A recent report conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Social and Demographics Trends project makes some interesting findings:

• “Absent” or “non-resident” fathers are defined as those that do no live with their children;
• The number of children not living with their father has doubled from 1960 to 2010;
• Four in ten non-resident fathers communicate with their children several times a week, while one in five spend time with their children more than once a week;
• One in three non-resident fathers report that they talk or exchange e-mail with their children less than once a month; and
• Twenty-seven percent of absent fathers say they have not seen the children at all in the past year.

In Florida, generally speaking, each parent has a right to spend time with his or her children, and each parent has a responsibility to contribute financially to the child’s support.  If there is a court order pertaining to child custody, these rights and responsibilities can usually be enforced by contempt.

If you have questions regarding paternity or child custody and you wish to speak with a Florida family law lawyer, contact The Law Firm of Adam B. Cordover, P.A., by calling us at (813) 443-0615 or filling out our online form.