What Does "Right of First Refusal" Mean?

Often your parenting plan will include language regarding a "right of first refusal".  The essential premise behind a right of first refusal is the idea that a parent should have a superior right to care for their children over a third party or babysitter.  For example,  if during your regular time sharing you are not able to exercise the time sharing with your children for an extended period of time (you have to work late, you have a social engagement, etc.), instead of hiring a babysitter, you would offer the other parent the opportunity to care for the children until you got home. 

Right of first refusal language can vary significantly depending upon the circumstances that surround your Florida family law case.  Some will require that you offer the other parent the right to care for the children if you will be away for more than 4 hours.  Some of them restrict it to 24 hours.  As always, a parenting plan should be tailored to your families individual needs and concerns.  Contact your specialized family law attorney to discuss your parenting plan and whether a right of first refusal would benefit your case.