Parkland Time-Sharing Lawyer
The goal in a time-sharing case is a parenting plan your children can live with every week, not just one that looks fair on paper. Williams & Varsegi, LLC is a boutique firm that practices exclusively in divorce and family law, and we represent parents in Parkland and throughout Broward and Palm Beach County who need to establish, defend, or change their time with their kids. If you are looking for a Parkland time-sharing lawyer, you are probably deciding how to divide school nights, holidays, and decision-making with the other parent.
Florida’s approach to this changed in a meaningful way. That presumption does not guarantee a 50/50 schedule. It shifts the starting point, and it puts the burden on whichever parent argues for something different to explain why.
For Parkland families, that matters in practical ways. Parents commute to Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and Miami for work, children are enrolled in schools tied to specific addresses, and a schedule that ignores drive time and school calendars tends to fall apart within months. A good plan is built around the real routines of both households.
What the Equal Time-Sharing Presumption Does and Does Not Do
The presumption is a starting line, not a finish line. A judge still evaluates the statutory best-interest factors, and a parent who can show that equal time would harm the child can rebut it. Evidence of a parent’s inability to provide a stable home, a history of domestic violence, substance abuse, or a pattern of refusing to support the child’s relationship with the other parent can all shift the outcome.
Parents who expect the presumption to settle everything are often surprised. Equal time on paper still requires a workable exchange schedule, agreement on who handles medical and school decisions, and a plan for what happens when one parent’s work changes. Those details are where cases are actually won or lost, and where a parent who prepared carefully has the advantage.
Parental responsibility is a separate question from the schedule. Florida courts generally favor shared parental responsibility, meaning both parents take part in major decisions about education and healthcare. In narrower circumstances a court may order one parent to have final say in a particular area. Time-sharing and decision-making should be addressed together, because a schedule that is perfectly balanced can still produce constant conflict if no one knows who decides on a school change or a medical procedure.
Why Parkland Parents Choose Williams & Varsegi, LLC for Time-Sharing Cases
Williams & Varsegi, LLC is a boutique firm focused entirely on divorce and family law, with over twenty years of experience handling cases for clients in Palm Beach and Broward County, including Parkland, Coral Springs, Boca Raton, and Delray Beach. We take cases ranging from high-net worth, high-conflict disputes to uncontested and simplified matters, and we work with forensic accountants, business valuators, and other experts when the finances behind a parenting dispute are complicated.
Our attorneys include Katie and Emerald Williams, Lawyer. Clients work directly with experienced attorneys who know their case, rather than being passed between departments. That shows up in what clients say about us. Reviewers describe a team that is responsive and knowledgeable, one client says Emerald “kept every promise she made me when we first met for my consultation,” and another describes Katie representing her for more than three years while making the process “smooth and less anxious.” The firm carries a 5-Star Rating from client reviews.
For a time-sharing case, that mix matters. Many of these disputes resolve through negotiation or mediation, and we are skilled negotiators. When a case cannot be settled, our attorneys have extensive courtroom experience and are experienced litigators, so a Parkland parent is not hiring someone who treats trial as an afterthought. Because we practice only family law, we stay current on developments like the 2023 time-sharing presumption and on how it is being applied in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, which covers Broward County exclusively.
Time-Sharing Issues We Handle for Parkland Families
- Initial Parenting Plans: Every case involving a minor child requires a plan covering the schedule, holidays, school breaks, decision-making, and communication between households. We build plans around real commutes, school start times, and work schedules.
- Disputes Over Equal Time: Under the rebuttable presumption in section 61.13, a parent seeking less than equal time must come with evidence tied to the child’s best interests, and a parent defending equal time must be ready to show the plan is workable.
- Modification of Existing Plans: Changing a plan requires showing a substantial and material change in circumstances. The Legislature removed the “unanticipated” element from the older Wade v. Hirschman standard, so the question is whether circumstances have genuinely changed, not whether anyone saw it coming.
- Relocation: Under section 61.13001, a relocation means a move of at least 50 miles from the prior residence lasting at least 60 consecutive days, excluding temporary absences for vacation, education, or the child’s health care. A parent moving out of the area faces strict notice and court approval requirements.
- Time-Sharing and Child Support: The number of overnights drives the support calculation. When a parent exercises at least 20 percent of overnights, roughly 73 nights per year, the guideline calculation under section 61.30 is adjusted, so the schedule has direct financial consequences.
- Domestic Violence Concerns: Where safety is at issue, a petition for an injunction under section 741.30 can be filed whether or not another case is pending, and the court sets a hearing at the earliest possible time. An ex parte temporary injunction lasts for a fixed period not exceeding 15 days.
- Enforcement of Existing Orders: When the other parent withholds time, ignores the schedule, or interferes with exchanges, the order can be enforced through the court.
- Professional and Public-Service Schedules: Physicians, federal employees, and police and fire personnel often work rotating or on-call shifts, and a plan has to account for that without penalizing the parent who works them.
What to Do Right Now if You Need a Time-Sharing Order in Parkland
Start by getting your facts in order. Write down your child’s current routine: school, activities, medical providers, who handles pickups, and who stays home when your child is sick. Courts care about the child’s existing relationship with each parent and their adjustment to home, school, and community, and a parent who can document that history is in a stronger position than one relying on memory.
Do not move out of the house, withhold the children, or change the schedule unilaterally before talking with an attorney. Informal changes can become the new status quo, and a parent who keeps the child from the other parent can damage their own credibility on the factor that asks whether each parent supports the child’s relationship with the other.
If you are filing for divorce, remember that at least one spouse must have lived in Florida for six months before the petition is filed. Because Parkland is in Broward County, family cases are heard by the Family Division of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, which uses the Broward courthouse system, including regional courthouses in Plantation and Deerfield Beach. If a parent in Palm Beach County is involved, that case belongs to the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit. Which circuit hears the case depends on where the case is properly filed, which is a question worth settling early.
If safety is a concern, do not wait for a divorce filing. A domestic violence injunction petition can be filed independently, and in Broward it is handled at the Central Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale or the West Regional Courthouse in Plantation. If you are served with a relocation petition, you have 20 days to file and serve a written objection. Missing that window can cost you the case, so call us as soon as you are served.
How Judges Decide Time-Sharing and Parental Responsibility
Florida courts decide time-sharing by the child’s best interests. The factors include each parent’s ability to provide a stable environment, the child’s existing relationship with each parent, how willing each parent is to encourage the child’s relationship with the other, and how well the child has adjusted to home, school, and community. After the 2023 change, the equal time-sharing presumption sits on top of that analysis, so the practical question is what evidence moves a judge away from the starting point.
When parents cannot agree, the court may appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the child’s interests, order a social investigation of each household, or appoint a parenting coordinator to help implement the plan. Florida requires parents to complete a parenting course before a divorce is finalized. Most cases are also sent to mediation, and many parenting plans are settled there, which keeps decisions in the hands of the parents instead of a judge.
Modification works differently from the original order. A parent asking to change an existing plan must show a substantial and material change in circumstances, and then show the change serves the child’s best interests. A new job, a parent’s relocation, or a child’s changing needs can qualify. A parent’s dissatisfaction with the arrangement alone usually does not.
How Time-Sharing Connects to Child Support
Time-sharing and support are linked by arithmetic. The section 61.30 guideline amount presumptively sets the child support a court must order. It starts from each parent’s net income, which is gross income minus allowable deductions, and the two are added to get combined net income. Above the top of the guidelines schedule, support is the schedule minimum plus a percentage of the income over $10,000 per month: 5.0 percent for one child, 7.5 percent for two, 9.5 percent for three, 11.0 percent for four, 12.0 percent for five, and 12.5 percent for six.
The overnight count then adjusts the figure. Once a parent has at least 20 percent of overnights, the time-sharing adjustment applies. A court can depart from the guideline amount, but a deviation beyond five percent requires written findings. For that reason, a negotiated schedule should never be agreed to without running the support numbers first. A difference of a few overnights per month can change the result, and we model both before a client signs anything.
Parkland Time-Sharing Questions Parents Ask
Does Florida now guarantee 50/50 time-sharing?
No. A judge can order a different schedule when the evidence shows equal time would not serve the child.
What is the difference between time-sharing and parental responsibility?
Time-sharing is the schedule of when the child is with each parent. Parental responsibility is the authority to make major decisions about education, healthcare, and similar issues. Florida courts generally favor shared parental responsibility, though the two issues are decided separately.
Do I have to go to mediation before a time-sharing trial?
Most Florida family courts require mediation before a contested case goes to trial. A neutral mediator helps the parents work toward agreement, and many parenting plans are settled at that stage.
How do I change an existing time-sharing schedule?
You must file a petition showing a substantial and material change in circumstances since the last order, and that the new schedule serves the child’s best interests. The Legislature removed the “unanticipated” requirement from the standard, so the focus is on what has actually changed.
When does a move count as a relocation?
Under section 61.13001, a relocation is a move of at least 50 miles from the prior residence that lasts at least 60 consecutive days. Temporary absences for vacation, education, or the child’s health care are excluded. When a parenting plan is in place, the relocating parent needs the other parent’s agreement or court approval.
How long do I have to respond to a relocation petition?
A written objection must be filed and served within 20 days after you are served with the petition. After that, a temporary relocation hearing must be held within 30 days of the motion, and a nonjury trial within 90 days of the notice, absent good cause for delay.
Will my overnights change how much child support I pay?
Yes. When a parent exercises at least 20 percent of overnights, roughly 73 per year, the section 61.30 calculation includes a time-sharing adjustment. More overnights generally lower the support owed by that parent, which is why the schedule and the support figures should be negotiated together.
Can a domestic violence injunction affect time-sharing?
It can. An ex parte temporary injunction lasts for a fixed period not exceeding 15 days, with a hearing set at the earliest possible time. If a final injunction is entered, its terms can limit contact and affect the parenting plan. A petition can be filed even when a divorce or custody case is pending, but the pending case must be disclosed in the petition.
What if the other parent keeps violating the schedule?
A court order can be enforced. Keep a log of missed exchanges, late returns, and refused make-up time, along with any messages. A parent who repeatedly interferes with the other parent’s time may also face consequences under the best-interest factor about supporting the child’s relationship with the other parent.
My work schedule is irregular. Can I still get meaningful time-sharing?
Yes. Many parents work shifts, travel, or on-call hours, including physicians, federal employees, and police and fire personnel. A plan can be built around the real schedule with rotating weeks, flexible exchanges, or defined make-up time, rather than a generic template.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer if the other parent and I mostly agree?
Often, yes. Even an uncontested plan has to be written precisely, because vague terms about holidays, travel, or school decisions cause disputes later. Legal review also confirms the agreement fits the support guidelines and will be approved by the court.
Serving Parkland Time-Sharing Clients Across South Florida
Our work begins in Parkland and extends across Broward County and into Palm Beach County. We represent parents in Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, Margate, Tamarac, Sunrise, Plantation, Weston, and Fort Lauderdale, along with Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach in the northern part of the county.
In Palm Beach County, we serve families in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, and Palm Beach Gardens. Whether the case is filed in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit in Broward or the Fifteenth in Palm Beach County, we handle time-sharing, parental responsibility, relocation, and support across South Florida.
Talk With a Parkland Time-Sharing Attorney at Williams & Varsegi, LLC
If you are starting a parenting plan, defending equal time, or trying to change an order that no longer works, a conversation with a Parkland time-sharing attorney at our firm will show you where you stand and what the evidence needs to look like. Call Williams & Varsegi, LLC to schedule a consultation, and we will build a plan around your children and your circumstances.
