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Legal Information: Florida

Custody

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Updated: 
October 6, 2023

What does parental responsibility mean? Is it the same thing as custody?

In Florida, the courts have moved away from using the term “custody.” Unlike in the past, neither party will be “awarded custody.” Instead, the courts will assign “parental responsibility” for the children, either shared or sole, and will provide for a timesharing arrangement. The responsibility for raising a child ends upon the child’s 18th birthday or upon graduating from high school - by age 19.