During a divorce, one troubling factor may be whether or not you can afford to live on your own. For people in your situation, alimony comes into play. Alimony is still part of the divorce process in Florida. The court can decide to grant alimony to either party, regardless of gender or age. There are a few kinds of alimony that could be awarded. These include alimony to bridge the gap, durational alimony, rehabilitative alimony, or permanent alimony.
With alimony meant to bridge the gap, payments are made to help a person get settled and back into a normal lifestyle. The party receiving it will be expected to go back to work and support him- or herself as necessary.
With durational alimony, alimony may be paid for a short or longer-term duration. Rehabilitative alimony is similar, as it may not be paid for the rest of a person’s life. The only kind of alimony that is paid for the long term tends to be permanent alimony, which is paid to the other party with no end date given by the court.
Courts don’t award alimony for no reason. The court will look at many factors to determine if it is needed. For instance, the earning capacities of each party will be considered. The standard of living during the marriage will be reviewed as well as the length of time the couple was married. If both parties have contributed to the marriage or one side failed to do so, this will also be considered before an award is decided.
Source: Online Sunshine, “2015 Florida Statutes,” accessed Feb. 04, 2016
