IEP advocates in Tampa, Florida

Compare profiles, read parent reviews, and message advocates serving Tampa and Florida statewide. Many offer a free first call.

8 advocates available for Tampa, Florida

Advocates who can help families in Tampa

These advocates can support IEP and Section 504 work for families in Tampa. Compare rates, read their backgrounds, and message them directly.

By video

Join on Zoom, Google Meet, or the school's platform.
By phone

Call in when video is not an option.
In person

Some advocates travel to the school when needed.

Based in Wesley Chapel, FL

Angela Picardi

Special education advocate

Contact for rate Also serves remotely

With 24 years of experience in the K-12 sector, I serves as a Student Support Specialist specializing in academic and behavioral ESE services. My career is defined by a deep commitment to the "whole student," ensuring that those with exceptional needs receive the personalized advocacy and support required to navigate…

Autism
Behavioral Support
Intellectual Disability
Learning Disabilities
Multiple Disabilities
Other Health Impairment

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Based in Hialeah, FL

Julian Moreira

Advocate

From $100/hr Free first call Also serves remotely

Hi! 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. I primarily specialize in dispute resolution, including formal dispute options afforded to parents under IDEA, Part B.

Autism
Behavioral Support
Intellectual Disability
Learning Disabilities
Other Health Impairment
IDEA

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Based in Arlington Heights, IL

Angela Williams

Special education advocate

Contact for rate Also serves remotely

I am a former special education teacher, with experience in public and therapeutic day schools. I am also a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) and hold three master's degrees in special education, administration, and behavior analysis.

Autism
Behavioral Support
Developmental Delay
Learning Disabilities
Multiple Disabilities
Traumatic Brain Injury

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Based in Inverness, IL

Arielle Allen

Special education advocate

Contact for rate Also serves remotely

I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University and a Master’s of Education from DePaul University, with a dual certification in elementary and special education. I taught for nine years in Chicago Public Schools and four years in a co-op district.

Autism
Behavioral Support
Deaf Blind
Developmental Delay
Hearing
Intellectual Disability

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Based in Coraopolis, PA

Brittany Maurizi

Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Special Education Advocate

From $75/hr Free first call Also serves remotely

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 University. Since 2019, I've focused on supporting individuals with disabilities and behavioral challenges.

Autism
Behavioral Support
Developmental Delay
Intellectual Disability
Learning Disabilities
Multiple Disabilities

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Based in Las Vegas, NV

Chelsea Horlacher

IEP Consultant

From $50/hr Free first call Also serves remotely

Hey there! I’ve been a special education teacher for nearly a decade, so helping unique learners thrive is truly my life’s work. But my biggest role is at home, where I endlessly advocate for my amazing son (7) who has autism.

Autism Spectrum
IEP Meetings

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Based in New York, NY

Clara Liriano

Special Education Advocate

From $150/hr Free first call Also serves remotely

Clara Liriano, M.S., is a Special Education Advocate and New York State Certified Special Education Teacher with more than 20 years of experience supporting children and individuals with disabilities.

Attention Focus Adhd
Aac
Autism Spectrum
Behavioral Emotional
Developmental Delays
Dyslexia

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Based in Hawthorne, NJ

Dalia Rodriguez

IEP Consultant, School Social Worker, Advocacy

Contact for rate Also serves remotely

I am a Child Study Team School Social Worker, with a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. I have core competencies in special education law, mental health, and behavioral health.

Autism
Behavioral Support
Developmental Delay
Intellectual Disability
Learning Disabilities
Multiple Disabilities

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Classroom desks representing school districts that serve families in Tampa, Florida

School districts serving Tampa, Florida

Tampa public-school families generally work with Hillsborough County Public Schools.

Hillsborough County Public Schools
School district · Primary public school district serving Tampa

Charts and notes used to explain special education terminology

What Florida means by ESE and BEESS

Florida families often encounter these terms in evaluation notices, eligibility meetings, IEPs, district procedures, and dispute-resolution documents.

ESE: Exceptional Student Education, Florida’s common term for special education programs and services for eligible students.
BEESS: The Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services within the Florida Department of Education.
ESE Policies and Procedures: The district’s state-approved document describing how it implements Florida and federal special education requirements.
FDLRS: The Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System, which provides Child Find, parent services, training, and other regional supports.
State complaint: A signed written complaint submitted to the Florida Department of Education alleging a violation of IDEA or applicable state ESE requirements.

Parent reviewing evaluation timelines and school paperwork

Florida’s ESE evaluation process under Rule 6A-6.0331

Florida Rule 6A-6.0331 distinguishes the district’s response to a suspected disability or parent request from the later 60-calendar-day evaluation period. The current rule became effective September 23, 2025 and includes specific days that do not count.

Make the evaluation request in writing
State the suspected disability areas, educational concerns, interventions or supports already attempted, and why a comprehensive evaluation is needed. Keep proof that the district received the request.
Expect a written district response
When a parent requests an evaluation during general education interventions, the district generally must, within 30 calendar days unless another timeline is agreed to in writing, either obtain consent to evaluate or provide written notice explaining its refusal.
Consent begins the evaluation calculation
Beginning with consent, the district generally must complete the initial evaluation within 60 calendar days. Florida excludes specified school holidays and breaks, summer vacation, qualifying student absences, and qualifying disaster-closure days from the count.
Move from evaluation to eligibility and IEP
The evaluation must be sufficiently comprehensive to identify the student’s needs. If the student is found eligible, the IEP must be developed within the applicable timeline and before ESE services begin.

Exceptions and extensions

District-adopted school holidays and Thanksgiving, winter, spring, and summer vacation periods identified in the rule are excluded from the 60-day calculation.
When a student is absent for more than eight school days during the 60-calendar-day period, qualifying absence days are not counted.
Qualifying district closures caused by inclement weather or natural disasters may be excluded under the conditions added effective September 23, 2025.
The parent and district may use a limited mutual written extension of no more than 30 calendar days when the rule’s conditions are met, including the need for additional evaluators after formal testing has begun.
Federal parent-availability and transfer exceptions also apply in limited circumstances.

Parent dealing with delays and barriers in the special education process

Where Florida families can lose time

The district treats the request as a request for more MTSS interventions without clearly accepting or refusing the ESE evaluation request.
The 30-day response period and the later 60-day evaluation period are confused, so no one can explain which clock is running.
The evaluation covers academics but omits behavior, communication, occupational therapy, social-emotional functioning, attention, adaptive behavior, or another suspected area.
The family receives reports at or immediately before the eligibility meeting and cannot meaningfully connect the findings to eligibility, services, or placement.
A timeline extension is presented as routine even though Florida’s written-extension conditions are specific.

Advocate meeting with a parent to prepare for an evaluation or IEP meeting

How a Florida ESE advocate can help

An advocate can draft a request that triggers a clear response, map the 30-day and 60-day events, and audit which days the district excluded. More importantly, the advocate can review whether the evaluation is comprehensive and prepare the parent to connect the findings to eligibility, measurable goals, related services, behavior supports, placement, and progress monitoring.

Compare Florida advocates who understand ESE evaluations, Rule 6A-6.0331, eligibility meetings, IEP development, records, and district procedures.

IEP Consultant, School Social Worker, Advocacy

Hawthorne, NJ

Contact for rate

IEP Consultant, School Social Worker, Advocacy

Virtual · Serves Florida

Contact for rate

View profile

Diane Plunkett

Navigate Special Education with Clarity and Confidence - Guiding Families. Building Futures.

Virtual · Serves Florida

From$150Free call

View profile

Jade Adkins

Founder & Advocate

Virtual · Serves Florida

Contact for rate

Advocacy practices serving families in Tampa and across Florida.

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Tampa, FL

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Parent reviewing and preparing written special education complaint documents

Filing an IDEA state complaint with Florida BEESS

Florida’s state complaint process is a written compliance investigation. A persuasive complaint does not simply say the district was unfair—it identifies a federal or state ESE requirement, the dated facts showing noncompliance, the supporting documents, and the corrective action requested.

What the complaint must include

A signed written statement alleging a violation of IDEA Part B or an applicable state ESE requirement.
Facts supporting each allegation and child-specific information when the complaint concerns one student.
A proposed resolution to the extent known and available.
A copy provided to the school district or public agency at the same time the complaint is filed with the state.

What happens after filing

Complaint intake
BEESS reviews timeliness, completeness, jurisdiction, and whether any issue overlaps with due process.
District response and investigation
The state may request records and written responses, interview individuals, and allow the complainant to submit additional information.
Final written decision
The state issues findings and conclusions for each accepted allegation and orders corrective action when it finds noncompliance.
Corrective-action follow-through
Families should track required IEP actions, services, reimbursement, record changes, training, or other compliance measures after the report.

Decision timeline

Florida generally must issue a final decision within 60 calendar days after receiving a sufficient complaint.

The complaint timeline may be extended only for exceptional circumstances related to the particular complaint or when the parties agree to extend it to use mediation or another dispute-resolution process.

Due process overlap

An issue that is also being addressed in due process must be set aside until the hearing concludes. Non-overlapping complaint issues remain subject to the complaint timeline, and a due process decision involving the same parties is binding on the decided issue.

Possible remedies

compensatory services
reimbursement or other child-specific correction when appropriate
IEP or evaluation action
district procedure or training changes
state monitoring of corrective action

Can the complaint decision be reviewed or appealed?

Florida’s published IDEA complaint rule treats the state’s written decision as final and does not provide a separate BEESS reconsideration or administrative appeal process. Mediation, due process, OCR, or court remedies may be available for separate claims, but they are not an internal appeal of the complaint report.

Parent facing obstacles while preparing a school complaint

Where complaint filings get stuck

The complaint uses broad labels such as “child find violation” without identifying when the district first had reason to suspect a disability and what it failed to do.
The filing mixes IDEA, Section 504, discrimination, personnel, and general school concerns without separating the legal route for each issue.
Documents are attached in bulk but not cited to a specific allegation or date.
The family requests an outcome such as a particular placement without explaining whether the complaint process can order the requested remedy or whether due process is more appropriate.

Parent meeting with an advocate to prepare a state complaint

How an advocate can help with a state complaint

A Florida complaint advocate can help frame each allegation, cite the relevant ESE or IDEA duty, build an investigator-friendly chronology, and request relief connected to the educational harm. The advocate can also help avoid filing the wrong process and losing time.

Find Florida advocates who can review your ESE file, identify compliance issues, and help prepare a focused state complaint.

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People meeting to resolve a school disagreement through mediation or facilitation

Other dispute-resolution options

A state complaint is one path. Mediation, facilitation, due process, OCR, and local escalation each solve a different problem.

Facilitated IEP meeting

Teams that need structured support reaching agreement

Availability varies by district and state program. A facilitator manages the meeting process but does not decide the IEP.

Mediation

Voluntary negotiation of IDEA disputes

Florida mediation is confidential and may result in a binding written agreement.

Due process hearing

Formal disputes involving identification, evaluation, placement, or FAPE

Due process in Florida is handled through the Division of Administrative Hearings and can require legal and expert strategy.

OCR complaint or district Section 504 process

Section 504 and disability-discrimination concerns

A Florida IDEA state complaint is not the only route for disability-related concerns.

District ESE escalation

Problems that may be resolved without a formal filing

A written request to school and district ESE leadership can sometimes produce records, meetings, make-up services, or corrective action more quickly.

Parent on a video call with a remote special education advocate for IEP help in Tampa

Remote IEP advocacy is allowed under IDEA

IDEA requires parent participation in IEP meetings and allows meetings by video or phone when you and the school agree. Your advocate does not need to live in Tampa.

Remote support is useful when few advocates serve Tampa, when travel would raise the cost, or when your school already meets by video. Confirm how the meeting will run before you hire.

Parent comparing special education advocate profiles for Tampa on Find Parent Advocates

How Find Parent Advocates works

Find Parent Advocates is a free directory, not a referral service. You browse profiles, compare rates and reviews, and contact the advocate you choose. We do not assign anyone to you.

BrowseSee advocates serving Tampa, nearby Florida areas, and virtual options statewide.
CompareCheck rates, reviews, and focus areas such as IEP meetings, Section 504, autism, or ADHD.
ContactMessage or book the advocate you choose. We do not share your contact information unless you reach out.

Tampa IEP and Section 504 advocate FAQ

Answers about hiring a special education advocate in Tampa, Florida, including cost, timing, virtual support, and Section 504 help.

Does Florida call special education ESE?

Yes. Florida commonly uses Exceptional Student Education, or ESE, for special education programs and services. BEESS is the state bureau overseeing ESE.

Does Florida still use 60 school days for initial evaluations?

No. The current rule generally uses 60 calendar days after consent, but specified holidays, breaks, summer vacation, qualifying absences, and qualifying disaster-closure days do not count.

How long does a Florida district have to respond to a parent’s evaluation request?

When the parent requests an evaluation during general education interventions, the district generally must act within 30 calendar days—unless another timeline is agreed to in writing—by obtaining consent or providing written refusal.

Can I appeal a Florida state complaint decision inside BEESS?

Florida’s published IDEA complaint procedures do not provide a separate internal reconsideration or administrative appeal. Other dispute-resolution routes may exist for separate issues.

How much does an IEP advocate cost in Tampa, Florida?

Most special education advocates serving Tampa charge $75 to $250 per hour or a flat fee for an IEP meeting. Profiles on this page show the rate when listed. Many advocates offer a free first call before you hire.

When should I hire a special education advocate in Tampa?

Parents in Tampa often hire an advocate when a school denies testing, an IEP, or a Section 504 plan; when IEP goals are not met; before an annual review; or when they need help with IDEA and Section 504 rights.

Which school district serves Tampa, Florida?

Tampa public-school families generally work with Hillsborough County Public Schools. Confirm your child's school and district by address before contacting a school office or naming a district-specific process.

What is the difference between an IEP advocate and a special education attorney in Florida?

An IEP advocate helps you prepare for meetings, review school records, and negotiate with the district. A special education attorney can represent you in due process hearings and court. Most Tampa families start with an advocate.

Can I hire a virtual advocate if we live in Tampa?

Yes. IDEA requires parent participation in IEP meetings and allows meetings by alternative means such as video when you and the school agree. Your advocate does not need to live in Tampa. Remote advocates can review documents, join meetings by video, and often cost less when travel is not required.

How long does the IEP evaluation process take in Florida?

After you sign consent, schools in Florida typically have 60 calendar days after parental consent, with days excluded under Rule 6A-6.0331 to complete an initial evaluation and hold an eligibility meeting. IEP teams must review the plan at least once per year. An advocate can help track these deadlines.

How do I find a Section 504 advocate in Tampa?

Use the Section 504 advocates section on this page or search Find Parent Advocates for Section 504. Compare profiles for experience with accommodations, 504 meetings, and school compliance before you contact someone.

Official special education resources in Florida

These links connect you to your state education agency and complaint options. Advocates on this page can also explain what each step means for your child in Tampa.

Other cities in Florida

Browse advocates in Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Hialeah and more, or view all Florida advocates.

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