Based in Leesburg, FL
Evelyn Roman-Santos
CEO IEP Advocate Espanol
Evelyn Roman-Santos is a bilingual Special Education Advocate with 30 years of experience as a School Social Worker.
- From $120 per hour
- Meets in person or by video
IEP advocates in Leesburg, Florida
1 advocate based in Leesburg, plus advocates who work with Florida schools by video.
3 based in Florida · 3 virtual advocates who work with Florida schools
What an advocate does for a Leesburg family
The job is plain. An advocate knows what services the school owes your child and asks for them in writing.
Leesburg is the 85th-largest city in Florida. Size has nothing to do with how well a district runs its IEP meetings, and a small district with one experienced case manager often does better than a large one.
What the work looks like
During a Leesburg IEP meeting an advocate writes down what the team agrees to and asks for it in the document before anyone leaves the room.
Request the full file in writing before you hire anyone. Schools have to give parents the education records they keep.
Advocates based in Leesburg and elsewhere in Florida
One of these advocates works from Leesburg. The rest are based elsewhere in Florida. Each card names the city.
Based in Wesley Chapel, FL
Angela Picardi
Special Education Advocate
With 24 years of experience in the K-12 sector, I serves as a Student Support Specialist specializing in academic and behavioral ESE services.
- Autism, Behavioral Support, Intellectual Disability, Learning Disabilities
- Contact for rate
- Meets in person or by video
Based in Hialeah, FL
Julian Moreira
Advocate
Hello! I look forward to helping families and their students get the crucial support they need. I have varied experience working with families and educators at the state and local levels.
- Autism Spectrum, Behavioral Support, Intellectual & Cognitive, Learning Disabilities
- From $100 per hour
- Free first call
- Meets in person or by video
Virtual advocates who work with Florida families
These advocates are not based in Florida. They join IEP meetings by video or phone, which IDEA allows when you and the school agree.
Virtual · based in Portland, OR · works with Florida schools
Chelsea Venegas
Experienced Special Education Advocate & Former District Administrator
Chelsea Venegas, M.Ed., is the Founder & Special Education Advocate at Access & Bloom. A former special education teacher, school administrator, and district leader, she supports families with IEPs,…
- Traumatic Brain Injury, Autism Spectrum, Anxiety, AAC
- From $175 per hour
- Free first call
- Meets by video or phone
Virtual · based in Atlanta, GA · works with Florida schools
Ms. Dixon, Psy.S.
School Psychologist & Parent Advocate
I’m a certified School Psychologist, Parent Advocate, and Coach dedicated to helping families navigate special education with confidence.
- Anxiety, ADHD / Attention, Autism Spectrum, Behavioral & Emotional
- From $100 per hour
- Meets by video or phone
Virtual · based in San Antonio, TX · works with Florida schools
Nicole Santiago
FamilyADDventures.com
Nicole Santiago is a learning specialist and an advocate (IEP coach). She is a member of COPAA.org and ensures special education students receive the most appropriate educational services possible.
- Autism Spectrum, Behavioral Support, Learning Disabilities, IDEA
- Contact for rate
- Meets in person or by video
Which district is in the room
Districts, not schools, hold the special education money in Florida, which is why the answer in a Leesburg meeting is sometimes about a budget nobody in the room controls.
Buildings do not fund services and districts do. Ask which office is deciding before you spend a meeting arguing with the wrong one.
The deadlines that apply in Florida
A written request for an evaluation starts a second clock in Florida, and the district has to answer inside 30 days.
Keep every email. Most of what an advocate does with a Leesburg file is date-stamping what the school already told you.
Florida gives a school district 60 calendar days to finish an initial special education evaluation. A written request for an evaluation has to be answered inside 30 days. Missed deadlines are handled by the Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, which takes written state complaints from parents.
Who licenses advocates in Florida
Certification programs exist and some advocates hold them. None of them is issued by the Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, and none of them is required to sit in a Florida IEP meeting.
Advocates who work Aventura and here see the same state rules twice a week. Repetition inside one state is the practice worth paying for.
What an advocate cannot do
Advocates are not attorneys. No advocate in Leesburg can file a lawsuit for you or give you legal advice about the case.
What worked for a family in Aventura may not fit yours. Ask the advocate what is different about your file before you copy anyone.
Local advocates and video advocates
One advocate listed here, Evelyn, works out of Leesburg. The others reach Florida families by video or by driving in.
Ask for two references from cases like yours. Somebody who cannot produce one has not worked many.
Leesburg IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Leesburg, Florida, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What is the hourly rate for a parent advocate?
Rates run $75 to $250 per hour. What moves the number is experience, the type of case, and whether anyone has to drive to the meeting. Profiles here show the rate when the advocate publishes one.
Can I hire a virtual advocate if we live in Leesburg?
Yes, with one condition. The school has to agree to the meeting format, so put the request in writing before the date is set.
How do I get my child school records?
A district can charge for copies. Asking to inspect the record in person costs nothing under federal rules, and it is usually faster than waiting for a copy set.
Which plan covers therapy and specialized instruction?
An IEP provides specialized instruction and related services under IDEA. A 504 plan provides accommodations under a civil rights law and does not require specialized instruction. Eligibility rules differ, so a child can qualify for one and not the other.
What should I have ready before the first call with an advocate?
Start with a one-page timeline of what happened and when. Every advocate you talk to will build the same thing, so writing it yourself saves an hour of billed time.
Official special education resources in Florida
Official Florida links for parents in Leesburg.
Sources for the Florida rules on this page
- Fla. Admin. Code R. 6A-6.0331, rule record and current text (Fla. Admin. Code R. 6A-6.0331(3)(g))
- Fla. Admin. Code R. 6A-6.0331 adopted text (Fla. Admin. Code R. 6A-6.0331(3)(g))
- FDOE Dispute Resolution Systems
- FDOE Exceptional Student Education
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
Nearby cities in Florida
The same Florida rules apply in Aventura, Panama City, Land O' Lakes, Oviedo and the other cities listed here, or see every Florida advocate.
What to do next
Start with two calls, not six. Ask each advocate what they would do first with a Leesburg file, and hire the one whose answer is specific enough that you could write it down as a task.
Free calls are common. Use them to compare people, not to collect advice for nothing.
