Case Name: Bruce B. WENZEL, Appellant, v. Barbara H. WENZEL, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1987-09-02
Citations: 512 So. 2d 275
Docket Number: No. 87-1300
Parties: Bruce B. WENZEL, Appellant, v. Barbara H. WENZEL, Appellee.
Judges: GUNTHER, and STONE, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 512
Pages: 275–276

Head Matter:
Bruce B. WENZEL, Appellant, v. Barbara H. WENZEL, Appellee.
No. 87-1300.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
Sept. 2, 1987.
Rehearing Denied Sept. 29, 1987.
Odette Marie Bendeck of Gunster, Yoak-ley, Criser & Stewart, P.A., West Palm Beach, for appellant.
Ronald Sales of Law Office of Ronald Sales, P.A., West Palm Beach, for appellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
The husband appeals a non-final order awarding temporary alimony in a dissolution of marriage action. We reverse.
In determining whether and to what extent an award of temporary alimony is proper, the court must be governed by the wife's needs as established by the parties' standard of living during the marriage and the husband's ability to pay. Belcher v. Belcher, 271 So.2d 7 (Fla.1972); Fitterman v. Fitterman, 502 So.2d 8 (Fla. 4th DCA 1986); Weasel v. Weasel, 421 So.2d 749 (Fla. 4th DCA 1982).
The record of the hearing for temporary relief in the instant case reveals that the amount of temporary alimony awarded by the trial court not only exceeds the amount requested by the wife but also appears to exceed the standard of living established by the parties during the marriage. It is clear that the wife is a woman of substantial financial worth who during the course of the marriage also contributed to the parties' standard of living. The amount of temporary alimony awarded indicates that the trial court failed to consider the wife's past contributions to the marital finances as well as her ability to contribute to her own support.
Therefore, considering the wife's ability to contribute towards her own support, and the fact that the wife requested temporary alimony in an amount less than the award, it was an abuse of discretion for the trial court to award the wife $4,000 per month as temporary alimony.
We reverse and remand for further proceedings.
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
GUNTHER, and STONE, JJ., concur.
GLICKSTEIN, J., concurs specially with opinion.