Seven Ways Alimony Reform Will Affect Divorcing Couples in Florida

Originally published: August 2023 | Updated: March 2026 | By: Deborah Beylus

Florida’s 2023 Alimony Reform Law (HB 1301), effective July 1, 2023, eliminated permanent periodic alimony and replaced it with four specific types: bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, durational, and transitional. Under Florida Statutes §61.08, alimony is now capped based on marriage duration: short-term (0–10 years), moderate-term (10–20 years), and long-term (20+ years). Durational alimony cannot exceed 50%, 60%, or 75% of the marriage length, respectively. These changes apply to all initial petitions pending or filed on or after the effective date, providing a standardized formula for mediation and litigation in Florida family courts.

Alimony — also called spousal support — is a court-ordered financial obligation governed by Florida Statutes §61.08. The purpose of alimony is to reduce economic disparity when one party earns significantly less income as a result of the marriage.

Here are seven specific ways Florida’s 2023 Alimony Reform Law affects divorcing couples.

1. Financial Need and Ability to Pay Remain the Primary Standards

Florida courts continue to evaluate the receiving spouse’s demonstrated financial need and the paying spouse’s documented ability to pay. However, the 2023 reform introduces consistent, codified guidelines that make alimony outcomes more predictable during mediation — reducing the uncertainty that previously forced many couples into costly litigation.

2. The Reform Establishes Strict Caps on Alimony Duration

The law reclassifies marriages into three categories, each carrying defined limits on how long alimony may be awarded:

• Short-term marriage: 0 to 10 years
• Moderate-term marriage: 10 to 20 years
• Long-term marriage: 20 or more years

Specific alimony types are subject to these hard caps:

• Bridge-the-gap alimony: Capped at a maximum of 2 years.
• Rehabilitative alimony: Capped at a maximum of 5 years.
• Durational alimony: Awarded only for marriages exceeding 3 years, it may not exceed 50% of the length of a short-term marriage, 60% of a moderate-term marriage, or 75% of a long-term marriage.

3. Florida Courts May Now Order Alimony as Periodic Payments or as a Lump Sum

Under the 2023 reform, Florida family courts retain the authority to structure alimony awards as either recurring periodic payments or as a single lump-sum payment — giving both parties greater flexibility to negotiate a structure that reflects their individual tax or liquidity circumstances during mediation.

4. Adultery is an Admissible Factor (Economic Dissipation)

Florida Statutes §61.08 now explicitly permits courts to consider documented evidence of adultery when determining alimony amount. Critically, courts focus on the intentional dissipation of marital assets (e.g., spending joint funds on gifts, travel, or rent for a third party) when calculating the resulting offset in spousal support.

5. Mandatory Written Findings for Life Insurance Security

When a court orders a paying spouse (the obligor) to purchase life insurance to secure an alimony award, Florida Statute §61.08(9) now requires specific written factual findings to justify the expense. The written finding requirement creates a documented evidentiary record and adds judicial accountability to life insurance orders.

6. Relocation Within 50 Miles and Time-Sharing Modification

Under Florida Statute §61.13001, a parent’s move to a residence within 50 miles of a child’s primary residence is now designated a legally recognized “substantial change in circumstances.” The 2023 bill eliminates the requirement to prove the change was “unanticipated,” lowering the evidentiary burden for parents seeking to modify a parenting plan.

7. New Codified Standards for Alimony Modification

The law introduces three major changes to how existing alimony obligations may be modified:

• Supportive Relationships: A court must reduce or terminate alimony upon making specific written findings that the obligee is in a “supportive relationship” with another person, as defined in FS §61.14.
• Retirement Factors: Courts must now evaluate a defined set of statutory factors before modifying alimony due to retirement, including the payor’s actual retirement age, the customary retirement age for their profession, and the economic impact on the recipient.
• 6-Month Filing Window: A paying spouse may not file a modification petition based on planned retirement sooner than 6 months before the anticipated retirement date.

Deborah Beylus

Deborah Beylus is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™ with over 30 years of financial industry experience. Based in Boca Raton, she leads South Florida Mediation Services, helping couples navigate divorce with clarity, fairness, and sound financial insight. A divorced mother of three herself, Deborah brings both professional expertise and personal understanding to the mediation process. Her firm has been named a Florida Trend Top Mediation Firm for three consecutive years, and she is a frequent speaker on mediation and divorce finances.