Special education and Section 504 advocates for Sarasota County Public Schools families in Sarasota.
3 based in Florida · 3 virtual advocates who work with Florida schools
Hiring one is optional. Nothing in federal law requires a parent to bring an advocate to an IEP meeting.
Families in Sarasota and Bradenton 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.
Paperwork is where cases are won or lost, and an advocate who has read every progress report in the file will find the sentence a Sarasota team wrote two years ago that contradicts what it is saying now.
Read the evaluation report twice. The second read is where the missing service usually shows up.
No advocate in this directory lists Sarasota 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
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.
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 Coraopolis, PA · works with Florida schools
Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Special Education Advocate
Hi there! I'm Brittany, owner and founder of Balanced Behaviors, LLC. I'm a Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Specialist in Pennsylvania with a Master’s in Special Education from Slippery Rock…
Virtual · based in Atlanta, GA · works with Florida schools
School Psychologist & Parent Advocate
I’m a certified School Psychologist, Parent Advocate, and Coach dedicated to helping families navigate special education with confidence.
Virtual · based in San Diego, CA · works with Florida schools
Special Education Advocate
At the Sanford Autism Advocacy Group (SAAG), we are a small but mighty special education consulting group with an emphasis on Autism and IEPs.
Sarasota County Public Schools runs the IEP meetings for most Sarasota students, and its special education staff will be on the other side of the table when you walk in.
Parents in Bradenton face the same paperwork. Rules do not change from one town to the next inside a state.
Confirm your child's district by address. Sarasota addresses may fall in more than one public school district.
The deadline for finishing an initial evaluation in Florida is 60 calendar days. Put that date on your calendar the day the paperwork goes in.
Put the request in writing and date it. An email to the Sarasota school counts as 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 Sarasota IEP meetings an advocate sat in last year learns more than a certificate would show.
Ask what training the advocate actually finished and who ran it. A one-day webinar and a two-year program both end in a certificate.
No advocate can promise a placement or an outcome in Sarasota. Anyone who does is selling you something.
Sarasota 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.
No advocate is listed in every city. A remote advocate who knows Florida rules is usually a better hire for Sarasota than a local one who does not.
Advocates who take Bradenton cases usually take these too. Say where you are in the first email so nobody wastes a week finding out.
Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Sarasota, Florida, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.
What do special education advocates charge in Sarasota, 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.
Can we work with an advocate who lives outside Florida?
Video is normal now. A remote advocate reads the file, drafts your concerns and joins the meeting by phone. What a remote advocate cannot do is walk the building or read the room.
Who runs special education for Sarasota schools?
Most Sarasota families work with Sarasota County Public Schools. Charter and magnet enrollment can change which agency owes the service, so ask that question before the first meeting.
How is Sarasota County Public Schools doing on special education?
Sarasota County Public Schools met 41 of 65 state special education indicators in the most recent report. Indicators measure compliance and outcomes across a whole district and say nothing about one classroom.
Are there free IEP advocates in Sarasota?
Free guidance exists. Parent centers, disability rights agencies and local parent groups all give it, and none of them will attend the meeting as your representative.
Official Florida links for parents in Sarasota.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11.
The same Florida rules apply in Bradenton, Pensacola, Coral Gables, North Miami and the other cities listed here, or see every Florida advocate.
If nobody here fits, check the Bradenton page next. The same Florida rules apply there.
Have the most recent Sarasota County Public Schools progress report open on the first call. It shows whether the goals moved at all.
