Tampa Fathers Rights Lawyer
In the past, child custody was pretty much automatically given to the mother. After all, the mother was the one who primarily raised the children while the father worked. In paternity cases where the parents were never married, the father hardly ever got custody.
That happened decades, though, and times have changed drastically since then. Nowadays, both parents are on equal footing when it comes to child custody — or they should be anyway.
The laws make it so one gender cannot be favored over the other in custody cases. Both mothers and fathers are treated equally when it comes to physical and legal custody. If you are a father going through a divorce in Florida, you should know that the state’s fathers rights laws will protect you.
The Tampa fathers rights lawyer at Faulkner Law Group, PLLC believe that a father’s role in his child’s life is just as important as the mothers. Contact us today so we can get you the best outcome possible.
Fathers Rights and Custody in Florida
As long as you are considered a fit parent (meaning you are capable of properly caring for your child), the chances are very good that you will be able to share both legal and physical custody with the mother. This means that you will both be able to have the child in your homes and make decisions on their behalf. Although Florida law allows you to have 50/50 custody of your child, this does not always happen.
Your rights as a father mean that you will be able to help create a parenting plan. This plan outlines which parent will have the child on certain days, including holidays. It will also touch on legal custody, which means making joint decisions for the child. This may include topics such as education and medical care.
Fathers Rights and Child Support in Florida
Child support laws in Florida have been updated in the last couple decades. In the past, it was presumed that the mother would always be the custodial parent, putting the father on the hook for child support. This has changed to make it more beneficial to the father.
While child support cannot be waived by either party, it is now prorated based on the number of overnights each parent has with the child. The more overnights a parent has with the child, the less the child support will be. Under Florida law, a parent have the child overnight at least 20% of the time in a calendar year in order to receive a reduction in child support payments
Contact Us Today
If you are a father looking to get custody of your children, you may think the odds are against you. But they’re not. You can get a good outcome. The experienced team at The Faulkner Law Group, PLLC will work hard to protect your legal rights. Schedule a consultation with our Tampa fathers rights lawyer by filling out the online form or calling (813) 544-3919.
