Alimony in Escambia County, Florida

Alimony in Escambia County is decided as part of the same divorce case filed with the Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court. First Judicial Circuit family judges hear these cases at the M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building in downtown Pensacola. Florida stopped allowing permanent alimony statewide on July 1, 2023, so Escambia judges can no longer award it either. A request now has to fit one of four categories under Fla. Stat. 61.08: temporary support paid while the case is pending, bridge-the-gap support capped at two years, rehabilitative support tied to a specific plan and capped at five years, or durational support capped at a percentage of how long the marriage lasted.

No calculator or formula sets the amount. A First Circuit judge weighs each spouse's income, needs, age, health, and standard of living during the marriage, plus the other factors listed in the statute, and can factor in adultery if it comes up. Durational alimony has one more limit: the payment cannot exceed the lesser of the recipient's demonstrated need or 35 percent of the gap between the two spouses' net incomes. It is not available at all for marriages under three years.

Both spouses must file a Financial Affidavit before a judge will take up alimony: Form 12.902(b) for incomes at or above $50,000 a year, or Form 12.902(c) below that. These are statewide forms, not specific to Escambia, and they supply the income figures the statutory factors get weighed against.

Escambia takes part in the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal at myflcourtaccess.com, the same statewide system used across all 20 circuits. A self-represented spouse can e-file a supporting affidavit or motion instead of relying only on the paper counter at the courthouse.

Where alimony cases are heard in Escambia County, FL

Alimony matters in Escambia County, FL are handled by the First Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Escambia County, with the county seat in Pensacola. 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 Escambia 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 Escambia County, FL

Contested alimony issues in the First Circuit typically go to mediation under Fla. Stat. 61.183 before a final hearing, with session fees set on Florida's income-based sliding scale in Fla. Stat. 44.108. Escambia does not publish a current mediation fee table online, so ask the Family Law Division or your assigned case manager for the current per-session cost.

The Escambia clerk's website was not accessible for verification, so call ahead to confirm current Family Law Division hours and phone contacts before you go. The statewide Florida Courts Family Law Self-Help Information page and FloridaLawHelp.org are solid starting points in the meantime, since both are official Florida Courts and legal-aid resources rather than county-specific pages.

Alimony requests in Escambia almost always ride inside the original Petition for Dissolution of Marriage instead of being filed as a stand-alone case. That means the paperwork, hearing schedule, and assigned judge typically follow whatever divorce case is already open.

Official alimony resources in Escambia County, FL

M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building handles spousal-support filings, located at 190 Governmental Center, 2nd Floor, Pensacola 32502.

The filing fee is $408. E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, the single statewide e-filing system used by all 20 circuits, including the First Circuit.

Florida Courts Family Law Self-Help Information (https://www.flcourts.gov/Resources-Services/Family-Courts/Family-Law-Self-Help-Information) can help with procedure and paperwork. The Escambia Clerk's own Family Law Forms page normally covers dissolution and alimony packets from the M.C. Blanchard Judicial Building, but escambiaclerk.com blocks automated verification, so this page cites the statewide self-help resource instead. Call the Family Law Division to confirm current hours.

• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
• Florida Courts Family Law Self-Help Information
• FloridaLawHelp.org
• 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.

Escambia County, FL Alimony FAQs