Robert D. Flach of MainStreet.com provides the following advice regarding tax treatment of alimony:
To be deductible, alimony payments must be in cash (or check) and required as a condition of the divorce decree. You and your “ex” must not live together in the same household, and payments must end upon the death of the “ex.”
The following video from Uninterrupted TV provides advice to teens and parents about how to facilitate better intra-family communication:
An article from consumer website WalletPop.com discusses ways to protect your credit score as you go through a divorce. The following issues (from both the article and my experience) should be addressed in any marital settlement agreement and/or final judgment:
The following video from Uninterrupted TV provides advice on relationship building from both a parent and a teenager’s perspective:
I previous wrote about filing fees in Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, and Pasco County. In this post I review current filing fees in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, Sarasota County, for common family law matters. A person who initiates a family law case (the “Petitioner”) will pay the following:
In the following dramatization from Aspen Publishing, child support guidelines are reviewed:
You should note that Florida utilizes the “Income Shares” approach (the second guidelines approach discussed) to determine a child support amount. However, in addition to including the pro rata share of income from each parent, the Florida child support guidelines also factors in deductions–such as daycare and healthcare expenses–as well as the amount of time children spend with each parent.
I generally shy away from celebrity gossip news, but Charlie Sheen has been plastering the airwaves in a pitched battle with everyone from his former wife, Brooke Mueller, to the president of CBS. Not surprisingly, his former spouse filed a petition for injunction against domestic violence against Sheen. The Smoking Gun has published the text of Mueller’s declaration in support of her petition.
Today the city of Tampa is holding elections for various offices, including the District 3 Citywide seat of the Tampa City Council. For this seat, I endorse Seth Nelson.
Seth Nelson is a friend of mine, and a man dedicated to his 6-year-old son, Kai. He is a lifelong citizen of Tampa, where he attended Hillel grade school and Wilson Middle School. In 1988, Seth graduated Plant High School. After earning his bachelor’s from the University of Wisconsin he returned to the area where he taught underprivileged children at an alternative school.
In 2001, Seth graduated from University of Florida’s College of Law. He then served as a law clerk to Judge John C. Godbold of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Seth later opened up his own law firm, where he practices family law and represents children with special needs.
Seth’s endorsements have included The Tampa Police Benevolent Association, Tampa Fire Fighters Local #754, Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner, and Florida State Representative and former Tampa City Council member Shawn Harrison. Additionally, the St. Petersburg Times endorsed Seth and stated the following:
Seth Nelson sets himself apart from this crowded field of name-droppers. He understands what the city has done right in recent years, from cutting crime to developing downtown. And he sees how the city can improve by strengthening relationships with neighborhood groups and the business sector.
The 40-year-old lawyer has a solid grasp of city issues for a first-time candidate. He has a reasonable plan for streamlining some land development codes. And, like every candidate this year, Nelson promises to examine the budget for consolidation ideas and other cost savings. But he shows a more responsible approach by calling for continued investment in infrastructure and other capital projects. Nelson is right that the city cannot merely cut its way into a new period of economic growth.
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For Tampa City Council District 3, the Times recommends Seth Nelson.
Keep in mind that the polls close at 7:00 p.m., so give yourself plenty of time to vote for Seth Nelson.
News-Press.com out of Fort Meyers, Florida, is reporting that a father faces felony charges of interference with custody of a minor child after fleeing the state and hiding his child in Michigan.
The child’s father and mother had been divorced since May of 2010, and the father was exercising his regularly scheduled time-sharing with his child. However, instead of returning the child to the mother at the end of his time-sharing schedule, the father simply left Florida without telling the mother where he or the child were going or when they would be back. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office then obtained a warrant for the father’s arrest.
A charge of interference with custody of a minor child is based on section 787.03, Florida Statutes. Below is the text of this statute:
I’m proud to share that this weekend I ran Tampa’s traditional Publix Supermarkets Gasparilla Distance Classic 5K. This is my first 5K in over a decade, and though I certainly did not break any records (I finished in 33:48), I did achieve my personal goal of completing the event without stopping or walking.
Charity partners of the run included Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay, Wheelchairs for Warriors, and St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. Since the first event in 1978, the Gasparilla Distance Classic Association, Inc., has donated approximately $2.8 million to charities and other local community partners.
