Florida Statute 61.08 discusses the very complicated and complex issue of alimony in Florida. The Court weighs several factors including the length of the marriage and a party’s ability to pay when determining whether it should order alimony in dissolution of marriage cases. Here is a brief description of some of the most common types of alimony awarded.
Bridge-the-gap:
Bridge-the-gap alimony may be awarded to help a party in a divorce transition from being married to single. The court can order bridge-the-gap alimony for up to two (2) years.
Rehabilitative:
Rehabilitative alimony may be awarded to help a party establish the capacity to support themselves (i.e. to go back to school or attend vocational training). In order to get rehabilitative alimony the party seeking it must provide the court with a specific plan of rehabilitation (such as enrollment in college).
Durational:
Durational alimony may be awarded when permanent alimony is inappropriate. The purpose of durational alimony is to provide a party with monetary assistance for a specific period of time. The length of durational alimony may not exceed the length of the marriage.
Permanent:
Permanent alimony may be awarded to provide for the needs and necessities of life as they were established during the marriage. Permanent alimony may be awarded following a marriage of long duration. Under Florida law a marriage of long duration is defined as a marriage that lasted over 17 years. Permanent alimony may be awarded for a marriage of moderate length (between 7 and 17 years) but it is rarely awarded for a marriage that was short in length (under 7 years) absent exceptional circumstances.
In addition to the four types of alimony discussed above the court may also award alimony pendente lite and lump sum payment.
For more information regarding what type of alimony you may be able to receive, please give us a Call to schedule your free initial consultation.
*Disclaimer: This summary was prepared by the Law Office of Guichard St. Surin, P.A. and should be used as a reference only. Interested parties should contact an attorney before drawing legal conclusions.
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