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
An IEP advocate goes to school meetings with you and argues for services your child is not getting.
Most of the work happens before anyone sits down in a Leesburg conference room.
What the work looks like
Advocates also coach. Some Leesburg parents hire one for two hours of prep and go into the meeting alone.
Note what changed at home. Teachers see one room for one hour and parents see the rest of the day.
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
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.
- ADHD / Attention, Autism Spectrum, Behavioral Support, Due Process
- 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 $200 per hour
- Meets by video or phone
Virtual · based in San Antonio, TX · works with Florida schools
Nicole Santiago
Special Education Advocate | National COPAA Instructor
As an experienced Special Education Advocate, Executive Function Specialist, and expert IEP Coach, I offer families pathways to ensure they are informed, prepared, and confident as they navigate…
- Autism Spectrum, Behavioral Support, Learning Disabilities, IDEA
- From $150 per hour
- Free first call
- Meets by video or phone
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
Once you sign consent for testing, a Florida district has 60 calendar days to finish an initial evaluation, and that clock does not stop because a case manager is out or the file went to the wrong building.
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.
Membership in a professional body is not a licence. It usually means dues were paid and a code of conduct was signed.
What an advocate cannot do
Hiring an advocate does not pause a deadline or undo a meeting that already happened. The work starts from wherever the Leesburg file sits today.
Advocates who have never seen the file cannot tell you what is missing from it. Send the records first and book the call second.
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.
Advocates who take Aventura cases usually take these too. Say where you are in the first email so nobody wastes a week finding out.
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.
How much does an IEP advocate cost in Leesburg?
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.
Do I need a lawyer or an advocate for my child?
Two different jobs. The advocate works the IEP process and the attorney works the legal one. If a hearing is already filed, you need the attorney.
Are there any IEP advocates near Leesburg?
No advocate is listed in every town, and each card here says where that person lives. Somebody who knows the state rules and has an opening this month usually beats the nearest name on the list.
Should my child have an IEP or a Section 504 plan?
An IEP is the stronger document because it carries goals, service minutes and progress reporting. Section 504 plans are faster to write and easier for a district to agree to.
Who decides a special education complaint in Florida?
The Florida Department of Education takes written complaints from parents about missed deadlines and services never delivered. An advocate can prepare one. The advocate does not decide it and cannot make the district settle.
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.
Two questions sort most of this out. What would you do first with this file, and what does that cost.
