Opinion ID: 1666994
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Permanent Periodic Alimony

Text: Permanent periodic alimony is used to provide the needs and the necessities of life to a former spouse as they have been established by the marriage of the parties. The two primary elements to be considered when determining permanent periodic alimony are the needs of one spouse for the funds and the ability of the other spouse to provide the necessary funds. The criteria to be used in establishing this need include the parties' earning ability, age, health, education, the duration of the marriage, the standard of living enjoyed during its course, and the value of the parties' estates. A spouse's ability to pay may be determined not only from net income, but also net worth, past earnings, and the value of the parties' capital assets. Firestone v. Firestone, 263 So.2d 223 (Fla. 1972). Responsibilities to other dependents for support needs may be considered when determining a spouse's financial capacity. While permanent periodic alimony is most commonly used to provide support, in limited circumstances its use may be appropriate to balance such inequities as might result from the allocation of income-generating properties acquired during the marriage. Patterson v. Patterson, 315 So.2d 104 (Fla. 4th DCA 1975). As a general rule, permanent periodic alimony is terminated upon the death of either spouse or the remarriage of the receiving spouse. First National Bank in St. Petersburg v. Ford, 283 So.2d 342 (Fla. 1973); In re Estate of Freeland, 182 So.2d 425 (Fla. 1966). Once instituted, permanent periodic alimony is subject to modification upon a substantial change of circumstances, Chastain v. Chastain, 73 So.2d 66 (Fla. 1954), and may be converted to rehabilitative alimony if the circumstances warrant such a change in the alimony scheme. Although rehabilitative alimony is not at issue in these proceedings, it is necessary to define its purpose in order to distinguish it from permanent periodic alimony. The principal purpose of rehabilitative alimony is to establish the capacity for self-support of the receiving spouse, either through the redevelopment of previous skills or provision of the training necessary to develop potential supportive skills. Reback v. Reback, 296 So.2d 541 (Fla. 3d DCA 1974). Where appropriate, rehabilitative alimony may be converted to permanent periodic alimony.