Thursday, the Florida Senate passed alimony reform legislation (SB 718) by a 29-11 margin. The Senate sent a strong message to Floridians that current alimony laws will change. If proponents succeed in the House next week, permanent alimony will be harder, if not impossible, for spouses in long-term marriages to get.

The bill allows existing agreements to be modified to reflect the new law.

The ramifications of such a drastic move would be far reaching for everyone — payers, alimony recipients, children of divorced parents. Although there have surely been abuses under current law, rather than reform, the bill is a complete overhaul of a system that works — albeit not perfectly. Many divorces are handled through mediation, which is now required by law.

Divorcing couples are also opting for collaborative divorces in an effort to avoid a court battle, exert more control over the process and craft their own settlements. Click here to find out how the Divorce Without War® approach can work for you.

Written as a remedy for a minority of men and women, the bill leaves the majority of alimony recipients at risk.

Click here to continue reading the original article from The Miami Herald.