesser of the recipient's reasonable need or 35% of the difference in the spouses' net incomes. The court first decides whether one spouse has an actual need and the other can pay.

Florida uses equitable distribution, and the court starts from the premise that marital assets and debts should be divided equally. It can divide unequally based on factors such as each spouse's contributions, economic circumstances, length of the marriage, career interruptions, and intentional waste of marital assets within 2 years before filing. Nonmarital (separate) property generally includes assets owned before the marriage, gifts and inheritances from third parties, income from nonmarital assets (unless treated as marital), and assets excluded by a valid written agreement. Assets acquired during the marriage are presumed marital.