© 2024 90.7 WMFE. All Rights Reserved.
Public Media News for Central Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Rallies Continue In Tallahassee As Gov. Rick Scott Mulls Alimony Bill

Florida Capitol Building in Tallahassee. Source: WikiMedia Commons
Florida Capitol Building in Tallahassee. Source: WikiMedia Commons

Supporters and opponents of the alimony bill are rallying at the state capitol Tuesday, hoping to sway Gov. Rick Scott’s decision whether to sign the bill. It’s the final bill of the legislative session sent to his desk, and it deals with alimony reform and child time-sharing.

Proponents of the plan say their goal is to create uniformity in statute by establishing formulas for alimony payments.

The measure also includes a provision about how much time children should spend with their divorced parents. The bill would direct that judges start with a premise that children should spend approximately equal amounts of time with each parent.

The National Organization for Women opposes the bill. The group’s Barbara DeVane said while she and the governor do not agree on much politically, opposition to the alimony bill should be bipartisan.

“This is about children,” DeVane said. “He has children, and he has grandchildren. I think he cares about them and what might happen to them, because you never know when it is going to happen in your family.”

Scott has until next Tuesday to sign the bill, veto it, or allow it to become law by doing nothing.