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Florida parenting plan requirements, structure, and examples

What a Florida parenting plan must contain, how timesharing schedules are written, and what courts look for before approval.

Florida divorce guide

By Aliette Hernandez Carolan, Esq.2 min read
Quick answer

A Florida parenting plan is a written, court-approved document required in every divorce involving minor children. Under Florida Statute 61.13(2)(b), it must describe how parents share daily responsibility, the timesharing schedule, decision-making authority, communication rules, and which parent's address controls for school designation.

  • Required by statute when minor children are involved
  • Must include a timesharing schedule
  • Must allocate decision-making authority
  • Court reviews against the best-interest standard

Statutory requirements

Florida Statute 61.13(2)(b) lists the mandatory elements of a parenting plan. The plan must be in writing, signed by both parents, and approved by the court. Florida Supreme Court approved forms provide a structured template that meets these requirements.

  • Description of how parents will share daily tasks of upbringing
  • Timesharing schedule specifying the time each parent has with the child
  • Designation of which parent is responsible for school-related forms and healthcare
  • Methods and technologies parents will use to communicate with the child
  • Allocation of parental responsibility for major decisions

Common Florida timesharing schedules

Florida law does not mandate any particular schedule. Parents may agree on any arrangement that serves the child's best interest. Several patterns are common.

  • Equal timesharing, week-on/week-off, or 2-2-5-5 rotations
  • School year with one parent and extended summer with the other (often used when parents live in different counties)
  • Alternating weekends with one parent and weekday majority with the other
  • Bird's-nest arrangements where children remain in one home and parents rotate (less common, requires close cooperation)

Decision-making authority

Florida defaults to 'shared parental responsibility,' meaning both parents jointly make major decisions about education, healthcare, and religious upbringing. The court may grant ultimate decision-making authority on specific topics to one parent when shared responsibility would be detrimental to the child.

Holiday and special-day scheduling

Strong Florida parenting plans spell out holidays, school breaks, birthdays, and Mother's Day / Father's Day. Detailed schedules reduce future disputes and are the parts judges scrutinize most carefully.

Recent Florida court decisions

Updated May 2026

Lally v. RaberNEW

2026 WL 1315034 (Fla. 2d DCA May 13, 2026) · Florida Second District Court of Appeal

Does a judge have to explain in writing why a parenting plan change is best for the child?

Florida's Second District Court of Appeal reversed an amended judgment modifying a parenting plan because the trial court, while correctly finding a substantial and material unanticipated change in circumstances, did not make the written best interests findings that section 61.13, Florida Statutes, requires to support the timesharing relief it ordered. The court also reversed the summary denial of the mother's attorney's fee request, holding that a judge cannot deny fees under section 61.16 without findings on one party's need and the other's ability to pay. The case was sent back for those findings, with no opinion on the outcome. This opinion is subject to revision prior to official publication.

What this means for you

Written reasoning is what makes a parenting plan order hold up, so spelling your terms out in a signed written plan removes the guesswork a judge would otherwise have to document. A contested timesharing or fee dispute is a situation for a Florida family law attorney.

Read the full opinion

Source: OSCA Office of Family Courts Case Law Update

This is a general summary of a published Florida appellate court decision for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice, does not apply to any specific case, and does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Florida parenting plan template?
Yes. The Florida Supreme Court has approved family law forms, including the Parenting Plan (Form 12.995(a)) and the Safety-Focused Parenting Plan, that meet the statutory requirements.
Can a parenting plan be modified later?
Yes. Florida courts may modify a parenting plan if there is a substantial, material, and unanticipated change in circumstances and modification serves the best interest of the child.
What if parents cannot agree on a parenting plan?
If parents cannot agree, the case becomes contested and the court will establish a parenting plan after considering the statutory best-interest factors. This is outside the scope of an uncontested divorce.
Does the parenting plan address child support?
No. Child support is calculated separately on the Florida Child Support Guidelines Worksheet, although the timesharing schedule in the parenting plan affects the support number.

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Florida residents only. Information, not legal advice.

Sources

Links to the authoritative primary sources cited on this page.

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