Florida Grandparents' Visitation Laws
The United States Supreme Court addressed the issue of grandparents' visitation rights in the case of Troxel v. Granville. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that the Washington State statute providing for grandparents' rights was unconstitutional. Since that US Supreme Court decision, a number of state courts including Florida have revisited their state statutes regarding grandparents' visitation rights. The Florida Constitution has a privacy provision that protects the rights of fit parents to raise their children as they choose. With this Florida constitutional provision and the US Supreme Court's ruling, the Florida Supreme Court has ruled its grandparent visitation statute as an unconstitutional infringement on the rights of a fit parent.
There are limited circumstances where grandparents may have the right to pursue custody actions such as when they have been raising their minor children. Grandparents may also be able to intervene in child dependency actions and ask that they be named as a placement option for their grandchildren in lieu of being placed with a non-relative. In certain circumstances, grandparents may also be able to adopt their minor grandchildren when one or both parents are deceased or otherwise unable to parent the children.
Contact our Miami-Dade County Grandparents' Rights Lawyers
Contact our Miami grandparents' rights attorneys at 305-329-2560, or e-mail us to schedule an appointment to discuss your Dade County, Broward County, or Monroe County grandparents' rights issue.
Our Miami grandparents' rights lawyers accept family law cases in Miami-Dade County, Broward County and Monroe County. Our Miami grandparents' rights law office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm and weekends and evenings by appointment.
Consultations are available in person at our downtown Miami law office and at several meeting locations throughout Dade and Broward Counties including Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, Galiano Street in Coral Gables, West Country Club Drive in Aventura, Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood and in the Homestead area. Appointments are also available by telephone and via Skype internet video chat.
