Alimony in Madison County, Florida

Madison County's Clerk of Court website lists Family Law and Circuit Civil Court among its case types, but nowhere on the site, not even the Pay Court Costs & Fees page, does it publish a dissolution filing fee. That page links out only to the statewide payment portal. You file an alimony request in Madison as part of a dissolution case, at the county courthouse in the city of Madison. Third Circuit family judges hear the case.

State law, not local rules, governs alimony in this case. Fla. Stat. 61.08, reformed effective July 1, 2023, eliminated permanent alimony across Florida. A Madison judge now chooses among four options: 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.

Durational alimony has one more limit: the award cannot exceed the lesser of demonstrated need or 35 percent of the income gap between the spouses, and marriages under three years don't qualify for it at all. Madison's own site has no self-help center or forms library, so filers here use the statewide Form 12.901 series and Form 12.902 Financial Affidavit from flcourts.gov.

Madison also takes part in the statewide Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, so a self-represented filer can submit alimony paperwork electronically instead of relying only on in-person filing at the courthouse.

Where alimony cases are heard in Madison County, FL

Alimony matters in Madison County, FL are handled by the Third Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Madison County, with the county seat in Madison. 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 Madison 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 Madison County, FL

Madison's website has no itemized fee table, not even on the page specifically named for paying court costs and fees. To budget for a Madison alimony case, call the Clerk's office directly rather than relying on the website.

The Third Circuit, which covers Madison along with Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Suwannee, and Taylor counties, generally sends contested alimony issues to mediation under Fla. Stat. 61.183. Fees are meant to follow the statewide sliding scale in Fla. Stat. 44.108, but no Madison-specific fee table appears on a verifiable official page. Confirm the current cost with the Clerk's office.

Madison has no local forms library, so self-represented filers should start with the statewide Florida Courts Family Law Self-Help Information page and FloridaLawHelp.org. Both point to the Form 12.901 dissolution packet and the Financial Affidavit an alimony request needs.

Official alimony resources in Madison County, FL

Madison County Courthouse handles spousal-support filings, located at 125 SW Range Avenue, Madison 32340.

E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. Statewide portal covers Madison County as part of the Third 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. No dedicated self-help center or family law forms page was found on madisonclerk.com; the site's Court Services and Circuit Civil Court pages list case types but link out only to statewide e-filing and payment portals, so this page cites the statewide resource instead.

• Madison Clerk of Court
• Family Law Self-Help Information - Florida Courts
• 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.

Madison County, FL Alimony FAQs