TAMPA, FL – October 02, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –
This report, distributed by Reineke Mediations, examines recent Florida family law changes affecting alimony and parenting plans, both of which can be addressed through mediated settlement rather than litigation.
Senate Bill 1416 was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis in June 2023 and took effect July 1, 2023, applying to any final judgment of dissolution of marriage entered on or after that date. Under the law, Florida courts may no longer award permanent, lifetime alimony. Courts may instead award temporary, bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, or durational alimony, with durational awards generally unavailable for marriages shorter than three years and capped at the lesser of a recipient’s demonstrated need or 35 percent of the difference between the spouses’ net incomes.
Because SB 1416 applies based on when a judgment is entered rather than when a marriage began, its provisions continue to govern divorces finalized in 2026, including those involving marriages that began well before the law changed in 2023.
Separately, Senate Bill 1128 took effect July 1, 2026, amending Florida Statute Section 61.13, which governs parenting plans and time-sharing. Under the new law, each parent who files a pleading to establish an initial temporary parenting plan must submit their own proposed plan along with that filing, and courts must adopt the portions of the parents’ proposed plans on which they agree. The law also requires at least one judge to be available in each judicial circuit on weekends, holidays, and after regular court hours to hear motions to enforce certain time-sharing orders.
Both changes reflect a broader emphasis in Florida family law on resolving issues efficiently and on terms the parties themselves have agreed to, rather than leaving every detail to a judge’s discretion after lengthy litigation. Mediation and pre-suit settlement allow divorcing spouses to reach their own agreement on alimony, time-sharing, and property division before a case is ever filed in court, often avoiding the months or years a contested divorce can take to resolve.
Florida remains a no-fault divorce state, meaning a spouse need only allege that the marriage is irretrievably broken rather than prove wrongdoing. At least one spouse must have resided in Florida for six months before filing, and the Clerk of Court currently charges $408 to file and process a divorce case, whether contested or uncontested.
Florida law has also changed how financial information is handled in settled cases. Effective November 1, 2023, the Florida Supreme Court amended Rule of Family Law Procedure 12.285 to allow spouses who settle their case before filing to agree not to file their financial affidavits with the court, keeping that information out of the public record, provided both parties still complete and exchange the required affidavits privately and file the proper notice with the court.
Spouses who are required to file a financial affidavit in a contested case must generally do so within 45 days of service on the respondent, and that document then becomes part of the public court file. For couples who reach agreement before filing, the 2023 rule change gives them the option to keep that same financial information private, an option that is only available to cases resolved through settlement rather than ongoing litigation.
The legal information referenced in this release is based on the text of Senate Bill 1416, Senate Bill 1128, and the Florida Rules of Family Law Procedure. The information is presented for general public awareness and is not a substitute for individualized legal advice.
Reineke Mediations provides divorce mediation services in Tampa and throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties.
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For more information about Reineke Mediations, contact the company here:
Reineke Mediations
Beth Reineke
(813) 205-6675
beth@bethreineke.com
4950 W Kennedy Blvd Ste 302, Tampa, FL 33609
