Child Custody & Visitation – Delegation of Decision Making Authority in Florida
A court cannot delegate parental decision making authority to a third party. “In the event of a deadlock between the parents regarding these issues, the dispute must be presented to the trial court for resolution in accordance with the child’s best interests. Gerencser v. Mills, 4 So. 3d 22, 23 (Fla. 5th DCA 2009); Sotnick v. Sotnick, 650 So. 2d 157, 160(Fla. 3d DCA 1995); Tamari v. Turko-Tamari, 599 So. 2d 680, 681 (Fla. 3d DCA 1992). It is error for the trial court to delegate the ultimate decision as to visitation and other issues to a third party. Lovell v. Lovell, 14 So. 3d 1111, 1114 (Fla. 5th DCA 2009). Here, the provisions improperly allow former husband’s parents to resolve a dispute between the parties.” Schwieterman v. Schwieterman