Fort Lauderdale Child Visitation & Time-Sharing Attorney

When parents separate or divorce, the question of how children will divide their time between two households touches every part of daily life, from school pickups and holiday traditions to doctor appointments and birthday celebrations. Fort Lauderdale child visitation and time-sharing disputes are among the most emotionally charged legal matters families face, and the outcomes reached today will shape a child’s life for years. Florida no longer uses the term “visitation” in its statutes; the law instead speaks of “time-sharing,” reflecting a deliberate shift toward viewing both parents as active participants in a child’s upbringing rather than a primary parent and a visiting one.

Broward County courts approach time-sharing through the lens of what serves the child, not what is most convenient for either parent. That standard, the best interests of the child, guides every decision a judge makes when parents cannot agree. But the best interests analysis is not a simple checklist. Courts weigh a substantial list of factors, including how well each parent has historically supported the child’s relationship with the other parent, each parent’s work schedule and availability, the child’s established routines, proximity of the parents’ homes, and the child’s own adjustment to school, community, and extended family in Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding areas.

Parents who understand what courts actually look for, and who approach the process with a clear parenting plan rather than reactive demands, consistently reach more workable outcomes. Whether you are establishing a time-sharing schedule for the first time, seeking to modify an existing arrangement, or defending against a modification request that would reduce your time with your children, having a Fort Lauderdale time-sharing attorney who understands both the law and local court practice makes a real difference in how your case unfolds.

What Time-Sharing Disputes in Fort Lauderdale Actually Involve

• Parenting Plan Preparation: Florida requires every custody case involving minor children to produce a parenting plan approved by the court, a detailed document covering not just how time is divided but how parents will communicate, who carries health insurance, and how decisions about education and medical care will be made.
• Relocation Disputes: When a parent wants to move more than 50 miles from the current residence for more than 60 days, Florida’s relocation statute requires either the other parent’s written consent or a court order. Broward County sees a significant number of these cases, particularly when one parent wants to relocate out of the South Florida area.
• Modification of Existing Orders: Changing a court-approved time-sharing schedule requires showing a substantial, material, and unanticipated change in circumstances. Job changes, remarriage, a child’s changing needs, or documented instability in one household are among the circumstances courts consider.
• Interference with Court-Ordered Time-Sharing: When one parent consistently withholds the other’s court-ordered time, blocks phone contact, or repeatedly violates the parenting plan, the affected parent has legal remedies, including contempt proceedings and, in serious cases, modification of the schedule in their favor.
• Time-Sharing for Unmarried Parents: Parents who were never married must establish paternity and obtain a court order before either parent has enforceable time-sharing rights. Without a court order, neither parent has a legally recognized custody arrangement, which can create urgent situations when one parent restricts access.
• Holiday and Vacation Scheduling: Fort Lauderdale’s proximity to beaches, cruise terminals, and international airports means travel and vacation scheduling are frequent sources of conflict. Well-drafted parenting plans address school breaks, international travel consent, passport control, and special family occasions explicitly.
• Grandparent and Third-Party Access: Florida law on grandparent visitation is narrow, but in specific circumstances where a child’s parents are divorced or one parent is deceased or in a persistent vegetative state, grandparents may petition for court-ordered contact.

What Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. Brings to Fort Lauderdale Time-Sharing Cases

Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. is a Fort Lauderdale-based family law firm focused on helping parents reach fair, lasting resolutions through both mediation and, when necessary, litigation. The firm serves clients in Fort Lauderdale and St. Augustine, with an emphasis on amicable resolution wherever possible, but with a full understanding that some time-sharing disputes require an attorney who will advocate firmly in court when cooperation breaks down.

The firm’s approach to time-sharing cases prioritizes the children’s actual well-being over adversarial posturing. That means working to build parenting plans that function in the real world, not just on paper. When parents are willing to negotiate in good faith, the firm guides them through mediation, which Florida courts actually require in most contested family law matters before a hearing is set. When negotiation has failed, the firm brings that same practical knowledge into contested proceedings at the Broward County Family Court. Fort Lauderdale families working through separation deserve representation that treats the process seriously without unnecessarily inflaming conflict between co-parents who will continue to share the responsibility of raising their children long after the legal case concludes.

How Parenting Plans Are Built and Why the Details Matter

A parenting plan in Florida is not a formality. It is a legal document that governs how a child’s life will be structured across two households, and courts expect it to be specific. General language like “parents will share holidays equally” invites future disputes. Effective parenting plans spell out who has the child on Thanksgiving in even-numbered years, how many days’ notice is required before a parent travels out of state, which parent’s address the child uses for school enrollment purposes, and how parents will resolve disagreements about medical treatment when they cannot agree.

The process of building a parenting plan forces parents to think through scenarios they have not yet encountered, which is uncomfortable but ultimately protective. A Fort Lauderdale child custody attorney familiar with Broward County parenting plan requirements knows what language the court expects, what ambiguities tend to create problems later, and how to draft provisions that hold up when one parent tries to exploit a gap. For families with school-age children in Broward County public schools, the plan must address the specific school calendar, early release days, teacher planning days, and the realities of a school year that does not always align neatly with a 50/50 schedule.

Parenting plans also address time-sharing for very young children differently than for teenagers. Infants and toddlers often do better with shorter, more frequent exchanges rather than extended stretches away from either parent. As children grow and develop their own social lives, extracurricular schedules, and preferences, plans may need to evolve. Courts recognize this, which is why modification petitions become more common as children age and circumstances shift.

What to Do If You Are Facing a Time-Sharing Dispute Right Now

If you are a parent in Fort Lauderdale dealing with a time-sharing issue, whether it is an initial custody dispute, a threatened relocation, or a co-parent who is not following the court order, the first practical step is documentation. Keep a detailed log of every exchange: dates, times, whether transfers happened on schedule, any communications relevant to your child’s care. If the other parent is violating a court order, courts want evidence, not general accusations. Text messages, emails, and recorded voicemails are routinely submitted in Broward County family law proceedings.

Contested time-sharing cases in Broward County are handled through the Family Division of the 17th Judicial Circuit Court, located at the Broward County Courthouse at 201 SE 6th Street in Fort Lauderdale. If you do not yet have a court order, or if an emergency arises where a child’s safety is at immediate risk, the court has mechanisms for emergency temporary orders, though the threshold for these is high and they require specific factual showings, not just a contentious co-parenting relationship.

Florida courts almost universally require mediation before a contested custody hearing. The Broward County Circuit Mediator’s Office offers family mediation services, and private mediators are also commonly used. If mediation fails to produce an agreement, the case proceeds to an evidentiary hearing where the judge applies the statutory best interests factors. Preparation for that hearing, including witness lists, exhibits, and a clear narrative of how the proposed time-sharing schedule serves the child, begins long before the hearing date.

One of the most common mistakes parents make in time-sharing disputes is using the legal process as a vehicle for grievances about the other parent’s personal conduct that has nothing to do with parenting. Courts see this frequently, and judges are attuned to it. Focusing your case on concrete, specific facts about your child’s needs and your actual involvement in their daily life is far more persuasive than cataloguing the other parent’s failings as a spouse or partner.

Questions About Fort Lauderdale Time-Sharing and Child Custody

What is the difference between time-sharing and custody in Florida?

Florida law replaced the terms “custody” and “visitation” with “time-sharing” and “parental responsibility.” Time-sharing refers to the schedule of when each parent has the child. Parental responsibility refers to which parent, or whether both parents jointly, make major decisions about the child’s education, healthcare, and religious upbringing. Most Broward County cases result in shared parental responsibility with a specific time-sharing schedule, though the schedule may not be 50/50.

Does Florida favor a 50/50 time-sharing split?

Florida law establishes a presumption in favor of frequent and continuing contact with both parents, and courts often start from that framework. However, 50/50 is not automatic. The specific schedule depends on each parent’s availability, the child’s school and activity schedule, the distance between parents’ homes, and the child’s established routines. A parent who works offshore two weeks on and two weeks off may have a very different schedule than a parent with a standard 9-to-5 in Fort Lauderdale.

Can a child decide which parent to live with?

Florida courts may consider a child’s preference as one factor in the best interests analysis, but a child’s preference does not control the outcome. Judges typically give more weight to an older teenager’s expressed preference than to a young child’s, and even then the court will consider whether the preference reflects genuine factors or parental influence. There is no specific age at which a child’s wishes become binding.

What happens if my co-parent moves without notice?

If a parent relocates more than 50 miles from the current residence without complying with Florida’s relocation statute, meaning without written consent from the other parent or a court order permitting the move, that parent is in violation of the law. The court can order the child returned and may consider the unauthorized relocation as a factor in deciding whether to modify the parenting plan, potentially in the other parent’s favor.

How long does a contested time-sharing case take in Broward County?

Timelines vary significantly depending on whether mediation resolves the issues and how backed up the Family Division’s docket is at any given time. A case that settles at mediation can be finalized in a few months. A fully contested hearing, with competing witnesses and exhibits, can take considerably longer. During that period, the court may enter a temporary time-sharing order to govern the arrangement while the case is pending.

If I lose my job and cannot maintain my current living situation, will my time-sharing be reduced?

Not automatically. Courts distinguish between a temporary financial hardship and an ongoing instability that affects a child’s welfare. A parent going through a job transition does not automatically lose time with their children. However, if the living situation deteriorates to the point where it affects the child’s safety or stability, that becomes a relevant factor. Courts expect both parents to be transparent about changes in circumstances.

Can a grandparent request time-sharing in Florida if the parents agree to exclude them?

Florida’s grandparent visitation statute is limited. Courts generally respect parents’ rights to determine who has contact with their children. Grandparents can petition for visitation rights only in specific circumstances defined by statute, such as when the child’s parents are divorced, when one parent is deceased or missing, or when the child was born outside of marriage. Even in qualifying circumstances, grandparents must show that visitation is in the child’s best interests and that denying it would harm the child.

What if my co-parent is using our child to gather information about my personal life?

This is a pattern courts take seriously. Parenting plans can include provisions prohibiting parents from questioning children about the other parent’s home, finances, or relationships. If one parent is routinely putting the child in the middle of adult conflict, that conduct is relevant to the best interests analysis and may support a modification request or contempt proceedings, depending on the severity.

How does domestic violence affect time-sharing determinations in Broward County?

A finding that domestic violence has occurred creates a rebuttable presumption under Florida law against awarding time-sharing or parental responsibility to the abusive parent. The court takes these findings seriously. If there is a domestic violence injunction in place, it will directly affect how and whether the parties exchange the child. Safety concerns must be addressed within the parenting plan, which may include supervised exchanges or monitored visitation through a supervised visitation center.

Is it possible to handle a time-sharing modification without going back to court?

Yes, in many cases. If both parents agree to modify the schedule, they can draft a new parenting plan or an agreement modifying the existing one, and submit it to the court for approval without a formal hearing. The court must still approve any modification, but agreed modifications that reflect genuine changed circumstances and the child’s best interests are routinely approved without contested proceedings.

Fort Lauderdale Child Custody Representation Across Broward County and Beyond

Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. represents parents throughout Fort Lauderdale and the broader Broward County area, including families in Davie, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Plantation, Sunrise, Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes, North Lauderdale, Tamarac, Weston, Hallandale Beach, and Southwest Ranches. The firm also serves clients in the Oakland Park, Wilton Manors, and Dania Beach communities, as well as families in the western Broward unincorporated areas who rely on the Family Division of the 17th Judicial Circuit for resolution of their parenting matters. Beyond Broward County, the firm serves clients in the St. Augustine and St. Johns County area, bringing the same focused family law practice to northeast Florida families navigating time-sharing and custody issues. Wherever you are in the South Florida region or the St. Augustine area, the firm’s approach remains consistent: clear counsel, realistic expectations, and advocacy grounded in what courts actually consider when children’s lives are at stake.

Contact a Fort Lauderdale Child Visitation Attorney at Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A.

Time-sharing disputes move on court-driven timelines that do not pause while parents decide whether to seek legal guidance. Whether you are starting a new custody case, responding to a modification petition, or dealing with a co-parent who is not following the existing order, speaking with a Fort Lauderdale child visitation attorney early gives you a clearer picture of where you stand and what steps actually make sense given your specific circumstances.

Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. works with Fort Lauderdale parents to reach parenting arrangements that reflect the real needs of their children and hold up over time. Reach out today to schedule a consultation and get the information you need to make informed decisions about your family’s future.