The legislators have been busy amending and substituting language in the Florida alimony reform bills. This link leads to the latest version of House Bill 549. It's looking more like the Senate Bill language after this substitution language.
This latest House Bill 549 has been referred for a vote by the Florida House. (It was referred today, which is a holiday and thus, quite unusual.) Remember that the House approved the original bill on its first day of session. To stay up-to-date with where House Bill 549 is at any given time, you can check on the House website here.
All of the proposed aliony reform bills filed in Florida this session end permanent alimony in favor of "long term" alimony. The same thing is happening in the New Jersey legislature. Make no mistake, the folks advocating for this reform have made reat inroads in reducing alimony in Florida.
UPDATE: FEB. 23 The Florida House passed HB 549. More details on how the Senate Bill and House Bill differ can be found in this Palm Beach Post article. 
Looks like nothing passed this session
Posted by: Pamela S. Wynn | March 10, 2012 at 08:51 AM
I strongly urge the support of the Florida House Version of the Alimony Reform Bill (HB549) and vote in favor of SB 748. The alimony guidelines and laws currently in effect are unfair and outdated at best and in many cases punitive to the payer.
My fiance pays lifetime permanent support to an ex-spouse who came out of the closet and declared herself a lesbian after 20 years of marriage. She is perfectly capable of supporting herself yet chooses not to. She is college educated, worked as a human resources executive and is now an activist and journalist for gay and lesbian causes and publications. The alimony amount my fiance is required to pay is based on his gross income in 2005, an amount he hasn't come close to matching in any of the ensuing seven years. The alimony his ex-wife receives equals more than 50% of his net income. Because the court awarded her permanent and lifetime alimony, he is compelled to work and pay her until the day he dies.
The Hillsborough County Court was not allowed to consider her change in sexual orientation when it ended their marriage and he is now forced to support her and her new lifestyle. Why must he pay a declared lesbian for the rest of his life? The current laws render him (and me) indentured servants. She considers herself very much a feminist and yet, is avaricious and hypocritical.
The current laws also impacts our decision of whether or not we marry. Should we wed, my assets could be considered along with his if the lesbian ex-wife were to petition the court for an upward modification to the alimony she already receives. She has already indicated her intent to do so. Thus, we have delayed our legal and moral union. The current alimony laws are anti-family and appear to favor the gay agenda in this case. This is reprehensible and sinful.
Clearly the alimony laws need changing and the changes must be retroactive to address the injustices dealt my fiance and thousands of others. Why should anyone be forced to pay alimony for longer than they were married or into their retirement years?
In this particular case, why should anything other than temporary-short term rehabilitative alimony be awarded? The revised legislation should include guidelines for the amount and duration of alimony and include special provisions for normal heterosexual people in situations like this. I am counting on your support for this legislation as well as additional amendments that address this special circumstance.
Thank you for you attention to this important issue.
Elvina L. Bergmann
Posted by: Elvina Bergmann | March 07, 2012 at 11:55 AM
Alimony Payers Prod States to Update Divorce Laws: http://nyti.ms/xFjRWo
Posted by: Carey | March 05, 2012 at 02:42 PM