Florida adoption example

What Is Adoption in Florida?

Adoption in Florida is the legal process by which an individual becomes the legal parent of a child who is not biologically their own. It is a formal procedure that establishes a permanent, legal relationship between the child and the adoptive parent.

Adoptions in Florida are governed Chapter 63 of the Florida Statutes. Through the adoption, the parental rights of the current legal parent are sometimes terminated. All adoptions must be finalized by a Florida state court.

What Is an Adoption Attorney?

An adoption attorney is a legal professional who specializes in the processes and laws related to adoption. Their primary role is to help prospective adoptive parents navigate the complex legal process to ensure the adoption is completed in compliance with state and federal laws. Their services can be essential in various types of adoptions, including:

  1. Private or Independent Adoptions: This is where the birth parents and adoptive parents come to an agreement without the involvement of an adoption agency.
  2. Agency Adoptions: This involves adopting a child through licensed adoption agencies, either private or public.
  3. International Adoptions: Adopting a child from another country has its own set of complex international and domestic laws.
  4. Stepparent or Relative Adoptions: This is where a stepparent or another relative (like a grandparent) wants to legally adopt a child.
  5. Adult Adoptions: This is less common, but it involves adopting someone who is over the age of 18.
  6. Contested Adoptions: These are situations where someone opposes the adoption, such as a birth parent or other relative.

The responsibilities of an adoption attorney can include:

  • Providing legal counsel and advice related to the adoption process.
  • Drafting and reviewing adoption agreements.
  • Representing adoptive parents in court.
  • Assisting in the termination of parental rights when necessary.
  • Ensuring all legal requirements are met, such as obtaining proper consents, following waiting period regulations, and adhering to interstate or international adoption rules.
  • Handling post-adoption legal issues, if any arise.

Our experience as adoption attorneys in Florida is centered around stepparent, relative, and adult adoptions.

We help families throughout Florida.

We take care of the entire adoption process from start to finish. Start with a free phone or Zoom consultation.

Alper Law attorneys

Benefits of Adoption in Florida

Adoption offers numerous benefits for all parties involved – the adoptive parents, the child being adopted, and often the birth parents. Here are some key benefits:

  1. For the Child:
    • Stability and Security: Adoption provides a stable, loving family for children who might otherwise grow up in foster care or unstable environments.
    • Opportunities and Resources: It often offers opportunities for a better life, including access to education, healthcare, and emotional support.
    • Legal Rights and Inheritance: Adopted children gain the same legal and inheritance rights as biological children in their adoptive family.
  2. For Adoptive Parents:
    • Family Building: Adoption allows individuals and couples to build or expand their families, which is especially beneficial for those unable to conceive.
    • Emotional Fulfillment: It brings immense joy and fulfillment, creating a strong, loving bond between parents and their adopted child.
    • Cultural Enrichment: International or cross-cultural adoptions can bring cultural diversity and enrichment to a family’s life.
  3. For Birth Parents:
    • The Child’s Well-being: It assures that their child is growing up in a nurturing environment, especially in cases where they cannot provide the needed care.
    • Personal Goals: Allows birth parents to pursue personal goals or stabilize their own life circumstances.
    • Open Adoption Options: In open adoptions, birth parents can sometimes remain in contact with the child, offering them peace of mind and ongoing connection.
  4. For Society:
    • Social and Economic Benefits: Adoption can lead to social and economic benefits, as children who grow up in supportive families are more likely to become contributing members of society.
    • Reduction in Foster Care: It helps reduce the number of children in foster care, providing more children with permanent homes.

Our clients have found adoption to be a life-changing event, and while it comes with its challenges, the benefits can be profound and lasting for all involved.

type of adoptions in florida

Types of Adoptions in Florida

There are six types of adoption in Florida:

  1. Stepparent adoption
  2. Kinship adoption
  3. Adult adoption
  4. Private adoption
  5. Recognition of foreign adoption
  6. Agency adoption

In our experience, the type of adoption depends on the person or people adopting, the person being adopted, and the relationship among them.

Stepparent Adoption

A stepparent adoption is one where a person adopts the child of his or her spouse. As a result of the stepparent adoption, the stepparent and the spouse become equal parents of the child. It becomes as if the child was born to both of them. The parental rights of the absent parent are terminated through the stepparent adoption.

Florida law allows simplified procedures for stepparent adoptions. You do not need a home study, and no separate termination of parental rights proceeding is required.

Kinship Adoption

In Florida, kinship adoption refers to an adoption by a relative within the third degree of consanguinity to the child. Typically this means a grandparent adoption or adoption by an aunt or uncle.

Florida degrees of consanguinity

Recognition of Foreign Adoption (Readoption)

Sometimes Florida residents have previously adopted a child from another country, such as China or Russia. The issue is that the birth certificate is often in a different language and is hard to replace.

A readoption allows the family to obtain a Florida-issued Certificate of Foreign Birth, which functions like and looks very similar to a Florida birth certificate.

Private Adoption

A private adoption, also called an adoption without an agency, takes place when prospective parents have matched with a woman who is pregnant and is considering an adoption plan for her child. The private adoption attorney helps the prospective parents and the birth mother complete the adoption without the overhead and fees that an agency charges.

Adult Adoption

An adult adoption is one where one adult adopts another adult. This type of adoption is common in stepparent/stepchild relationships that were not formalized when the stepchild was a minor.

The procedures for an adult adoption are even more streamlined than the procedures for a stepparent adoption.

Adoption for Gay and Lesbian Couples

Gay and lesbian couples have special considerations regarding Florida adoptions. It is important for their adoption attorney to understand their particular needs and the current political landscape.

Under current law, married same-sex couples are both presumed to be the legal parents of a child born to one of them during the marriage. They will both go on the birth certificate.

However, national gay and lesbian rights organizations still recommend that the non-biological parent formally adopt the child of their same-sex spouse in order to solidify the parental rights of the non-biological parent.

What Does an Adoption Attorney Do?

For stepparent, relative, and adult adoptions, Florida law does not require that the adoptive parents hire an adoption attorney. However, an adoption attorney helps families by speeding up the process, making sure that all court documents are prepared correctly, and answering the family’s legal questions about adoption.

The Florida Bar offers an adoption law certification for adoption attorneys in the state. The adoption board sets out several requirements that the attorney must accomplish before becoming certified, including passing a written examination and dedicating at least 40% of their practice to adoption law.

Gideon Alper

About the Author

I’m an adoption attorney who helps clients throughout Florida with stepparent, relative, and adult adoptions. I graduated with honors from Emory University Law School and have practiced law for almost 15 years.

I focus on helping families where there is already a connection between the adoptee and the adoptive parent. Before private practice, I represented the federal government while working for the IRS Office of Chief Counsel.