Child Custody And Other Parenting Issues

In Florida, as with other states, child custody and child visitation arrangements (known as parenting time) depend on the parents’ situations and what the court deems to be in the best interests of the child. If the parents can reach custody agreements on their own — through mediation or their respective attorneys — the court is likely to accept a parenting time proposal. However, if the parents cannot agree, the court will assign legal and physical custody after evaluation and a trial.

At Busciglio Sheridan Schoeb, our goal is to help our clients protect the relationships they have with their children while ensuring that any arrangements account for the children’s best interests. For parents willing to share parenting duties while remaining active in their children’s upbringing, structuring a parenting time agreement can be relatively painless.

If there is no agreement and the courts become involved, there are myriad factors that will be considered before issuing a court-ordered schedule, including the residences of both parents, work schedules, income, the child’s school schedule, the relationship each parent maintained with the child prior to the marriage’s end and numerous other issues that will play a significant role in informing the court’s ruling.