All I'm going on is anecdotes from a female friend, but she says that alimony is rare in Florida.
Maybe your friend needs to take some advances on his credit cards, get an aggressive attorney, and finish it up rather than wasting time talking.
Perhaps he can get a temporary order granting her exclusive use of the house AND all the costs of it. If she has any earning potential, it's possible
I wasted 7 months talking with my Ex in Arizona. Finally scared her into a settlement, but it is going to take me a long time to recover with what I'm paying her. Sounds like he might be better off just moving out, taking what he wants, and making her get temporary orders, if she can even get support that way.
A decent lawyer might be able to help.
Try lawyerratingz.com. Mine was on there and has been ok so far...definitely nowhere as bad as many stories I hear.