Legal Question in Family Law in Florida

Child custody - 14 and 15 year old

I am the aunt of a 15 and 14 year old neice and nephew. They have lived with us since the end of may 2006. Their mother has custody and she has given us temporary guardianship (limited). Their father is unhappy about it but has since moved on with his life. Both parents have phone conversations with the kids and the mom see's them weekly at least. To date the dad has not seen them since christmas but he does call them. We all live in the same town. My question, they live with me, i pay for doctor visits, braces, sports, school activities, lunch, clothes, in general 99.5% of their life is by us. Mom gives spending money and dad pays for medical and dental ins, that is it. Can i get custody? Can i get child support? Can i have claimed them on my taxes

(which i did not do). Can the kids represent themselves and ask for us to have full legal custody? Having them and helping them is not about money, but it would help very much since my nephew will be looking for a car soon, and we want to continue with the sports they are in and it is very exspensive, so yes support would be a great help. Is any of this possible?


Asked on 2/13/07, 12:24 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys
David Slater David P. Slater, Esq.

Re: Child custody - 14 and 15 year old

Yes, you can seek full custody and support.

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Answered on 2/13/07, 12:28 pm
Marie-Anne Oatley

Re: Child custody - 14 and 15 year old

You can definitely petition for support (retroactive support as well). Permanent custody... it depends on many factors but you can certainly petition. The children's request to live with you, because of their age, will be considered in the judge's decision.

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Answered on 2/13/07, 2:49 pm


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