Adoption is one of the many ways to build a family. For anyone who is interested in pursuing adoption in Florida, there is helpful information available about the process.
With an adoption, a legal relationship is created between the adopted child and the adoptive parents. Adults who live and work in the state of Florida, have good character and can nurture and provide for a child may adopt. Single adults and married couples may adopt.
Before an adoption can take place, the child’s biological parents’ rights must be terminated by the court or voluntarily surrendered. To voluntarily surrender their rights, the biological parents can execute a consent for adoption.
To involuntarily terminate the biological parents’ rights, a court must receive proof that facts exist to terminate that relationship. These might include abuse, abandonment, neglect or other factors.
Types of adoption
An entity adoption is usually facilitated by an adoption agency. With this type of adoption, the adoptive parents cannot finalize the adoption until 30 days after the judge terminates the biological parents’ rights or 90 days after the child is placed in the adoptive parents’ home, whichever is later. However, the court will consider shortening these time periods if there is good cause to do so.
With step-parent adoptions and close relative adoptions, the adoptive parents can usually finalize the adoption immediately.
The adoption is finalized at a final hearing with the court. If the court finds that all of the requirements have been met, the judge will sign a final judgment of adoption.
An experienced attorney can represent adoptive parents in this process and answer their questions.