Permanent Periodic Alimony Case Summary in Florida
The Second District Court of Appeal in Sikora v Sikora, 40 Fla. L. Weekly D1594, addressed the issue of the wife’s entitlement to permanent periodic alimony.
Permanent periodic alimony is used to provide the needs and necessities of life to a former spouse as they have been established during the marriage of the parties. An award of alimony that exceeds the recipient spouse’s need constitutes an abuse of discretion.
The trial court did not explain how it concluded that the award was appropriate nor did it provide its calculations in the final judgment. The Trial Court failed to include findings detailing any special circumstances that would explain alimony was awarded in an amount exceeding the amount necessary to meet the former wife’s need.