Thursday, November 8, 2012

Alimony and Child Support in the Florida State


Divorce between a couple with children automatically requires the discussion and arrangement of alimony and child custody. Panama City, Florida ranked highest in the survey for most divorce cases in 2010 and many cities in the state are continuously placing at the top of this demographic. According to a survey conducted by The Daily Beast, 4 out of 10 marriages in Panama City end in dissolution.

Some notable reasons for higher divorce rates in Florida are:

-              Financial strains due to the downfall of the economy
-              The easy “night life” atmosphere in many Florida cities
-              Excessive flexibility of related family laws in the state
-              Involvement of the country in the war

Nobody wants to be in such an unfortunate situation but it can happen to even the most stable of families. Here are a few facts about alimony, child custody, and some other Florida Family Laws.

ALIMONY

This is also known as spousal support. It may be categorized into these four classifications but can be combined:

(1) Permanent—support is given on a monthly basis for an unspecified period of time and is highly dependent on the number of married years. It will last until the ex-spouse expires or is remarried.

(2) Lump sum—this means that money, properties, or other assets are given at a one-time-big-time manner. This option may be used in place of Permanent alimony. A prenuptial agreement may be used as reference for the division of properties in this category.

(3)Bridge-the-gap—it is temporary and lasts for about a year or two. It is granted to a spouse who needs some degree of assistance in their finances after the divorce.

(4) Rehabilitative—this is for a spouse who needs to go back to school or some kind of training to have a better chance at a more lucrative career. The support ends when the spouse “graduates” from his or her chosen field of study.

Assets, monthly income, debts, spending, and employment are factored in during the computation of alimony. This court grant is not exclusive to women but it is most common to them.

CHILD CUSTODY

Significant changes were made in the family law regarding child custody in 2008. The changes aimed to address the need to rehash the roles of non-custodial parents in the family and also to improve the situation of the children for better coping during a divorce.

The term “primary residential parent” will no longer be used due to the effect it has on the perception of one parent being less significant. The term used in Florida courts is simply “parent” for both parties whether they have physical custody of the child or not. “Visitation” has also been redefined and the term “time sharing” was deemed more appropriate.

Sole parenting rights are only reinforced in situations of domestic abuse and other related cases of incapacity from the other parent. In some cases, the title of parent is not granted to either spouse of the court sees that both are unable to provide a healthy environment for the child.

Nancy McRoberts Parham, P.A
210 N. Pierce St. 
Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 228-0219

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