Case Name: Bruce GUTTLER, Appellant, v. Dona GUTTLER, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2001-11-07
Citations: 798 So. 2d 888
Docket Number: No. 4D01-248
Parties: Bruce GUTTLER, Appellant, v. Dona GUTTLER, Appellee.
Judges: GUNTHER, WARNER and GROSS, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 798
Pages: 888–889

Head Matter:
Bruce GUTTLER, Appellant, v. Dona GUTTLER, Appellee.
No. 4D01-248.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
Nov. 7, 2001.
Cynthia L. Greene of Law Offices of Cynthia L. Greene & Associates, P.A., Miami, and Law Offices of Feinberg & Maidenbaum, Hollywood, for appellant.
Dona Cohen Guttler, Weston, pro se.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
We affirm the final judgment in all respects but one.
The trial court found that under the statutory guidelines, total child support was $1,251 per month. The court failed to properly apply section 61.30(ll)(b), Florida Statutes (1999), which provides that the court "shall adjust any award of child support" when a shared parental arrangement provides that a child spends a "substantial amount of time with each parent." Id. (Emphasis supplied).
In this case, the child will spend 46% of his time with the father, an amount that meets the statutory definition of "substantial." See Arze v. Sadough-Arze, 789 So.2d 1141, 1144 (Fla. 4th DCA 2001) (holding that when a child spent 44% of his time with the husband it was "substantial" under the statute). We note that the 2001 amendment to section 61.30(11) defines a "substantial amount of time" as meaning "that the noncustodial parent exercises visitation at least 40 percent of the overnights of the year." Ch.2001-158, § 16, at 19, Laws of Fla.
On remand, the trial court shall apply the amended version of section 61.30, which took effect on July 1, 2001. Ch.2001-158, § 16, Laws of Fla.; see Arze, 789 So.2d at 1144^5 (pointing out that the 2001 amendments to section 61.30(11) were "remedial legislation that may be retroactively applied").
GUNTHER, WARNER and GROSS, JJ., concur.