By Bill Varian and Kathleen McGrory | Miami Herald/Times
Advocates for alimony reform are cheering legislative votes this week to end the awarding of lifetime payments by the bread-winning ex-spouse.
But the legislation includes a less-publicized yet equally sweeping change. It would require judges to presume divorcing parents get equal time with children from their marriage, except under exceptional circumstances.
That amendment to the legislation came courtesy of Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon. Lee happens to be locked in a nearly two-year court dispute with his ex-wife to gain additional time with his children, as well as to lower his child-support payments.
Lee says the legislation will not benefit his case. He no longer pays alimony. Unlike aspects of the bill pertaining to alimony, the child time-sharing provision he added is not retroactive, and Lee said he made sure it was written that way.
“I insisted that this not apply to anything that I would ever be involved in because that would not be appropriate,” Lee said.
“My observation of the system is that it is broken,” Lee said. “It is overrun with cases. The judges often know nothing about what is going on inside the families that come before them. …And the decisions have historically been biased toward women.”
Family lawyers who followed the legislation, however, say it appears Lee is letting his personal experience shape law affecting tens of thousands of ex-couples and their children.
If you’d like to discuss family law, contact with Kaine Fisher, director of Rose Law Group Family Law Department, kfisher@roselawgroup.com.
