Florida Child Custody Guidelines
When seeking custody of a child, or evaluating what might be the best custody arrangement for your family, it is important to know what the court will consider important in making custody determinations in Florida.
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Best Interest
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Florida's custody laws are designed to favor the best interest of the child, in accordance with the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act. This means that the court will consider what will be best for the child when determining the best custody arrangement.
Frequent Contact
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Florida's custody laws favor frequent contact with both parents, which generally mean the court will favor arrangements that allow the parents to share parenting duties. This is based on the presumption that it is best for the child to maintain a relationship with both parents.
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Cooperation
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The best custody arrangements are reached when both parents seek an active role in the child's life and are willing to cooperate with the other parent to reach a custody arrangement where both parents get along well enough to put the child's needs first.
Considerations
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When determining what is in the child's best interest, the court considers the love and relationship that the child currently has with each parent, and each parent's mental health, physical health, morality, etc.
Access to the Other Parent
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The court will often consider whether the custodial parent is likely to allow the child free access to the other parent and help the child to develop and maintain a healthy relationship with that parent.
Rotating Custody
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Florida law disfavors rotating custody, which is where each parent has equal physical custody of the child. This is a disfavored practice because it hinders the child's ability to develop a stable home.
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