Florida Parenting Plans — Requirements, Timesharing Schedules, Examples & What Courts Expect

What Must Be Included in a Florida Parenting Plan

Under Florida Statute §61.13, every parenting plan must include:

• A description of how the parents will share daily tasks and responsibilities
• A time-sharing schedule specifying the time each parent will spend with the child
• A designation of who will be responsible for healthcare, school-related matters, and extracurricular activities
• Methods for communicating with the child when they are with the other parent
• Transportation arrangements for exchanges
• A process for resolving future disagreements

Holiday and School Break Schedules

A complete parenting plan must address major holidays, school breaks, and special occasions. The plan should specify exactly when transitions occur, including times and locations.

• Thanksgiving — alternating years or splitting the break
• Christmas/Winter Break — alternating or dividing the break
• Spring Break — alternating years
• Summer vacation — extended blocks or alternating weeks
• Mother's Day and Father's Day — always with that parent
• Each child's birthday — alternating or shared
• Each parent's birthday
• Three-day weekends and school holidays

Communication Provisions

Florida parenting plans must include provisions for how the child communicates with the other parent during timesharing. This typically addresses phone calls, video calls, text messages, and in some cases social media. Courts expect communication to be reasonable and unmonitored — a parent who consistently interferes with the child's communication with the other parent risks court sanctions.

Common Parenting Plan Mistakes

The most common mistakes include:

• Being too vague about the timesharing schedule — 'reasonable timesharing' is unenforceable
• Failing to address holidays and school breaks in detail
• Not including communication provisions
• Omitting provisions for resolving future disputes
• Not addressing transportation and exchange logistics
• Ignoring the child's school schedule and extracurricular activities
• Not accounting for how the plan will work as the child ages

How Courts Evaluate Parenting Plans

When parents cannot agree on a parenting plan, the court will create one based on the best interests of the child. Judges evaluate each parent's proposed plan based on practicality, the child's established routines, geographic proximity of the parents, each parent's work schedule, and the child's needs at their current developmental stage.