HOW DOES A STEPPARENT ADOPT A STEPCHILD IN FLORIDA?
Stepparent adoption in Florida begins with filing a Joint Petition For Adoption By Stepparent. Both the natural parent and the stepparent must sign the petition. The Petitioner in an adoption proceeding is the stepparent. Once the petition and accompanying documents are completed, they are e-filed and the other parent is served. The next step is to obtain a hearing date from the judicial assistant. At the hearing, the Judge will make sure the documents are in order and will ask a few questions to determine if everyone agrees with the adoption. If the Judge determines everything is in order and all requirements have been met, he or she will execute a Final Judgment Of Stepparent Adoption. The Final Judgment grants the stepparent all parental rights.
DOES THE OTHER PARENT NEED TO CONSENT TO THE STEPPARENT ADOPTION?
The other natural parent must consent to the adoption unless it can be established that he or she has abandoned the stepchild, has had their parental rights terminated by court order or been declared incompetent.
WHAT RIGHTS DO STEPPARENTS HAVE IN FLORIDA?
In Florida, a stepparent has no rights unless adoption is completed. A marriage between a natural parent and a stepparent does not create any parental rights in the stepparent. To secure parental rights in a stepchild, a stepparent must adopt the stepchild. Once the adoption is completed, the stepparent will have full legal rights.
If you have questions about adopting your stepchild
, please feel free to call or e-mail The Fuller Firm, LLC. Kevin A. Fuller will schedule an initial telephone or videoconference consultation. After the consultation, you will know what steps to take to adopt your stepchild and secure full parental rights.