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Florida Child Custody Reform 2013

April 21, 2013/2 Comments/in Florida Statutes, Legislative Update //Tags: alimony, alimony reform, bridge-the-gap alimony, child custody, child custody case, child custody determination, co-parenting, collaborative divorce, collaborative family law, durational alimony, Florida alimony, Florida alimony laws, Florida child custody, Florida Legislature, long term alimony, lump sum alimony, parental responsibility, parenting plan, permanent periodic alimony, rehabilitative alimony, shared parental responsibility, sole parental responsibility, spousal support, supervised time-sharing, temporary alimony, time-sharingby Adam B. Cordover, Attorney-at-Law

There has been a lot of press lately about efforts to reform Florida’s alimony laws. As discussed on this blog, Senate Bill 718 (which primarily deals with alimony reform) passed the Florida House by a wide margin (85 Yeas versus 31 Nays) and, since it had also passed the Florida Senate, will be going to Governor Rick Scott for his signature.

Update: Governor Scott Vetoes Senate Bill 718

One area that may be even more significant, but has not received as much coverage, is language in Senate Bill 718 that reforms Florida’s child custody laws. Currently, there is no presumption in favor of or against any child custody schedule, including a 50/50 split custody (known as equal time-sharing). Senate Bill 718, however, adds language to section 61.13 of the Florida Statutes that seems to make a strong presumption in favor of equal time-sharing.

The text of the child custody provisions of Senate Bill 718 is reproduced below (deleted language is ~~stricken~~ while new language is underlined):

No Changes to Florida Alimony Laws

March 26, 2012/9 Comments/in Florida Statutes //Tags: alimony, bridge-the-gap alimony, divorce, durational alimony, Family Law News, Florida House of Representatives, Florida Legislature, Florida Senate, Florida Statutes, long term alimony, lump sum alimony, permanent periodic alimony, rehabilitative alimony, separate maintenance, support unconnected with dissolution of marriage, temporary alimonyby Adam B. Cordover, Attorney-at-Law

In previous posts, I had written about proposed changes to the Florida Alimony Statute (section 61.08, Florida Statutes) that were under consideration in Florida Senate Bill 748 and Florida House Bill 549.

Well, as it turns out, neither of these bills passed in the Florida Legislature’s 2012 session. On March 9, the Senate Bill died in Rules, while the House Bill died in Judiciary.

If you have questions concerning your Florida alimony case and you are looking to retain a Tampa Bay alimony attorney, contact The Law Firm of Adam B. Cordover, P.A., at 813-443-0615 or by filling out our online form.