Category Archives: Child Custody

Before ordering “electronic communication,” as defined in F.S 61.046(5), a court must consider if it is in the best interest of the child; whether the equipment or technology is affordable and accessible to the parties; the parties’ history of domestic violence or substance abuse; and any other factor the court deems material.

The court may also set safeguards or guidelines for such electronic communication.

The court must allocate the expense of the electronic communication.

Each parent must provide the other parent the access information (e.g., email address, webcam information, telephone number) and notify the other parent of any change within seven days.

Electronic communication may not be used to replace face-to-face parenting time.

Here at The Law Offices of Gary S. Dolgin, we have been helping mothers and fathers with child custody for over 30 years in the Tampa area.

We have also been committed to protecting children’s best interests while helping to advocate for their parent’s rights.

If you are having any child custody issues such as relocation, determining parental responsibility, time-sharing problems, or any other custody issue that may be causing an unhealthy situation for your child, or negatively affecting your parental rights, we are here to help you.

To schedule a child custody consultation with Gary Dolgin, give us a call at (813) 999-2772, and it will be our pleasure to help you.

Learn more about child custody by visiting:
Child Custody Lawyer Tampa FL, Gary Dolgin

The proper religious training of a child is an important matter that should be considered by a court determining parental responsibility issues.

Religion must be viewed in conjunction with all the other considerations that bear on a child’s best interest.

The general rule regarding the trial court’s decisions on disputes over religion was aptly stated by the District Court of Appeal, Fourth District, in Abbo v. Briskin, 660 So.2d 1157, 1161 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995):

“The question of a child’s religion must be left to the parents even if they clash. A child’s religion is no proper business of judges.”

Thus, trial courts cannot enjoin a parent from raising his or her child in the religion of the parents’ choice.

Restrictions on parents exposing their children to their religious beliefs and practices have regularly been overturned, unless there is an affirmative showing that the activity is harmful to the children.

Here at The Law Offices of Gary S. Dolgin, we have been helping mothers and fathers with child custody for over 30 years in the Tampa area.

We have also been committed to protecting children’s best interests while helping to advocate for their parent’s rights.

If you are having any child custody issues such as relocation, determining parental responsibility, time-sharing problems, or any other custody issue that may be causing an unhealthy situation for your child, or negatively affecting your parental rights, we are here to help you.

To schedule a child custody consultation with Gary Dolgin, give us a call at (813) 999-2772, and it will be our pleasure to help you.

Learn more about child custody by visiting:
Child Custody Lawyer Tampa, Gary Dolgin

With regards to child custody, the psychological condition of the parents is relevant to a determination of the best interests of the child.

Furthermore, the parents’ present ability to cope with day-to-day living is relevant.

A court-ordered psychiatric or psychological examination may be considered a suggested method for balancing the court’s need to determine the mental health of the parents as it relates to the best interests of the child, and the need to maintain confidentiality between treating psychotherapists and patients.

Here at The Law Offices of Gary S. Dolgin, we have been helping mothers and fathers with child custody for over 30 years in the Tampa area.

We have also been committed to protecting children’s best interests while helping to advocate for their parent’s rights.

If you are having any child custody issues such as relocation, determining parental responsibility, time-sharing problems, or any other custody issue that may be causing an unhealthy situation for your child, or negatively affecting your parental rights, we are here to help you.

To schedule a child custody consultation with Gary Dolgin, give us a call at (813) 999-2772, and it will be our pleasure to help you.

Learn more about child custody by visiting:
Custody Lawyer Tampa FL, Gary Dolgin

“The mental and physical health of the parents” is a factor that the court should consider in determining the best interest of the child.

F.S. 61.13(3)(g).Fla.Fam.L.R.P.12.360 allows the examination of a person by experts other than physicians and may be used to obtain a compulsory examination of a parent if that parent’s mental condition has been placed in controversy.

However, a parent’s mental condition is not placed at issue simply because they are seeking child “custody.”

In addition, simply initiating a proceeding when there is a parenting dispute does not place a parent’s mental condition in controversy for purposes of compulsory examination.

Here at The Law Offices of Gary S. Dolgin, we have been helping mothers and fathers with child custody for over 30 years in the Tampa area.

We have also been committed to protecting children’s best interests while helping to advocate for their parent’s rights.

If you are having any child custody issues such as relocation, determining parental responsibility, time-sharing problems, or any other custody issue that may be causing an unhealthy situation for your child, or negatively affecting your parental rights, we are here to help you.

To schedule a child custody consultation with Gary Dolgin, give us a call at (813) 999-2772, and it will be our pleasure to help you.

Learn more about child custody by visiting:
Tampa Custody Attorney, Gary Dolgin

F.S. 61.13(2)(C)1 states that it is the public policy of Florida to assure that each minor child has frequent and continuing contact with both parents after the parents separate or the marriage of the parties is dissolved and to encourage parents to share the right, responsibilities, and joys of childrearing.

Similarly, F.S. 61.13(3)(a) lists the “demonstrated capacity and disposition of each parent to facilitate and encourage a close and continuing parent-child relationship, to honor the time-sharing schedule, and to be reasonable when changes are required” as the first factor to be considered in determining the child’s best interest.

Each parent must refrain from doing anything that would undermine the other parent’s contacts and relationship with the child and must encourage the child to spend time with the other parent.

Each parent has an affirmative duty to keep the other parent informed and involved.

Here at The Law Offices of Gary S. Dolgin, we have been helping mothers and fathers with relocation and child custody for over 30 years in the Tampa area.

We have also been committed to protecting children’s best interests while helping to advocate for their parent’s rights.

If you are having any child custody issues such as relocation, determining parental responsibility, time-sharing problems, or any other custody issue that may be causing an unhealthy situation for your child, or negatively affecting your parental rights, we are here to help you.

To schedule a child custody consultation with Gary Dolgin, give us a call at (813) 999-2772, and it will be our pleasure to help you.

Learn more about child custody by visiting:
Best Child Custody Lawyer Tampa Florida, Gary Dolgin

Here at The Law Offices of Gary S. Dolgin, we have been helping mothers and fathers with relocation and child custody for over 30 years in the Tampa area.

We have also been committed to protecting children’s best interests while helping to advocate for their parent’s rights.

It was our pleasure to help Tara when her children were taken out-of-State by their father unlawfully.

We had to act fast and coordinate with law enforcement to ensure the safe return of her children back into her custody.

If you are having any child custody issues such as relocation, determining parental responsibility, time-sharing problems, or any other custody issue that may be causing an unhealthy situation for your child, or negatively affecting your parental rights, we are here to help you.

To schedule a child custody consultation with Gary Dolgin, give us a call at (813) 999-2772, and it will be our pleasure to help you.

Learn more about child custody by visiting:
Best Child Custody Lawyer in Tampa Florida, Gary Dolgin

Violations of the time-sharing schedule in the parenting plan, without proper cause, may be punished by contempt of court or other remedies that the court deems appropriate.

Failure to adhere to the time-sharing schedule may also lead the non offending party to seek a modification based on the offending party’s actions or inactions.

The remedy provided due to a party’s refusal to honor time-sharing rights is makeup time-sharing to the non offending party under F.S 61.13(4)(c).

Before ordering makeup time-sharing, however, the court must consider the best interests of the child.

Finding that makeup time-sharing is in the best interest of the child is, by itself, insufficient; the manner in which it is to be imposed must also be in the best interest of the child.

Here at The Law Offices of Gary S. Dolgin, we have been helping mothers and fathers with relocation and child custody for over 30 years in the Tampa area.

We have also been committed to protecting children’s best interests while helping to advocate for their parent’s rights.

If you are having any child custody issues such as relocation, determining parental responsibility, time-sharing problems, or any other custody issue that may be causing an unhealthy situation for your child, or negatively affecting your parental rights, we are here to help you.

To schedule a child custody consultation with Gary Dolgin, give us a call at (813) 999-2772, and it will be our pleasure to help you.

Learn more about child custody by visiting:
Child Custody Attorney Tampa FL, Gary Dolgin

When a parent refuses to comply with the time-sharing schedule in the parenting plan without proper cause, statute F.S. 61.13(4)(c) lists a number of sanctions that the court may impose, such as:

1. After calculating the amount of time-sharing improperly denied, the parent denied time may be awarded a sufficient amount of extra time-sharing to compensate for the time-sharing missed.

2. The court may order the offending parent to pay reasonable court costs and attorney’s fees incurred by the non-offending parent.

3. The court may order the offending parent to attend a parenting course approved by the judicial circuit.

4. The court may order the offending parent to do community service.

5. The court may order the offending parent to have the financial burden of promoting frequent and continuing contact when that parent and child reside further than 60 miles from the other parent.

6. If requested by the non-offending parent, the court may modify the parenting plan, if it is in the best interests of the child.

7. The court may impose any other reasonable sanction as a result of noncompliance.

Here at The Law Offices of Gary S. Dolgin, we have been helping mothers and fathers with relocation and child custody for over 30 years in the Tampa area.

We have also been committed to protecting children’s best interests while helping to advocate for their parent’s rights.

If you are having any child custody issues such as relocation, determining parental responsibility, time-sharing problems, or any other custody issue that may be causing an unhealthy situation for your child, or negatively affecting your parental rights, we are here to help you.

To schedule a child custody consultation with Gary Dolgin, give us a call at (813) 999-2772, and it will be our pleasure to help you.

Learn more about child custody by visiting:
Tampa Child Custody Attorney, Gary Dolgin

Although the termination of time-sharing rights is disfavored, the trial court may restrict or deny time-sharing when necessary to protect the child. If unrestricted time-sharing would endanger the child, access may be supervised or restricted.

Questionable behavior by one party toward the child can support a temporary suspension of time-sharing when it is in the best interest of the child.

Here at The Law Offices of Gary S. Dolgin, we have been helping mothers and fathers with relocation and child custody for over 30 years in the Tampa area.

We have also been committed to protecting children’s best interests while helping to advocate for their parent’s rights.

If you are having any child custody issues such as relocation, determining parental responsibility, time-sharing problems, or any other custody issue that may be causing an unhealthy situation for your child, or negatively affecting your parental rights, we are here to help you.

To schedule a child custody consultation with Gary Dolgin, give us a call at (813) 999-2772, and it will be our pleasure to help you.

Learn more about child custody by visiting:
Tampa Child Custody Lawyer, Gary Dolgin

In determining an appropriate time-sharing schedule, judges must consider 20 statutory factors and take into account the best interests of the children.

Time-sharing arrangements may differ from family to family. Assuming both parents are good parents, they may want to consider the following in determining an appropriate time-sharing schedule:

(1) that children and parents need blocks of continuous time together, including overnight time, and (2) that the blocks of time should be long enough to ensure that each parent remains an involved parent, rather than one becoming identified with homework and bedtimes and the other with recreation.

Here at The Law Offices of Gary S. Dolgin, we have been helping mothers and fathers with child custody for over 30 years in the Tampa area.

We have also been committed to protecting children’s best interests while helping to advocate for their parent’s rights.

If you are having any child custody issues such as relocation, determining parental responsibility, time-sharing problems, or any other custody issue that may be causing an unhealthy situation for your child, or negatively affecting your parental rights, we are here to help you.

To schedule a child custody consultation with Gary Dolgin, give us a call at (813) 999-2772, and it will be our pleasure to help you.

Learn more about child custody by visiting:
Tampa Child Custody Lawyer, Gary Dolgin