Child Visitation Attorney in Clearwater

Former Prosecutors. 35+ Years of Experience. Fighting for Your Time with Your Child.

Whether you’re establishing a time-sharing schedule for the first time, enforcing an order a co-parent has ignored, or seeking a modification after your circumstances have changed, Tinny, Meyer & Piccarreto, P.A. handles visitation rights cases throughout Clearwater and Pinellas County. Our two former assistant district attorneys bring over 35 years of combined legal experience to every case, including direct insight into how courts weigh parental fitness evidence and domestic violence records in contested proceedings.

If your access to your child is at stake, don’t wait. Call our Clearwater child visitation attorneys at (727) 245-9009 to discuss your situation.

How Florida Law Governs Visitation Rights

Florida doesn’t use the term “visitation” in its statutes. What most parents call visitation rights, Florida law calls time-sharing, and it’s governed by a court-approved parenting plan under Florida Statute 61.13. A 2023 amendment to that statute established a rebuttable presumption that equal time-sharing is in the best interests of the minor child. Either parent can challenge that presumption by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning the burden falls on whoever argues the 50/50 default shouldn’t apply.

Pinellas County time-sharing disputes are heard by the Sixth Judicial Circuit Unified Family Court at the Pinellas County Justice Center in Clearwater. Judges apply a best-interests-of-the-child standard and consider factors such as:

• Willingness to honor the schedule: Whether each parent has demonstrated a history of following or facilitating time-sharing arrangements
• Capacity to meet the child’s needs: Each parent’s ability to address the child’s physical, emotional, and developmental requirements
• Fostering the child’s relationship with the other parent: A parent’s willingness to support the child’s bond with the other household
• Home, school, and community record: The stability and consistency of the child’s current environment
• Safety concerns: A history of domestic violence, substance abuse, or conduct placing the child at risk can restrict or eliminate a parent’s time-sharing entirely

When parents can’t agree on a parenting plan, a judge decides. Mediation is also available as an alternative path to resolution before the matter reaches a courtroom.

Visitation Matters We Handle in Clearwater

We represent parents at every stage of a time-sharing dispute. Parenting plans must address far more than which nights each parent has the child. They govern holiday and vacation schedules, transportation logistics between households, communication protocols, and decision-making on education, extracurricular activities, and medical care. We work to make sure your plan is comprehensive and enforceable from day one.

The specific matters we handle include:

• Initial time-sharing schedules: Establishing a schedule built around your child’s well-being and your family’s real-world circumstances
• Supervised and unsupervised visitation: Tailoring arrangements to fit unique family structures and safety considerations
• Enforcement: When a co-parent isn’t following a court order, remedies can include make-up time, parenting courses or other court-ordered sanctions for the non-compliant parent, or modification of the existing arrangement
• Modifications: Demonstrating a substantial and material change in circumstances, such as relocation or remarriage, and showing the proposed change serves the child’s best interests, as required by Florida Statute 61.13
• Domestic violence cases: Protecting families where safety concerns must be addressed before any time-sharing arrangement can be considered

Why Clearwater Parents Choose Tinny, Meyer & Piccarreto, P.A.

Our background as former assistant district attorneys shapes how we approach contested visitation cases. We understand how domestic violence records, substance abuse history, and parental fitness evidence are evaluated in Pinellas County courtrooms, because we’ve spent careers doing that evaluation. That perspective informs how we build a case, identify weaknesses in the opposing position, and prepare for what a judge is actually going to weigh.

Our clients work directly with a dedicated attorney throughout their case, not a rotating support team. We keep communication open, provide regular updates on case developments, and are reachable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No two families are in the same situation, and we don’t treat them as though they are. Every strategy we develop is built around the specific facts, history, and goals you bring to us.

Talk to a Clearwater Visitation Attorney Today

Time-sharing disputes move quickly, and delays in getting legal counsel can affect how a schedule gets structured or enforced. Reach us by phone at (727) 245-9009 or through our online contact form to schedule a consultation with a child visitation attorney serving Clearwater, Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough Counties.

Our attorneys are available around the clock. Call (727) 245-9009 now to discuss your case and understand your options.