Miami-Dade County Public Schools staff run the IEP meetings in Miami Lakes. These advocates sit on your side of the table.
3 based in Florida · 3 virtual advocates who work with Florida schools
Advocates work for you, not for the school. That is the whole difference.
Families in Miami Lakes and Land O' Lakes run into the same problem. The school says the current plan is working, and the progress report shows the same goal repeated from last year with the same numbers under it.
The meeting itself is the smallest part of the job. Nearly all the hours go into records and email before the Miami Lakes team ever sits down.
Note what changed at home. Teachers see one room for one hour and parents see the rest of the day.
No advocate in this directory lists Miami Lakes as their home base. These advocates work from other parts of Florida, and each card names the city.
Based in Wesley Chapel, FL
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.
Based in Leesburg, FL
CEO IEP Advocate Espanol
Evelyn Roman-Santos is a bilingual Special Education Advocate with 30 years of experience as a School Social Worker.
Based in Hialeah, FL
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.
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 Oscoda, MI · works with Florida schools
Special Education Advocate | Certified Neurodiversity Coach | Certified Neuropsychology Coach
Michelle Velazquez is a Special Education Advocate, Educational Consultant, Master IEP Coach®, and Certified Neurodiversity and Neuropsychology Coach.
Virtual · based in Cumming, GA · works with Florida schools
Founder
I raised three children with special needs, so I know what it’s like to sit in an IEP meeting and feel like no one is listening.
Virtual · based in Portland, OR · works with Florida schools
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,…
Miami-Dade County Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Miami Lakes students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
Families who move between Land O' Lakes and here change districts, and the new team is not required to keep the old plan word for word.
Confirm your child's district by address before you send a letter or name a district-specific process.
A written request for an evaluation starts a second clock in Florida, and the district has to answer inside 30 days.
If the Miami Lakes team says no, ask for the refusal in writing.
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.
Training varies, and so does what it proves. A parent who asks how many Miami Lakes IEP meetings an advocate sat in last year learns more than a certificate would show.
Membership in a professional body is not a licence. It usually means dues were paid and a code of conduct was signed.
Advocates charge for this. At $75 to $150 per hour, a standard IEP cycle with two hours of prep and two hours in the meeting runs about $400, and that money does not come back if the answer is still no.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools is allowed to say no. What it is not allowed to do is say no without written notice that explains the reason.
Being listed for Florida is not the same as taking Miami Lakes cases, so read the service area on each of the 3 in-state profiles before you write to anyone.
Experience with Miami-Dade County Public Schools matters more than the number of years printed on a profile page.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Miami Lakes, Florida, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Miami Lakes, Florida?
Most advocates on this directory charge $75 to $150 per hour. A standard cycle with two hours of prep and two hours in the meeting runs about $400. Travel and extra meetings cost more.
Do I need an advocate for a routine annual review?
No fixed trigger exists. The useful test is whether you can tell from the paperwork what the school is actually offering, and whether the last thing you asked for came back in writing.
Who runs special education for Miami Lakes schools?
Miami-Dade County Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Miami Lakes students. District lines and city lines are not the same, so confirm yours by address before you send a letter.
How is Miami-Dade County Public Schools doing on special education?
Miami-Dade County Public Schools met 41 of 64 state special education indicators in the most recent report. Indicators measure compliance and outcomes across a whole district and say nothing about one classroom.
Where does a written special education complaint go?
Three routes stay open when you disagree. Mediation is voluntary for both sides, a written state complaint is decided on the record by the Florida Department of Education, and a due process hearing takes evidence.
Official Florida links for parents in Miami Lakes.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Florida rules apply in Land O' Lakes, Winter Park, Panama City, Temple Terrace and the other cities listed here, or see every Florida advocate.
Send the same two questions to every advocate you contact in Miami Lakes and Land O' Lakes. Ask for the rate and for the first date they can meet.
Have the most recent Miami-Dade County Public Schools progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
