Step-Parent Adoptions: Whose Consent Is Required in Florida?

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Oftentimes, a biological parent has been out of the child’s life and the step-parent wishes to adopt the child. In those cases, the courts sometimes require the consent of an unmarried biological parent. Florida Statute 63.062 governs the rule requiring consent in adoptions. The consent of the unmarried biological father is only required if the unmarried biological father was married to the mother at the time the child was born, adopted the child, has had a paternity determination by a court or has acknowledged in writing that he is the father of the child and has had that acknowledgement witnessed by a competent witness and filed the acknowledgement with the Office of the Vital Statistics. If any of these requirements have been performed by the unmarried biological father, our firm can help in obtaining the required consent from the biological father when filing the step-parent adoption. Please call us at 904-355-8888 should you require any assistance with this matter.

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