GRANDPARENTS
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill into law, that authorizes the grandparent of a minor child to petition a court for visitation under certain circumstances.
Some of those circumstances include when a parent has been killed, is in a vegetative state, or is missing. It also includes when the other parent has been convicted of a felony or an offense of violence evincing behavior that poses a substantial threat of harm to the minor child’s health or welfare.
The bill states, “Upon the filing of a petition by a grandparent for visitation, the court shall hold a preliminary hearing … the court may award reasonable visitation to the grandparent … if the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that a parent is unfit or that there is significant harm to the child, that visitation is in the best interest of the minor child, and that the visitation will not materially harm the parent-child relationship.”
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