Florida SB 1128 Parenting-Plan Fast-Track Bill Died (2026)

The Short Answer

Florida SB 1128 (2026) proposed prioritizing certain time-sharing matters on court calendars and setting procedural rules for temporary parental-responsibility hearings, but it never became law. CS/SB 1128 died in the Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice on March 13, 2026. No 30-day parenting-plan hearing mandate took effect on July 1, 2026.

What Actually Happened

Headlines suggesting Florida now fast-tracks parenting plans with a 30-day hearing deadline are describing a bill that failed, not a law. CS/SB 1128 was a 2026 family-law measure that cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 11-0 vote on February 10, 2026, then stalled. It died in the Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice on March 13, 2026, without reaching a floor vote.

Because the bill died, its would-be July 1, 2026 effective date is meaningless. Florida's time-sharing statutes read the same today as they did before the 2026 session opened.

You can confirm the bill's history on the Florida Senate's own tracking page at flsenate.gov. When a bill dies in committee, none of its provisions carry any legal force.

What SB 1128 Proposed

The bill focused on the pace of contested time-sharing litigation. Its core proposals included:

• Requiring courts to prioritize certain time-sharing matters on their calendars
• Setting procedural requirements for evidentiary hearings on motions to establish temporary parental responsibility and time-sharing
• Directing courts to determine appropriate parenting plans in certain proceedings
• Requiring the Office of the State Courts Administrator to publish annual reports on evidentiary hearings by judicial circuit

The intent was to reduce the delay parents face when they need a temporary time-sharing schedule while a case is pending. Those are reasonable goals, but goals in a dead bill do not change how Florida judges must handle your case.

Legal Implications for Florida Cases

The practical takeaway is that nothing changed. Florida time-sharing and parental-responsibility decisions are still governed by Chapter 61 of the Florida Statutes, and the substantive standard remains the best interests of the child under F.S. 61.13.

Temporary time-sharing relief still runs through the normal motion-and-hearing process in each judicial circuit. There is no statewide 30-day clock forcing a hearing on a temporary parenting-plan motion. How quickly you get in front of a judge depends on your circuit's docket, the judge assigned, and how the motion is set — not on SB 1128.

The 2023 reforms under SB 1416 remain the last major structural change to Florida's alimony and time-sharing landscape. SB 1416 created a rebuttable presumption that equal, 50/50 time-sharing is in the best interests of the child, which a parent can overcome with evidence. SB 1128 would not have touched that presumption; it addressed scheduling and procedure, not the substantive standard.

Florida-Specific Analysis

For most families, the important word in SB 1128 is temporary. The bill targeted contested cases where parents are fighting over an interim schedule while the divorce or paternity case winds through the system. That is the pain point it tried to address.

That pain point rarely appears in an uncontested divorce. When both spouses already agree on a parenting plan, there is no evidentiary hearing to fast-track — there is nothing to fight about. The parenting plan is submitted with the settlement documents, and the court reviews it under the best-interests standard before entering the final judgment.

This is why the fastest, calmest path through a Florida divorce with children is agreement. A completed, signed parenting plan under F.S. 61.13(2)(b) that both parents support removes the delay, the hearings, and the uncertainty that SB 1128 was trying to reduce. You do not need a new statute to move quickly if the two of you are not in conflict.

Florida also still offers simplified dissolution under F.S. 61.052 for couples who meet its requirements, though couples with minor children generally cannot use the simplified route and instead file a regular uncontested dissolution with a parenting plan. Either way, agreement is the accelerator.

Practical Takeaways

• SB 1128 did not become law. There is no 30-day parenting-plan hearing mandate in Florida.
• Your time-sharing case is still governed by Chapter 61 and the best-interests standard in F.S. 61.13.
• Temporary time-sharing relief still runs through your circuit's normal motion process, with timing driven by the local docket.
• SB 1416 (2023) — with its 50/50 time-sharing presumption — remains the last major structural reform.
• If you and your spouse agree, you can move faster than any proposed statute by filing an uncontested divorce with a completed parenting plan.

If you are researching a bill you saw in the news, always check its status on the Legislature's official page before assuming it is law. In the 2026 session, several family-law bills advanced through one committee and then died — SB 1128 among them.

How Agreement Beats a Scheduling Statute

At the Law Office of Antonio G. Jimenez, we handle uncontested Florida divorces for a flat $750 attorney fee (the same price with or without minor children — with children the package adds a parenting plan, child support guidelines worksheet, and UCCJEA affidavit). When spouses agree, there is no contested hearing to wait on, so the schedule is driven by paperwork and the clerk, not by a docket fight.

For context on cost and process, see our guides on uncontested divorce with children in Tampa and how to file an uncontested divorce in Tampa. For more on why no new 2026 law reshaped time-sharing, see SB 1128 died: Florida time-sharing law unchanged and our roundup on the 2026 alimony and time-sharing bills.

Legal Disclaimer

This article is provided by Antonio G. Jimenez, Esq. (Florida Bar No. 21022) for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Legislative status and Florida law can change; verify any bill's status on the Florida Legislature's official website and consult a licensed Florida attorney about your specific situation.