Florida's 2023 alimony reform, translated for clients mid-divorce.
SB 1416 eliminated permanent alimony and imposed duration caps. Here is what the statute actually says — and how it reshapes negotiations for cases filed after July 1, 2023.
In July 2023, Florida's alimony statute underwent its largest structural overhaul in decades. Permanent alimony — long a defining feature of Florida family law — was eliminated prospectively. Durational alimony replaced it, with statutory caps keyed to the length of the marriage.
What changed
- Permanent alimony eliminated for all dissolutions filed on or after July 1, 2023.
- Durational alimony is capped: 50% of the marriage length for short-term marriages (under 10 years), 60% for moderate-term (10–19 years), and 75% for long-term marriages (20+ years).
- Rehabilitative alimony capped at five years.
- Bridge-the-gap alimony capped at two years (unchanged).
- Retirement as an ordinary basis to modify or terminate alimony — codified.
How it affects active cases
Dissolutions filed before July 1, 2023 are governed by the old statute. Petitions filed on or after that date are governed by the new one. Careful drafting matters — 'recycled' petition language from pre-reform filings has produced sanctions in the first wave of post-reform cases.
Negotiation implications
Durational caps shift negotiating leverage. Short-term and moderate-term marriage cases now settle faster because the upper bound of exposure is statutory, not judicial. Long-term marriage cases remain complex — earning capacity analyses, vocational evaluations, and forensic accounting all continue to drive outcomes.
What the data shows
U.S. divorce rates are declining, but marital financial complexity is not. Business ownership, deferred compensation, equity grants, and multi-state real estate turn mid-range divorce cases into professional-grade financial matters. SB 1416 did not simplify any of that — it only capped one of its outputs.
