Article provided by: divorcenet.com, “Alimony in Florida: Introduction to alimony and the basics in Florida.”
The purpose of alimony is to provide financial assistance to the economically weaker spouse. In order to be entitled to alimony, there has to be a legal marriage, as Florida does not recognize common law marriage; there has to be a need for assistance on the part of the requesting spouse; and the other spouse has to have an ability to pay the alimony. This is typically referred to as “need and ability to pay.”
Unlike child support, there is no mathematical formula to calculate alimony. The amount and type of alimony is determined by your individual situation, is fact sensitive, and often depends on the judge hearing your case – one judge’s order may drastically differ from another judge’s order.
