Bill > H0121

This bill modifies Florida's existing law on grandparent visitation by expanding the circumstances under which grandparents can petition the court for visitation rights. Previously, grandparents could only seek visitation if a child's parents were deceased, missing, or in a persistent vegetative state, and additional specific conditions existed. The new bill allows grandparents to petition for visitation when the child's parents are divorced or when one or both parents are deceased, missing, or in a persistent vegetative state. The bill maintains a comprehensive framework for determining visitation, requiring grandparents to first demonstrate a prima facie case and then prove by clear and convincing evidence that visitation is in the child's best interest. The court must consider numerous factors when evaluating such petitions, including the quality of the previous relationship between the grandparent and child, emotional ties, potential harm to the parent-child relationship, and the child's overall well-being. The bill also preserves existing provisions that limit grandparents to filing only one visitation petition every two years, unless extraordinary circumstances exist, and ensures that the child's primary residence county serves as the venue for such legal proceedings. The changes will take effect on July 1, 2025.

Justice

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/121