Broward County Alimony Attorney

Alimony disputes rarely resolve themselves. Whether you are the spouse seeking support after a long marriage or the one facing a support obligation you believe is excessive, the stakes attached to a Florida alimony determination reach far beyond the divorce decree itself. They shape your financial reality for years, sometimes decades, after the marriage ends. A Broward County alimony attorney who understands how Florida’s current spousal support framework applies to your specific circumstances can be the difference between an outcome you can live with and one that leaves you financially constrained long-term.

Florida’s alimony law changed significantly in 2023, eliminating permanent alimony as an option. What replaced it is a structured framework that ties the type and duration of support to the length of the marriage, the recipient’s need, and the paying spouse’s ability to pay. Broward County’s family law courts apply these standards through a lens that is fact-intensive and detail-driven. The income documentation you produce, the lifestyle evidence your attorney introduces, and how persuasively your case is framed before a judge all matter enormously.

At Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A., our approach to alimony cases centers on preparation, candor, and understanding what our clients are actually trying to achieve. This firm serves individuals across Fort Lauderdale and the broader Broward County region who are navigating spousal support issues at every stage, from initial determination through modification and enforcement proceedings.

What Florida’s Post-2023 Alimony Framework Means for Your Case

The 2023 legislative overhaul of Florida’s alimony statutes changed the playing field for every spousal support case filed after its effective date. Permanent alimony is no longer available. Courts must now choose from bridge-the-gap alimony, rehabilitative alimony, or durational alimony, and the law imposes specific caps and presumptions tied to the length of the marriage.

Bridge-the-gap alimony is the shortest-term option, designed to help a spouse transition from married life to financial independence. It cannot exceed two years and terminates automatically upon the recipient’s remarriage or death. Rehabilitative alimony supports a spouse while they pursue education, retraining, or career development, but it requires a specific written rehabilitative plan and is subject to modification or termination if the plan is not followed. Durational alimony covers longer needs but now carries a statutory cap: it generally cannot exceed 50 percent of the marriage’s length for marriages under 10 years, 60 percent for marriages between 10 and 20 years, and 75 percent for marriages over 20 years, with limited exceptions for exceptional circumstances.

Courts consider a range of factors when setting the amount and duration of alimony: the standard of living established during the marriage, each spouse’s financial resources and earning capacity, the contributions each made to the marriage (including homemaking and child-rearing), any interruption in career or education a spouse experienced, and the age and physical condition of each party. No single factor controls. Judges weigh the totality, which is exactly why the way these facts are documented and presented matters as much as the facts themselves.

Alimony Issues Our Firm Handles for Broward County Clients

• Initial alimony determination: Whether alimony is contested or part of a negotiated marital settlement agreement, establishing the correct type, amount, and duration from the outset sets the trajectory for your post-divorce financial life. Getting this right at the trial level is far less costly than appealing a bad outcome later.
• Modification of existing alimony orders: Florida law permits modification when there has been a substantial change in circumstances that is material, unanticipated, and involuntary. A job loss, significant income change, or the recipient spouse’s cohabitation may all qualify, but the burden of proof lies with the party seeking the change.
• Termination of alimony upon remarriage or cohabitation: Alimony in Florida terminates automatically upon the recipient’s remarriage. It may also be reduced or terminated if the recipient enters a supportive relationship, though proving cohabitation requires evidence that goes beyond simply showing the person has a new partner.
• Enforcement of alimony obligations: When a paying spouse stops meeting their court-ordered obligation, the recipient has legal remedies, including contempt proceedings in Broward County’s family court. Understanding the enforcement tools available, and how quickly to deploy them, protects your financial stability.
• Alimony in high-asset divorces: Cases involving business ownership, investment portfolios, professional practices, or significant passive income require financial documentation and analysis beyond what a straightforward wage earner case involves. Accurate income attribution is often the central battleground.
• Tax considerations and alimony structuring: Under current federal tax law, alimony paid pursuant to agreements finalized after a specific federal tax reform date is neither deductible by the payor nor taxable to the recipient. This has significant implications for how alimony should be negotiated relative to asset division, and it requires careful analysis during settlement discussions.
• Alimony in short marriages vs. long marriages: The statutory framework treats marriages differently based on duration, and the case you build for or against alimony looks very different for a seven-year marriage than it does for a twenty-two-year one. The factual narrative that resonates with a judge depends heavily on this context.

What Matters Right Now If You Are Facing an Alimony Dispute in Broward County

If your divorce is pending or recently finalized and alimony is a live issue, the most important thing you can do immediately is organize your financial documentation. Courts in Broward County require mandatory financial disclosure in all family law cases. Both parties must exchange financial affidavits that cover income, expenses, assets, and liabilities. The accuracy of this document shapes your credibility before the court. Gathering your last several years of tax returns, recent pay stubs, bank and investment account statements, mortgage records, and documentation of any non-cash income or benefits is not optional preparation; it is foundational.

If you are the spouse seeking alimony, you will also want to document the standard of living established during the marriage. This can include household expense records, vacation spending, memberships, and lifestyle expenditures that reflect the marital standard. Courts use this baseline to calibrate what kind of support is appropriate, not just what is affordable.

If you are the spouse who may owe alimony, equally important is substantiating your actual income and expenses accurately. Overstating expenses or underreporting income carries serious risks before a judge. At the same time, legitimate deductions, business expenses, and fluctuating income streams deserve to be documented properly rather than ignored.

Alimony proceedings in Broward County are handled in the Circuit Court’s Family Division, located at the Broward County Courthouse at 201 SE 6th Street in Fort Lauderdale. For cases involving modification or enforcement of existing orders, the court that issued the original order retains jurisdiction. Deadlines in family law cases can be unforgiving. Missing a response deadline or failing to properly serve documents can have consequences that are difficult to undo without costly motion practice.

One of the most common and costly mistakes in alimony cases is treating the financial affidavit as a formality rather than a strategic document. Another is assuming that verbal agreements with a former spouse about changing support will hold up without a court-approved modification. They do not. If your circumstances have changed and you believe your support obligation or entitlement should be adjusted, that adjustment has to go through the court or be formalized in a written agreement that the court approves.

Why Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. Represents Broward County Alimony Clients

Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. is a Fort Lauderdale-based family law firm that has focused its practice on helping Florida couples and families resolve their most consequential legal issues, including spousal support, through processes that prioritize clarity, fairness, and lasting resolution. The firm serves clients throughout Broward County and beyond, including Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Pembroke Pines, and the St. Augustine area to the north.

What distinguishes this firm’s approach in alimony cases is the same philosophy that shapes its work in mediation and uncontested divorce: the belief that well-prepared clients make better decisions, and that thorough legal groundwork produces outcomes that hold up over time. Alimony questions are financial questions as much as they are legal ones, and this firm approaches them accordingly, with the kind of financial clarity that comes from working closely with clients on their actual numbers rather than assumptions.

For clients whose alimony disputes are part of a broader divorce, the firm’s background in mediation and cooperative dispute resolution offers an additional advantage. Not every alimony case needs to be a full courtroom battle. When parties are willing to negotiate in good faith, a well-structured mediated agreement can produce a better result for both sides than leaving the decision entirely to a judge. When litigation is necessary, the firm is equally prepared to present a well-documented, factually grounded case before the Broward County family court.

Questions About Alimony in Broward County

Can I get alimony if my marriage was only a few years long?

Florida law does not automatically exclude short marriages from alimony consideration, but it does limit what is available. For marriages under 10 years, durational alimony cannot exceed 50 percent of the marriage’s length. Bridge-the-gap alimony is more commonly awarded in shorter marriages. The requesting spouse must still demonstrate a financial need and the other spouse’s ability to pay. The shorter the marriage, the more critical it is to document concrete financial hardship resulting from the divorce.

How does a judge decide how much alimony to award in Broward County?

Judges apply a multi-factor analysis that includes each spouse’s income and earning capacity, the marital standard of living, the length of the marriage, each party’s financial resources, contributions made to the marriage including homemaking, any career sacrifices made for the marriage, and the age and health of each spouse. No single factor is determinative. The process is genuinely fact-intensive, which is why the quality of financial documentation presented to the court plays such a large role in the outcome.

Does Florida alimony automatically end when I retire?

Retirement does not automatically terminate or reduce a durational or rehabilitative alimony obligation in Florida. A paying spouse who wishes to reduce support upon retirement must file a petition for modification and demonstrate a substantial, material, involuntary change in circumstances. Courts look at whether the retirement was voluntary, the payor’s age, the anticipated income in retirement, and other relevant factors. Planning for retirement as a financial change point requires legal attention well before the retirement date arrives.

What happens if my former spouse refuses to pay court-ordered alimony?

A recipient spouse whose former partner has stopped paying can file a motion for contempt in Broward County Family Court. If the court finds the non-paying spouse in contempt, it has a range of enforcement tools including wage garnishment, seizure of assets, suspension of professional licenses, and in certain circumstances incarceration. Acting promptly is important because delays in enforcement can complicate the recovery of unpaid amounts.

Can alimony be waived entirely in a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement?

Yes. Florida law generally allows spouses to waive alimony rights through a valid prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, provided the agreement was entered into voluntarily, with full financial disclosure, and without fraud or duress. Courts will examine whether both parties had an opportunity to consult with independent counsel and whether the agreement’s terms were unconscionable at the time of execution. If the agreement was not properly structured, it may be challenged and potentially set aside during divorce proceedings.

What counts as a “supportive relationship” that could reduce my alimony?

Florida law allows a court to reduce or terminate alimony if the recipient is in a supportive relationship with another person. The paying spouse must petition the court and demonstrate the relationship. Courts consider factors like how long the recipient and the new partner have lived together, whether they share expenses, whether either has financially supported the other, and the extent of their interdependence. The existence of a romantic relationship alone is not sufficient; the financial support element must be shown.

Can alimony be modified if my ex-spouse significantly increases their income after the divorce?

Generally, modification petitions in Florida focus on the payor’s ability to pay and the recipient’s need, not solely on income increases. A significant increase in the recipient’s income could actually support a reduction in alimony, since their financial need may have decreased. A significant increase in the payor’s income, on the other hand, does not by itself support an increase in alimony once an order is set, though it may be relevant in other procedural contexts. This is one of the areas where precise legal analysis of the change in circumstances standard is critical.

How long does a Broward County alimony modification case typically take?

The timeline depends on whether the modification is contested and how the court’s docket is managed at the time of filing. Uncontested modifications where both parties agree can sometimes be processed relatively quickly once the paperwork is properly filed and the court schedules a hearing. Contested modification cases involve discovery, possible mediation, and a hearing before a judge, which can extend the process considerably. The Broward County family court system handles a high volume of cases, and scheduling can be a factor in overall timeline.

Is alimony considered income for the recipient in Florida state tax filings?

Florida does not have a state income tax, so alimony has no state-level income tax consequences for recipients. At the federal level, the tax treatment of alimony depends on when the divorce was finalized relative to federal tax reform changes. For divorce agreements entered after the applicable federal date, alimony is not deductible by the payor and is not includable as income for the recipient. This shift has real implications for how alimony amounts are negotiated and structured in settlement discussions, particularly in high-income cases.

Does it matter who filed for divorce when it comes to determining alimony?

No. Florida is a no-fault divorce state, which means the decision about whether to award alimony and in what amount is not influenced by which spouse initiated the divorce proceedings. Courts focus on the financial circumstances of each party, the length of the marriage, and the other statutory factors, not on who filed first or who was “at fault” for the breakdown of the marriage. Marital misconduct generally does not factor into alimony determinations under Florida law.

Alimony Representation Across Fort Lauderdale and Broward County

Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. represents clients in alimony and spousal support matters throughout Broward County and the surrounding region. Our client base spans the full breadth of the county, from Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood through Pembroke Pines, Miramar, and Cooper City to the south. We work with clients in Coral Springs, Plantation, Davie, and Sunrise to the west, and we regularly serve individuals in Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, and Lighthouse Point along the northern coastal corridor. Clients in Hallandale Beach, Dania Beach, and Lauderdale Lakes also come to us for support in contested and uncontested alimony matters. Beyond Broward County, the firm serves clients in the St. Augustine area and St. Johns County to the north. Wherever you are located within this region, access to a Broward County family law attorney who understands the local courts and the financial realities of the area matters when spousal support is at stake.

Contact a Fort Lauderdale Alimony Attorney at Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A.

Spousal support decisions made during a divorce, or revisited through modification proceedings, have long-term financial consequences that deserve serious legal attention. Whether you are approaching alimony for the first time or dealing with a change in circumstances that demands a review of an existing order, working with a Fort Lauderdale alimony attorney who understands both the law and the financial realities of your situation is essential. Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. is ready to help you evaluate your options, understand what the current Florida framework means for your case, and pursue a resolution that reflects your actual circumstances. Contact our office today to schedule a consultation.