Brandon Alimony Attorney

How Is Alimony Determined?

Florida courts consider a broad range of factors under Section 61.08 when evaluating whether alimony is appropriate and, if so, in what amount and for how long. No single factor is controlling, and the weight each receives depends on the facts of your case.

When determining spousal support, courts consider:

• Standard of living established during the marriage
• Duration of the marriage, with short-term (under 10 years), moderate-term (10 to 20 years), and long-term (over 20 years) marriages treated differently
• Financial resources of each spouse, including marital and nonmarital assets and liabilities distributed in the dissolution
• Earning capacity, educational level, vocational abilities, and the time needed for either party to become employable
• Contributions to the marriage, including homemaking, childcare, education support, and career-building for the other spouse
• Responsibilities for minor children each party will carry after the divorce
• Tax treatment and consequences of any alimony award to both parties
• All sources of income available to either party, including investment income
• Adultery and its economic impact, which the 2023 reform expressly permits courts to consider
• Any other factor the court finds necessary to do equity and justice between the parties

Can Alimony Be Modified in Florida?

Either spouse may petition to modify an existing alimony order when circumstances have changed substantially, materially, involuntarily, and permanently. Courts don’t adjust awards for temporary setbacks. The change must be significant enough to make the current arrangement inequitable. Bridge-the-gap alimony isn’t modifiable once set. Rehabilitative alimony may be modified or terminated if the rehabilitative plan isn’t being followed or is completed ahead of schedule. Existing agreements finalized before July 1, 2023, aren’t retroactively altered by the reform, though post-2023 modification petitions may be evaluated under the new standards.

Common grounds for modification include:

• Income Change: A significant loss of income from job loss, illness, or disability, or a material improvement in the receiving spouse’s financial situation, may support a modification request.
• Retirement: The 2023 reform codified retirement as a basis for modification. A paying spouse may petition the court no sooner than six months before planned retirement. The court considers the obligor’s age, health, reasons for retirement, and available retirement income when evaluating the request.
• Supportive Relationship: The 2023 reform codified the supportive relationship standard. If the receiving spouse is residing with another adult in a supportive relationship, the paying spouse may seek a reduction or termination even without remarriage. The burden falls on the paying spouse to prove the relationship by a preponderance of the evidence.
• Health Changes: Significant health problems affecting either spouse’s financial situation can also provide grounds for adjustment.

Why Brandon Families Choose Barnett Gill for Alimony Matters

Alimony outcomes depend on how each spouse’s financial circumstances are documented, presented, and argued before the court. We’ve been practicing in Hillsborough County since 1988, which means we know the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit’s procedures, filing timelines, and judicial expectations in dissolution matters. That familiarity shapes our strategy from the first filing forward.

Our founder trained at one of the nation’s largest law firms before opening his own practice, combining the preparation standards of a large firm with the individual attention of a boutique office. We don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach, and in alimony matters, that distinction is real: outcomes depend on the specific financial picture of each family, not a generic template. Because alimony is rarely a standalone issue, we evaluate spousal support alongside the full picture of your divorce, including property division, custody, and child support, so every part of your case is moving in the same direction.

Our attorneys personally return calls and messages. You won’t wait days to hear back or be handed off to staff when you have a question. Our roots in the Brandon community run deep, including long-standing involvement with organizations like ECHO, and that commitment to the people we serve carries into how we handle every case.

Talk to our legal team about your situation. Our Brandon alimony lawyers can evaluate your circumstances and provide a realistic assessment based on Florida’s alimony laws under Section 61.08. We can also help if you need to modify an existing spousal support agreement.