Divorce & Family Mediation in Tampa and Hillsborough County
Mediation lets Hillsborough County families resolve divorce, time-sharing, and co-parenting disputes without a judge deciding for them. Jessica Oliver, LCSW, is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator serving Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Plant City, Temple Terrace, Valrico, Apollo Beach, and Lutz, in person locally and by secure video anywhere in Florida. Sessions are $200 per hour, and the initial 15-minute consultation is free.
Hillsborough County family court, and why mediation moves faster
Hillsborough County sits in Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. The George E. Edgecomb Courthouse handles family matters at 800 E. Twiggs Street in downtown Tampa, with clerk service locations also in Brandon and Plant City. It is one of the largest and busiest circuits in the state, and that volume has a practical consequence: contested family matters wait. Hearing dates get set months out, then moved.
Under Florida Family Law Rule of Procedure 12.740, contested family matters may be referred to mediation, and Hillsborough routinely refers them. Most families reach that point eventually. The question is whether you get there after a year of filings and continuances, or in a few weeks by choosing it yourself.
Mediation also changes what gets decided. A judge with a crowded docket rules on the issues in front of them. In mediation, you can build a parenting plan around the actual shape of your family, a rotating shift, a child’s therapy schedule, a grandparent who does school pickup. That level of detail rarely survives a contested hearing.
Military and first-responder families
Hillsborough is home to MacDill Air Force Base, and Tampa carries a large population of active-duty service members, veterans, and first-responder families. These cases carry complications that generic mediation misses: deployment and TDY, PCS orders that move a parent across the country mid-plan, drill weekends that break a standard every-other-weekend schedule, shift rotations at the firehouse, and the effects of service-related trauma on how a parent shows up in a hard conversation.
Jessica holds an MSW from the University of Southern California with a military trauma specialization and has spent close to a decade working with high-conflict, trauma-affected, and military and first-responder families. That background shapes how sessions are run, recognizing when someone is dysregulated rather than difficult, and building parenting plans that survive a deployment instead of collapsing at the first set of orders.
Services available in Hillsborough County
Family and divorce mediation — property, support, time-sharing, and parenting plans. Learn more
Parenting coordination — ongoing help for high-conflict co-parents under Fla. Stat. §61.125. Learn more
Collaborative divorce facilitation — serving as the neutral facilitator on a collaborative team. Learn more
Document preparation — court-ready documents for pro se litigants and attorneys. Learn more
In person in Tampa, or virtual
In-person sessions are available across Hillsborough County. Virtual sessions run by secure video and are often the better choice when conflict is high, when a parent is deployed or stationed elsewhere, or when getting both parties into the same building means two people taking a day off work. Many Hillsborough families do the whole process without driving downtown once.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No.
Florida certification is statewide, so a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator can serve in any Florida county. What matters is certification and fit, not a Tampa address.
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Yes, and it is frequently the better order of operations. Pre-suit mediation is private, faster, and usually less expensive than mediating after a contested case is already underway.
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Usually yes.
Virtual sessions and flexible scheduling exist precisely for this. Reach out, and we’ll work around the time zone and the duty schedule.
Ready to talk?
Book a free 15-minute consultation, or call or text (813) 449-2500.
Jessica serves as a neutral. She does not represent either party, so you can both call with questions.
Jessica Oliver, LCSW, is a mediator and licensed clinical social worker, not an attorney. Mediation is not legal advice or legal representation.