Legal Question in Family Law in Florida

3's a Crowd

A friend of mine has recently gone through a pretty civil divorce. He has a seven year-old daughter and a four year-old son who primarily reside with their mother. Currently, they are all living with the children�s grandmother and all sharing a single bedroom. There are three twin beds in this 10 x 13 bedroom. For months now, his daughter has continuously complained of her living arrangements to her father, family and friends. This little girl complains and even cries over this situation from time to time and states that she never has any piece and quite and can�t even sit down and read a book or concentrate on her homework. Because the children have separate bedroom at their father�s home this is particularly difficult for her after visitation and she has to return to her mother�s home. The court was told during the divorce that this was a temporary situation but it wouldn�t appear to be considering she hasn�t had a steady job in years and hasn�t worked for over nine months. It just seems to be a sad situation. Please advise


Asked on 1/30/02, 4:34 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Sanford Martin Martin Law Office

Re: 3's a Crowd

You do not indicate what your objective is in this matter. You do not indicate whether the father wishes to have residential custody. We can advise legal options based on what the objectives are, but you don't indicate whether more child support would resolve the issue, whether a change in custody is warranted, etc. The natural father could petition the court to change the custody arrangement. He could ask for a custody evaluation to determine whether the present arrangement is harmful to the child. If the present situation is harmful to the child and there are options available to the father to improve the situation, he should take action. He may wish to consult with the Dept. of Children and Families, other local agency, or a family law attorney. First, he must decide what his objective is. Merely describing the situation as "sad" is not adequate.

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Answered on 1/30/02, 8:43 pm


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