Alimony/Spousal Support

Florida Alimony and Property Division

Money can be a particularly divisive and contentious issue during a divorce. How the court characterizes and values marital and non-marital property can have a huge impact upon how much money and personal property you will receive. Contact Mindi Lasley, P.A. in Tampa, Florida, to learn more about alimony and property division.

Alimony and Spousal Support

Many factors are considered in a court's decision to award alimony, or spousal support, as it is otherwise known. However, as there are only guidelines that the court must consider in awarding alimony, each divorce is ultimately decided on its own unique set of circumstances. Factors the court may consider when awarding alimony include the length of the marriage, the parties' standard of living, a spouse's age, education, and health, among others. Under Florida law, the court can award:

• Permanent Alimony: An award available until the death or remarriage of the recipient spouse
• Temporary Alimony: Support awarded to a spouse on a temporary basis, usually paid on a monthly basis for a specific number of months
• Rehabilitative Alimony: Money available to enable a spouse to acquire marketable skills
• Lump Sum Alimony: Support given when continuing monthly payments are inappropriate
• Bridge-the-Gap Alimony: Support given to assist a spouse in making the transition from married life to single life.

Please note that if you have been married less than five years, the court will consider your marriage to be “short-term”, and permanent alimony is usually difficult to recover, although you may be entitled to another type of alimony However, if you have been married 15 years or longer, your chances of being awarded permanent alimony by the court are far greater. For those marriages that are less than 15 years, the court will consider many other factors in determining what type of alimony is appropriate, if any.

Attorney Mindi Lasley is zealous in her representations of clients and can persuasively argue before the court why a spouse should or should not be entitled to a specific type of alimony based on the unique circumstances of each case.

Property Division

Before a court will award alimony, it will first divide the marital property. Equitable distribution is the term courts use to describe how marital property is divided. First, marital and non-marital assets and liabilities are set aside, and then the court will consider several statutory factors in equitably distributing marital assets and liabilities, including the contribution to the marriage by each spouse, the economic circumstances of each spouse, the contribution by one spouse to the personal career or educational opportunity of the other spouse and the intentional dissipation or waste of marital assets by one spouse up to 2 years before the filing of the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage.

Many issues can arise during the characterization and valuation of non-marital and marital property, including the commingling of assets, the definition of non-marital assets and liabilities, and the division of marital residences, inheritances, pensions, and retirement plans.

To speak with an experienced lawyer about alimony and property division, contact Mindi Lasley, P.A. We represent clients throughout Florida, including those in Brandon, Palm Harbor, Largo, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg. Please call 813-873-9047.