Relocating from Florida with minor children can often times present a challenging situation. The Court must engage in a balancing test between the rights of the parent wishing to relocate against the rights of the stay behind parent. Ultimately, the judge must decide the issue based on the best interests of the minor children.
The judge’s discretion however, is not unlimited or unchecked. The trial judge is bound to follow the mandates of the Florida relocation statute, found in Florida Statue 61.13001.
The relocation statute includes a list of ten (10) factors that the judge hearing the case is required to consider. No one factor is more important than any other. The judge will hear evidence on all of the various factors, and do what is best for the children.