ORLANDO VISITATION LAWYERS

"VISITATION" IS NO LONGER USED

As stated in the Custody section, the terminology of "Visitation" is no longer used in Florida. Since most people are still familiar with that phrase, it will be used throughout this website along with the new terminology. Now, the Court orders a Time-Sharing Schedule which delineates the time each parent will spend with the minor children. Typically, the Judge will want to maximize the children's time spent with each parent and minimize the time spend with a child care provider. Depending upon the work schedule and availability of each parent, the Judge will tailor a schedule which, above all, is in the best interests of the minor children.

TIME-SHARING SCHEDULE

Unless the parties can agree outside of Court, the Judge will Order a Time-Sharing Schedule which he or she determines is in the best interests of the minor children. As the factors set forth in Florida Statutes 61.13 are considered, the Time-Sharing Schedule will be ordered which allows the most time possible for each parent as opposed to a child care provider. Talk with your Orlando Visitation Lawyer at Marsh Family Law to discuss your options when tailoring a Time-Sharing Schedule with your spouse. Of course, the best method of obtaining a favorable schedule is to mediate reasonably with your spouse. When that is not possible, the lawyers at Marsh Family Law have over 31 years of litigation experience to best protect your interests if your case goes to trial.

DOES THE JUDGE ORDER 50/50 CUSTODY NOW?

Since the change in the Florida Statute occurred in October, 2008, many people now assume that the Judge MUST order 50/50 custody of the minor children (also known as "rotating custody") This is false. The Court must specifically consider what is in the best interests of the minor children as well as the factors set forth in Florida Statute 61.13. There is no presumption for or against rotating custody in Florida and, in fact, the Courts have specifically held that the change in the Florida Statute does NOT mean that rotating custody must be ordered. It is important to note that a Senate Bill is currently under consideration to mandate 50/50 Time-Sharing which just passed the Senate Rules Committee by a vote of 12-2. The full text of this dramatic change in the law can be found here. See our recent blog post on this topic.

Talk to your Orlando Visitation Lawyer at Marsh Family Law to further discuss the options available to the Court when establishing a Time-Sharing Schedule in your case and whether the proposed Legislation may affect you and your children.

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS AND SUMMER VACATION

All school and legal holidays, including teacher work-days should be included in a well-written Time-Sharing Schedule. There are several ways to divide school holidays, including alternating the entire holiday or dividing the holiday in half. It is more common to divide holidays like Christmas and summer vacation. The actual division of these time periods are left to the parties to decide and a Judge will intervene only when the parties fail to reach an Agreement. Your attorney at Marsh Family Law will ensure that all the possible contact provisions are included in your Time-Sharing Schedule including those most often overlooked such as teacher work days, three day holidays and similar school vacation periods.