Updated August 2026
Alimony in Bay County, Florida
A plain-language guide to alimony in Bay County, FL, from how amount and duration are set to the forms you file at the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Bay County and how to prepare your paperwork without hiring an attorney.
Bay County is the largest county in the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit. Its Clerk publishes an itemized family-law fee page that confirms the dissolution of marriage filing fee at $397.50, and filers can also submit a simplified dissolution through TurboCourt for an added fee. An alimony request is not filed on its own; it rides inside the dissolution case, filed at the Bay County Courthouse in Panama City and heard by Fourteenth Circuit family judges.
Florida stopped permitting permanent alimony on July 1, 2023. A Bay judge now chooses among temporary support paid while the case is pending, bridge-the-gap support capped at two years, rehabilitative support built around a specific plan and capped at five years, or durational support, capped as a percentage of the marriage's length under Fla. Stat. 61.08. Durational awards also cannot exceed the lesser of demonstrated need or 35 percent of the income gap between the spouses, and they are unavailable for marriages under three years.
The Fourteenth Circuit's own Family Law Forms page covers Bay along with Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington counties, and it supplements Bay's county-specific fee page for the underlying Form 12.901 series. Both spouses must also complete a Financial Affidavit, Form 12.902(b) or 12.902(c) depending on income, before a judge can decide alimony.
Bay participates in the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, and its TurboCourt option gives self-represented filers an interview-based alternative for simplified dissolutions. A contested alimony claim, though, generally needs the full, non-simplified dissolution track.
Where alimony cases are heard in Bay County, FL
Alimony matters in Bay County, FL are handled by the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Bay County, with the county seat in Panama City. Because courthouse locations, hours, and local procedures change over time, use the Florida court clerk directory to confirm current details for your case:
Find the Bay County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)
How alimony works in Florida
Florida ended permanent alimony in a 2023 reform to Florida Statutes chapter 61 (section 61.08). Today a judge can order bridge-the-gap alimony (short-term, to help a spouse transition, capped at two years), rehabilitative alimony (tied to a specific plan to become self-supporting), durational alimony (a set period, generally not longer than the length of the marriage, except in exceptional circumstances), or temporary alimony while the case is pending. There is no formula the way there is for child support; a judge weighs each spouse's need and ability to pay, the standard of living during the marriage, the length of the marriage, and the factors listed in section 61.08.
Alimony is requested inside a dissolution of marriage case, using each spouse's Financial Affidavit (Florida Supreme Court approved family law form 12.902(b) or 12.902(c) depending on income), and can be resolved by agreement or decided at trial. Temporary alimony while the case is pending is requested by motion; your circuit's procedures determine how that motion gets set for hearing.
Local notes for Bay County, FL
Bay's itemized fee page confirms $397.50 for dissolution of marriage, more specific than what several other Fourteenth Circuit counties publish. Filers here have a clear starting figure to budget from, though anyone using TurboCourt should confirm that method's add-on cost separately.
Contested alimony issues in the Fourteenth Circuit, which includes Bay along with Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington counties, are generally referred to mediation under Fla. Stat. 61.183, with fees meant to follow the statewide sliding scale in Fla. Stat. 44.108. The Clerk's office does not publish a Bay-specific mediation fee table on a verifiable official page, so call to confirm the current cost.
As the circuit's population center, Bay County's courthouse likely carries the busiest family law docket among the six Fourteenth Circuit counties. Filers should expect the standard case-management scheduling process for a contested alimony hearing, not an expedited timeline.
Official alimony resources in Bay County, FL
Bay County Courthouse handles spousal-support filings, located at 300 E 4th St, Panama City 32401. Phone: (850) 747-5100.
The filing fee is $397.50. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Statewide portal; Bay County Clerk also offers TurboCourt for simplified dissolutions.
Bay Clerk Family Law (https://www.baycoclerk.com/court-divisions/family-law/) can help with procedure and paperwork. Fee schedule confirmed via baycoclerk.com/fees-costs/family-law-fees/: dissolution of marriage (annulment) filing fee is $397.50. Simplified dissolutions can also be filed through TurboCourt for an added fee.
- Bay Clerk Family Law
- Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Family Law Forms
- Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
- Florida Statutes Section 61.08, Alimony
Local details reviewed August 2026. Offices and locations can change, so confirm with the official sites above before you file.
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Bay County, FL Alimony FAQs
Where do I file for alimony in Bay County?
Alimony requests in Bay County are filed with the Clerk of Court at the Bay County Courthouse, 300 E 4th St in Panama City, as part of a dissolution case. Filers can also e-file through the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal at myflcourtaccess.com, or call the Clerk's Family Law division at (850) 747-5100.
How much does it cost to file for alimony in Bay County?
There is no separate alimony filing fee. It rides with the underlying dissolution case, which carries a $397.50 filing fee in Bay County, confirmed on the Clerk's own family-law fee page. Filing a simplified dissolution through TurboCourt adds a fee on top of that base amount.
Can a Bay County judge award permanent alimony?
No. Florida eliminated permanent alimony statewide on July 1, 2023, and Bay's Fourteenth Circuit judges apply that same rule. A judge can instead award temporary, bridge-the-gap, rehabilitative, or durational alimony under Fla. Stat. 61.08, each with its own duration limit.
Can I use TurboCourt for a Bay County alimony case?
The Bay County Clerk offers TurboCourt mainly for simplified dissolution filings, which by definition exclude a contested alimony claim. A durational or rehabilitative alimony request will more likely need the full, non-simplified dissolution packet instead of the TurboCourt simplified track.
Is mediation required for contested alimony in Bay County?
Contested Fourteenth Circuit family matters, including disputed alimony, are generally referred to mediation under Fla. Stat. 61.183, with fees meant to follow the statewide sliding scale in Fla. Stat. 44.108. The Clerk's office does not publish a Bay-specific fee table on a verifiable official page, so call to confirm the current cost.
What financial forms does a Bay County alimony case require?
Both spouses must file a Financial Affidavit: Form 12.902(b) for individual income of $50,000 or more a year, or 12.902(c) below that. This statewide requirement applies in Bay the same way it does in every other Florida county, before a judge decides alimony.
This page is general information about Florida alimony procedure in Bay County, FL, not legal advice for your situation. Amounts and duration depend on your specific facts and the judge's discretion; nothing here predicts an outcome in your case. Court locations, forms, and filing details change; always confirm current details with the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Bay County or the official Florida family court self-help program resources. Virdix is not a law firm and is not a substitute for an attorney.
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