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Florida
A few of the basics in Florida, in plain words. Tap a card to read it in full with its official source.
Chapter 63 does not set a residency requirement for adoptive parents. When a child is placed with adoptive parents who primarily live and work outside Florida, the Florida circuit court may keep jurisdiction until final and the adoptive parents may finalize in Florida.
Fla. Stat. 63.207(1); 63.102(2) · as of 2026-10-21
The preliminary home study may be done by a licensed child-placing agency, a registered child-caring agency, a licensed professional, or an agency described in s. 61.20(2). The Department of Children and Families must do it only if none of those is available in the county.
Fla. Stat. 63.092(3); 63.125(1) · as of 2026-10-21
The Office of Vital Statistics of the Department of Health keeps the Florida Putative Father Registry. To preserve the right to notice and consent, an unmarried biological father files a notarized claim of paternity confirming his willingness and intent to support the child. Filing means he consents to DNA testing on request.
Fla. Stat. 63.054(1),(2) · as of 2026-10-21
A termination petition is filed where the child resides or the adoption entity is located. The adoption petition is filed where the termination petition was filed or granted or where the adoption entity is located, generally after the termination judgment and within 60 days of it.
Fla. Stat. 63.087(2); 63.102(1)-(3) · as of 2026-10-21
Who to ask
These entries describe what Florida law and agencies say. For what they mean for your family, ask an adoption attorney licensed in Florida.
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