Revamped alimony reform bill receives committee references
'As it stands today, The Family Law Section of The Florida Bar is supportive of the legislation modifying Florida’s alimony laws, and we appreciate Sen. Joe Gruters and Rep. John Temple for allowing us to offer input during the drafting process'

Sen. Joe Gruters
Sen. Joe Gruters hopes the third time’s a charm for his alimony reform bill.
On March 2, the Sarasota Republican filed SB 1416, which would allow courts to grant alimony to either party in the form of “temporary, bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, or durational alimony, as is equitable,” and would remove the term, “permanent in nature,” from the statutes.
Additionally, it would allow judges to consider the adultery of either spouse and any resulting economic impact in determining the amount of alimony awarded and address what happens when a spouse ordered to pay child support retires.
The bill was referenced to two Senate committees, Fiscal Policy and Rules, on March 9.
“As it stands today, The Family Law Section of The Florida Bar is supportive of the legislation modifying Florida’s alimony laws, and we appreciate Sen. Joe Gruters and Rep. John Temple for allowing us to offer input during the drafting process,” said Family Law Section Chair Philip S. Wartenberg. “As drafted, the legislation provides commonsense modifications to alimony, including the elimination of permanent alimony, while also preserving the longstanding Pimm decision which pertains to the effects of retirement on alimony awards. We will support this legislation as it moves forward, as long as the bill is not amended to include provisions that would negatively impact existing alimony awards or otherwise be harmful to Florida’s families.”
This is Gruters’ third attempt at passing alimony reform. In 2021, Gruters unexpectedly withdrew his measure 10 days prior to the end of session following a fierce debate on the child-sharing provision in the bill.
Last year, Gruters filed SB 1796, which passed both chambers. However, the bill wasn’t without its critics including the Family Law Section.
Wartenberg told The Florida Bar News last March that Gruters’ bill would upend existing agreements retroactively, spark bitter custody battles, and put children at risk.
The bill moved to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis who vetoed the measure.
“If CS/CS/SB 1796 were to become law and be given retroactive effect as the Legislature intends, it would unconstitutionally impair vested rights under certain preexisting marital settlement agreements,” DeSantis wrote.
In this year’s version of the alimony bill, Gruters revised language to honor existing alimony agreements.
“We’re bringing it back, and this time with no retroactivity,” Gruters told Florida Politics. “We have got both sides to agree on language, so I think that’s going to pass.”
SB 1416 marks the fifth time alimony reform has been up before the Legislature.
In 2016, Gov. Rick Scott vetoed an alimony reform measure that contained an equal time-sharing provision. In his veto message, Scott wrote that the provision would “put the wants of a parent ahead of a child’s best interest.”
Scott also vetoed a 2012 alimony reform measure, citing concerns about retroactivity and its potential impact on recipients.
Rep. Temple, R-Wildwood, filed HB 1409, the identical companion bill in the House on March 3, which received references to the House Civil Justice Subcommittee and the Judiciary Committee.