If you are involved in a child custody case in Florida, your child custody attorney Tampa FL clients recommend will likely explain to you the different types of custody that Florida family courts decide on. These include:
Physical Custody
Physical custody refers to which parent’s home the child will physically live. Depending on the specific circumstances of the case, a child may primarily live with one parent or – if the parents live close to each other – the court may decide the child will spend equal amounts of time at both homes. The school district that the home where the child will spend them majority of his or her physical time is also usually where the child will attend school, although, there can be exceptions. If the child will live primarily with one parent, then the court will set up a schedule of visitation for the other parent.
Legal Custody
Legal custody refers to which parent has the authority to make decisions regarding the child’s health, education, religion, and other issues. It is separate from physical custody. In the majority of cases, a seasoned child custody attorney Tampa FL parents rely on has handled, legal custody is often granted to both parents. However – again depending on the circumstances of the case – the court may only award legal custody to one parent. Courts may also take away a parent’s legal custody if it is determined that the parent violated provisions of the original custody order.
Sole and Joint Custody
The court may make its final decision of custody based on what is in the best interest of the child. The trend over the past several years is to award joint custody, meaning the both parents have equal say in the legal decisions and the child divides his or her time between both homes, However, if the court finds that a parent is not fit to raise the child, then the other parent may be awarded sole custody when it comes to both where the child lives and who makes legal decisions about the child’s life. Examples of when the court may take this action is if the parent has a substance abuse issue or has been abusive or neglectful. This can also happen if the parent has a partner who exhibits these issues.
Let a Seasoned child custody attorney Tampa FL Residents Depend on Fight for You
If you are dealing with custody or parenting issues and need the advice of an experienced Tampa child custody attorney, let The McKinney Law Group help you. Our legal team has more than a decade aggressively advocating for parents and their children and uses all available resources to obtain the best child custody outcome possible.