Colleen L. Wapole
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Divorce mediation attorneys in Manatee County, FL
18 divorce mediation attorneys in Manatee County: certified family mediators whose official Florida roster record shows an attorney background. They act as neutrals and don't represent either side.
How this list is built: these are certified family mediators whose official Florida roster record lists an attorney or in-state Bar member background. In mediation they work as neutrals: a mediator doesn’t represent or advise either side, even if they’re a lawyer. If you want legal advice about your own case, hire your own attorney. Do I need a lawyer for divorce mediation?
How does mediation work in Manatee County?
In Manatee County, Twelfth Judicial Circuit family cases are mediated through the circuit's Family Mediation Program, located in the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. West, Room 3021, Bradenton, (941) 749-3654 [1]. Attorneys book sessions on the court's JACS system once an Order of Referral is signed; when neither side has a lawyer, Family Division Case Management does the scheduling [2]. Parents must bring a draft Parenting Plan, and each session lasts up to three hours [2]. Per-person fees of $60 or $120 depend on combined income, and couples earning over $100,000 are ineligible and must hire a private mediator [2][3]. County civil mediation is free for small claims and residential evictions and $60 per party in other county civil cases; Manatee information is at (941) 749-3660 [4]. Our listings below show certified private mediators near Bradenton.
- Twelfth Judicial Circuit – Family Mediation Requirements (AO 2015-8.2)
- Twelfth Judicial Circuit – Family Mediation Services
- Fla. Stat. § 44.108 (2025), Funding of mediation and arbitration
- Twelfth Judicial Circuit – County Civil Mediation Program
Fact-checked 2026-10-06. Court programs change; confirm with the clerk.
Open to meeting by video? Mediators who work online with Florida clients · Online mediators
David Paul Montgomery
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Edward B. Sobel
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Faith Zettlemoyer Brown
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
John D. Hawkins
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Linda A. Lorrier
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Lisa A. Bell
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Matthew Z. Martell
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Michelle Artman Smith
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Patricia C. Fradley
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Paul Jason Karasick
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Richard B. Perlman
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Tiffany M. Hughes
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Corinne Kaplan
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Cortney Kelly Donohue
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Lucinda M. Garland
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Melissa Casciola-Shelton
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Peter S. Bobinski
On the official roster: Florida Dispute Resolution Center (Florida Supreme Court) · verified 2026-10-06
Mediators who work online with Florida clients
No mediator from another state has told us they work online with Florida clients in this practice area yet. Local mediators may also offer video sessions; ask when you contact them.
Court-ordered case? Courts may require a mediator from their own approved list for court-ordered cases. Check your court’s rules, or see how mediation works in Florida.
Court-connected mediation in Florida: Florida statute has each circuit keep a list of Florida Supreme Court-certified mediators registered there for court appointments in civil, family and dependency cases. Whether parties may agree on a non-certified mediator was not confirmed.
Private mediation in Florida: No state license for private mediators was found in the Florida statutes reviewed; Supreme Court certification is tied to court-ordered mediation. No rule specific to out-of-state or online mediators was found.
Sources: Fla. Stat. § 44.102, Court-ordered mediation (Online Sunshine) · Fla. Stat. § 44.1011, Definitions (Online Sunshine) · Unlicensed Practice - Formal Advisory Opinions, The Florida Bar · partly verified
All mediators who work online with Florida clients · Search online mediators for Florida · Online mediators in every state · Online divorce mediation
Mediators in nearby counties
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