Every Florida custody determination, whether arising from a divorce or a paternity action, requires a parenting plan. The plan must address how parental responsibility will be shared, the specific time-sharing schedule for regular weeks and school breaks, the designation of which parent's address will be used for school enrollment purposes, how parents will communicate with each other and with the child when the child is with the other parent, and how disputes between the parents will be handled. Broward County judges review parenting plans carefully, and vague or incomplete plans are typically sent back for revision before the court will approve them.
For parents working with Brodzki Jacobs, a child custody lawyer serving Fort Lauderdale, developing a detailed and realistic parenting plan is one of the earliest and most important steps in the case. A plan that works on paper but does not account for the parents' actual work schedules, the child's school and activity commitments, or the distance between the two households tends to generate conflict after the order is entered. Plans that address these practical realities with specificity tend to hold up better over time and reduce the need for future court intervention.
