With a little more than three hours before the bill dubbed the "Alimony Reform Bill" went into law by default, Governor Rick Scott vetoed the bill. Besides ending alimony, allowing for retroactive modification of alimony, and creating different rules for what Court's could consider, the bill also had controversial language which created a presumption of 50/50 timesharing for parents with children. Child advocacy groups challenged the 50/50 portion of the bill claiming that it failed to take into consideration the need to have no presumptions on such an issue and to allow a case by case determination of timesharing schedules based on the best interest of the children.
Rick Scott explained that why he vetoed the bill by saying, "The retroactive adjustment of alimony could result in unfair, unanticipated results. Current Florida law already provides for the adjustment of alimony under the proper circumstances. The law also ensures that spouses who have sacrificed their careers to raise a family do not suffer financial catastrophe upon divorce, and that the lower earning spouse and stay-at-home parent will not be financially punished."
For a link to the finalized version of the bill which was vetoed, click here... or cut and paste the following link
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0718/BillText/e2/PDF
