I want to talk to you a little bit today about Florida's law that pertains to parenting, and to the best interest of the children, and questions that are asked about whether or not the law favors mothers over fathers or fathers over mothers. The best interest statute in Florida was really crafted to not play any favorites with one gender or the other, and the statute itself, recognizes that children should have both parents involved in their lives, regardless of gender.

Now, that doesn't mean that there are circumstances that would give a father more parenting time than a mother or vice versa, but is Florida a state that favors fathers over mothers or mothers over fathers? I think the clear answer is no, it does not, and it's always important to talk to an attorney who's been doing these cases for a very long time before you step into the courtroom and have an unrealistic expectation that because you're a mom or because you're a dad, you're going to get preferential treatment or more parenting time than the other parent. I think it's important to understand that the law doesn't play favorites. What it does is say that children are entitled to have both parents involved in their lives, involved in their decisions, and equal parenting time whenever possible.