In an attempt to curtail excessive fighting over
child custody issues, the Florida legislature has done away with the terms "primary"
and "secondary" child custody.
Before the sweeping changes were enacted, the legal jargon of child custody
had many parents in an uproar. Those who were given the status of secondary
child custodian often felt as though this labeled them as a second-rate
parent. This led to an increase in cases filed to change the status of
child custody, keeping the court system working overtime.
As a resolution to this problem, the legislature came up with the idea of time sharing, a more politically correct term that supports the idea of co-parenting.
With time sharing, parents are given a certain amount of time with their children, as approved by a court. Neither parent is granted the status of primary or secondary custodian, but is instead told how much time they will be expected to spend with their children.
While judges ultimately have the last say in allocating time sharing, the primary concern will always remain with the best interest of the children when determining the length of time spent with each parent.
If you have questions about time sharing laws in Florida, we encourage you to set up a time to speak with a Jacksonville family lawyer from our law office. Contact our firm today to schedule a consultation.