Trusted Tampa Bay Parenting Coordination Mediator

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Florida Parent Coordination: Resolving High-Conflict Parent Disputes Out of Court

At Reineke Mediations, Tampa Bay attorney Beth Reineke is a trained parent coordinator serving the 13th Judicial Circuit (Hillsborough County) and the 6th Judicial Circuit (Pasco and Pinellas Counties). She knows when children are involved, some Florida parents agree in principle but get hung up on the details. Some parents are not even on speaking terms or can’t even agree that the sky is blue. A parent coordinator is a trained neutral third party who acts as a mediator or arbitrator to help co-parents iron out the wrinkles of shared parenting.

Parent coordination is a service — voluntary or court-ordered — that aligns with the objective of minimizing the emotional and financial toll often associated with traditional high-conflict custody litigation. By engaging in this process, parents in Tampa, Florida, have the opportunity to actively participate in shaping the future of their family dynamics while receiving professional guidance from a trained neutral third party — their parent coordinator.

Contact Beth Reineke to discuss whether your parent negotiation needs are a good fit for mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution like parent coordination during a free phone consultation.

Parenting Coordination Law in Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Parent Coordinator for High-Conflict Custody Cases in Florida

It’s essential to understand the significance of parent coordination within the context of Florida Family Law. A Parent Coordinator is a neutral third party typically appointed by the court to help parents navigate and resolve issues concerning their children. This may include matters such as visitation schedules, education decisions, and healthcare choices.

The primary goal of a Parent Coordinator is to facilitate communication and cooperation between parents, fostering an environment that prioritizes the best interests of the children. In Tampa and throughout the Tampa Bay Area, including Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, and Pasco County, Parent Coordinators are frequently utilized as a means to address conflicts without resorting to costly and time-consuming litigation.

Key responsibilities of a Parent Coordinator in Tampa, Florida include:

Conflict Resolution: Acting as a child focused mediator. The Parent Coordinator assists parents in resolving child related disputes amicably. This can be particularly beneficial in high-conflict child custody cases where communication between parents has broken down.
Implementation of Court Orders: The Parent Coordinator helps implement court-ordered parenting plans, ensuring that both parties adhere to the terms outlined in their legal agreement.
Communication Facilitation: Facilitating effective communication between parents is a core aspect of the Parent Coordinator’s role. This can involve clarifying misunderstandings, improving dialogue, and encouraging cooperation.
Education and Guidance: Providing parents with information about child development, co-parenting strategies, and conflict resolution techniques to enhance their ability to work together as parents in the best interests of their children.

Attorney Beth Reineke is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Divorce Mediator. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience litigating, mediating, and settling parenting coordination cases in the Tampa Bay Area, she conducts virtual and in-person mediations for families in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco Counties and provides free phone consultations for Florida parents.

What are the Benefits of a Parent Coordinator in Tampa Bay, Florida

As a Parent Coordinator, Beth Reineke, believes it’s important to inform clients and the public about the availability and benefits of Parent Coordination as a constructive option for addressing family law matters in the Tampa Bay Area. By understanding the advantages of this approach, individuals can make informed decisions that align with their desire for a more collaborative and less adversarial resolution to their family law conflicts.

Here are some key benefits of involving a Parent Coordinator in divorces in Tampa Bay:

Reduced Conflict: One of the primary benefits of a Parent Coordinator is the reduction of conflict between divorcing parents. By providing a neutral third party to facilitate communication and assist in resolving disputes, the Parent Coordinator helps create a more cooperative and less adversarial atmosphere.
Faster Resolution: Parent coordination can expedite the resolution of disputes compared to traditional litigation. This is particularly important in divorces, where timely decisions regarding child custody, visitation, and other shared parenting matters are crucial for the well-being of the children involved.
Cost-Effective Alternative: Engaging a Parent Coordinator is often more cost-effective than pursuing lengthy court battles. By addressing conflicts outside the courtroom, parents can save on legal fees and related expenses, making the divorce process more financially sustainable.
Customized Solutions: Parent Coordinators work closely with parents to develop customized solutions that suit the unique needs and circumstances of the family. This personalized approach allows for more flexibility and a tailored resolution that may not be achievable through a one-size-fits-all court decision.
Empowerment of Parents: Parent coordination empowers parents to actively participate in decision-making regarding their children. By providing education and guidance, the Parent Coordinator enhances the parents’ ability to make informed choices that prioritize the best interests of the children.
Preservation of Parent-Child Relationships: Through effective communication and conflict resolution, a Parent Coordinator helps preserve and strengthen the parent-child relationships during and after the divorce. This is crucial for the emotional well-being and stability of the children involved.
Adaptability to Changing Circumstances: Family dynamics can evolve over time, requiring adjustments to parenting plans and agreements. A Parent Coordinator can assist in modifying existing Parenting Plans to accommodate changing circumstances, ensuring that the family’s needs are consistently met.

In general Parent Coordination empowers individuals to make informed choices that align with their goals of achieving a more collaborative, efficient, and amicable resolution of the issues involving their children.

Attorney Mediator Beth Reineke, of Reineke Mediations, is a Supreme Court Certified mediator and an experienced Parent Coordinator. Whether you are proactively seeking a parent coordinator or have been ordered by the court to engage in parent coordination, we invite you to arrange a free phone consultation today.

Frequently Asked Questions for Our Parenting Coordination Mediator in Tampa Bay, Florida

What is Parenting Coordination in Florida?

Parent coordination or “parenting” coordination is a child-focused alternative to child custody litigation. Parent coordination combines mediation, education, case management, conflict management and sometimes decision-making functions to help high-conflict parents establish and maintain a healthy co-parenting relationship.

What is a Florida Parent Coordinator?

A parent coordinator is a neutral third party who helps separated, divorcing or divorced parents resolve child-related disputes outside of court. Not all parent coordinators are lawyers. Attorney Beth Reineke has received special training as a parent coordinator and this, combined with her years of legal experience, gives her the expertise necessary to help families who are in crisis.

What is the Role of a Florida Parent Coordinator?

A parent coordinator assists parents in developing and/or implementing their parenting plan by: facilitating the timely resolution of disputes; educating parents about their children’s needs; monitoring parental behavior; and, with prior approval of the parties or the court, making temporary decisions within the scope of the court’s orders or appointment contract.

How Does Parent Coordination Work in Florida?

The parent coordinator usually meets with both parents on a regular basis to help them identify and resolve issues related to their shared parenting responsibilities and time-sharing schedules as set out in their parenting plan.

What is a Florida Parenting Plan?

A parenting plan is a document developed and agreed to by the parents of a minor child and approved by the court (or, if the parents cannot agree, established by the court), which governs the relationship between the parents regarding the child. A parenting plan addresses shared parenting issues related to the minor children’s education, health care, and physical, social, and emotional well-being, and must include a time-sharing (visitation) schedule.

What is a Time-Sharing Schedule?

Florida no longer uses the term “visitation.” A time-sharing schedule is a timetable included in a parenting plan that specifies the time, including overnights and holidays, that a minor child will spend with each parent. If developed and agreed to by the parents of a minor child, it must be approved by the court. If the parents cannot agree, the schedule will be established by the court.

What is Shared Parenting and What is Shared Parental Responsibility in Florida?

Shared parenting or shared parental responsibility is a relationship in which both parents retain full parental rights and responsibilities with respect to their children and in which both parents confer with each other so that major decisions affecting the welfare of their children will be determined jointly. (It is common to have shared parental responsibility even if the child lives primarily with one parent.)

How Do You Get a Parent Coordinator in Florida?

The parents can voluntarily agree that they will work with a parent coordinator, or one may be appointed by the court.

What Kinds of Issues Does a Florida Parent Coordinator Address?

A parent coordinator will address the parenting issues the parents are having related to their minor children. And, if specified in the court’s order or the agreement appointing the parent coordinator, a parent coordinator may have the authority to make minor decisions regarding certain parenting issues if the parents are unable to agree.

These issues include:

Parenting time schedules, including vacations and holidays.
Allocation of decision-making.
Parent communication (between the parents and with the children).
Transitions or exchanges of the children.
Health care matters.
Child-rearing issues.
School choice.
Extracurricular activities.
Religious observances and education.
Clothing and personal possessions of the children.
Hairstyles, tattoos and ear and body piercing.
Contact with significant others and extended family members.

Can a Florida Parent Coordinator Make Decisions for the Parents?

Parent coordinators can make recommendations to the parents and temporary decisions for the parents within the scope of authority delineated by the court’s order or the parents’ agreement appointing the parent coordinator. However, a parent coordinator cannot make decisions that permanently or substantially alter a court-approved temporary or permanent parenting plan.

What if I Don’t Like the Decision that the Parent Coordinator Makes?

The method by which parents may voice their objections to a parent coordinator’s recommendations and temporary alterations of the parenting plan are usually outlined in the court order or the agreement appointing the parent coordinator.

What is the Difference Between a Parent Coordinator and a Child Custody Evaluator in Florida?

A child custody evaluator is appointed by the court to investigate the facts, evaluate the family, and make a recommendation to the court about allocation of parental duties and time sharing. A parent coordinator is not an evaluator and does not make recommendations to the court. A parent coordinator works directly with the parents to assist them in deciding what is in the best interest of their children, so that the parents, and not the court, develop and implement their parenting plan.

Who Pays the Parenting Coordinator?

Most often the parent coordinator’s fees are allocated between the parties, based upon their relative incomes. The court order appointing the parent coordinator or the parties’ stipulation usually indicates how the fees are to be paid. Attorney Reineke will discuss her fees and the costs you will be charged and methods of payment prior to beginning the parent coordination process.

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