Adoption is one of the few areas of family law where the goal is not to resolve a conflict. It is to finish something a family has already decided.
A St. Petersburg adoption attorney at Khonsari Law Group handles the legal side of that finish: consents, notices, the petition, and the final hearing in Pinellas County. We work with stepparents, relatives, adults adopting adults, and families adopting through an agency, and we are candid early about which pieces of a case will take real time.
Call Khonsari Law Group at (727) 269-5300 to find out what your adoption will require.
Which type of adoption applies to your family?
Florida's Adoption Act, Chapter 63 of the Florida Statutes, treats these as separate processes with different requirements. Identifying yours correctly is the first real decision in the case.
| Type | Who it is for | Termination of parental rights first? | Home study |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stepparent | A spouse adopting their husband's or wife's child | No, the petition may be filed first | Not required, unless the court orders one for good cause |
| Relative | A blood relative within the third degree of kinship | No, the petition may be filed first | Not required, unless the court orders one for good cause |
| Adult | Adopting a person 18 or older | Not applicable | Only if the court requires it for good cause |
| Agency or private placement | Placement through a licensed entity or an intermediary | Yes, before the adoption petition is filed | Yes, a favorable preliminary home study is required before placement |
Florida also makes clear who may adopt. A married couple may adopt jointly, an unmarried adult may adopt, and a married person may adopt alone in defined situations. Any person, minor or adult, may be adopted.
Do you need a lawyer for a stepparent adoption in Florida?
In almost every case, yes. A stepparent adoption ends one adult's legal relationship with a child and creates another, which is a permanent change that no court grants on paperwork alone.
The straightforward version happens when the other legal parent consents in writing. The harder version happens when that parent cannot be located, will not respond, or objects. Then the case turns into a notice and service problem, and sometimes a termination of parental rights proceeding, before the adoption can move at all.
Stepparent adoptions also carry a procedural advantage worth knowing: the petition may be filed before parental rights are terminated, which is not true for agency placements. That shortens the timeline when consent is in hand.
Whose consent does Florida require?
Florida requires written consent from a defined list, and one missing signature stops the case. Under Fla. Stat. 63.062, consent is generally needed from:
- The mother of the child.
- The father, if he was married to the mother when the child was conceived or born, adopted the child, was adjudicated the father before the termination petition was filed, filed an affidavit of paternity, is named on the birth certificate, or preserved his rights as an unmarried biological father.
- The child, if 12 or older, unless the court dispenses with it in the child's best interests.
- Anyone lawfully entitled to custody of the child, if the court requires it.
- A spouse, in an adult adoption. When an adult is adopted, both that adult and their spouse must consent, unless the court waives the spouse's consent for good cause.
Timing is regulated too. A consent cannot be signed before the child is born, except in a preplanned adoption.
A birth mother may sign 48 hours after birth. She may also sign on the day she is notified in writing that she is fit to be released from the hospital or birth center, whichever comes first. A father may sign any time after birth.
Every consent must be signed before two witnesses and acknowledged before a notary who is not one of those witnesses.
Can a birth parent change their mind after signing?
It depends on the child's age, and Florida's rule runs opposite to what most people assume.
For a child six months old or younger, the consent is valid the moment it is executed. It can be withdrawn only if a court finds it was obtained by fraud or duress. There is no cooling-off period.
For a child older than six months, the consent is valid on execution but is subject to a three business day revocation period. A parent who wants to revoke has to notify the adoption entity in writing by certified mail, return receipt requested, within those three business days. After that window, the same fraud or duress standard applies.
Fla. Stat. 63.082 sets out both rules and the exact statement of rights each consent form has to contain. Getting this backwards is one of the more consequential errors in a private placement, which is why the paperwork should never be improvised.
Talk to a lawyer before any consent is signed. Call (727) 269-5300.
What is the Florida Putative Father Registry?
It is a statewide filing system that lets an unmarried biological father preserve his right to notice and consent in an adoption, closely tied to how paternity is established under Florida law. The Florida Department of Health's Office of Vital Statistics maintains it.
To use it, the father files a notarized claim of paternity confirming his willingness and intent to support the child. He may file at any point before the birth. He may not file after a petition for termination of parental rights has been filed.
For a child six months old or younger at placement, the statute asks more of him. Before the mother signs her consent, he must file the claim. When served with notice, he must file an affidavit of his ability and willingness to parent. If he knew about the pregnancy, he must contribute a fair share of pregnancy and birth expenses. Failing those steps waives his rights.
There is a second reason this matters to adoptive families. Before a final judgment terminating parental rights, the petitioner has to file a certificate from the Office of Vital Statistics showing a diligent search of the registry was performed. Skipping that step leaves an adoption open to attack later, which is precisely the outcome nobody wants.
A father served with a Notice of Intended Adoption Plan also faces a short, separate response deadline. If you have received one, treat it as urgent and have it reviewed the same week.
Is a home study required for a stepparent adoption?
Usually not, but the court can order one. Florida requires a favorable preliminary home study before a child is placed in an intended adoptive home. Fla. Stat. 63.092 then carves out an exception: when the adoptee is an adult, or the petitioner is a stepparent or a relative, a preliminary home study may be required by the court for good cause shown.
Where a study is required, it is more than a walkthrough. It includes background screening, a check of the state's central abuse registry, and criminal records checks. It is performed by a licensed child-placing agency, a registered child-caring agency, or an approved licensed professional.
Prospective adoptive parents in a private placement should also understand at-risk placement. If a child is placed before parental rights are terminated, the parents must acknowledge in writing that the child may be removed by the adoption entity or by court order at any time before the adoption is final. It is a real risk, and it should be explained to you plainly and in advance.
What happens at the final hearing?
The finalization hearing is short, and it is the good part. The judge confirms consents and notices were handled correctly, that the requirements of Chapter 63 have been met, and that the adoption is in the child's best interests, then signs the judgment of adoption. Families bring grandparents. Cameras are usually welcome.
Afterward, the clerk or the adoption entity transmits a certified statement to the state registrar of vital statistics within 30 days, and a new birth record is issued on application by the adoptive parents or the adopted person. That new certificate is what schools, passport applications, and insurers will ask for, so it belongs on your post-hearing checklist rather than being left for later.
Where are adoption cases filed in Pinellas County?
Adoption is a circuit court matter, filed in the county where the termination of parental rights petition was filed or granted, or where the adoption entity is located. For most St. Petersburg families that means the Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court, with cases heard in Florida's Sixth Judicial Circuit, which serves Pinellas and Pasco counties.
Case files in adoption matters are sealed, and hearings are handled with a level of privacy that is different from other family cases. Filing fees are set by statute and county ordinance and change periodically, so we confirm current amounts when your petition is prepared rather than quoting a figure that ages badly.
Why do families choose Khonsari Law Group?
Because adoption cases fail on procedure, not on merit.
Rohom Khonsari is a former Assistant State Attorney who spent years in Tampa Bay courtrooms where service, notice, and the record were the whole case. He is an Avvo Client Choice winner, and Khonsari Law Group is BBB A+ accredited. His commentary has been featured by ABC Action News, Bay News 9, the Tampa Bay Business Journal, and the Tampa Bay Times.
For an adoption, that background matters in an ordinary way. We chase down consents, handle service on a parent who does not want to be found, run the registry search, and prepare a petition that a Pinellas judge can sign without a continuance. Families come to us at every stage, including after another approach has stalled.
Our office is at 150 2nd Avenue North, Suite 970, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
Adoption questions people ask before hiring an attorney
How long does a stepparent adoption take in Pinellas County?
When the other legal parent consents, several months is common. When that parent has to be located and served, or contests the case, the timeline extends and depends on the court's calendar. We can give you a realistic range once we know the consent situation.
Can a single person adopt in Florida?
Yes. Florida law expressly allows an unmarried adult to adopt. Marital status is not a bar, and neither is a disability unless a court or adoption entity finds it makes the person incapable of serving as an effective parent.
Can I adopt my adult stepchild or a relative who is over 18?
Yes. Florida allows the adoption of an adult. Both the adult being adopted and their spouse must consent, unless the court excuses the spouse's consent for good cause. These cases are common for confirming a lifelong parental relationship or for estate and inheritance reasons.
Does the child have to live with me first?
Not in a stepparent adoption, where the child typically already lives in the home. In private and agency placements the child is placed with you before finalization, and that placement period is governed by the home study and at-risk placement rules.
What if we started an adoption in another state?
Interstate placements are governed by a separate compact between states, with its own approvals. Bring us whatever paperwork you already have, because what was done elsewhere affects what has to happen in Florida.
Finishing what your family already started
Adoption paperwork is unforgiving in a way most legal processes are not. There is no partial credit for a consent signed too early, a registry search skipped, or a father who was never properly served. Done correctly, though, an adoption is permanent, and it closes the question for good.
Khonsari Law Group represents adoptive families throughout St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, and Tampa Bay. Adoption is one part of our broader family law practice.
Call (727) 269-5300 or contact Khonsari Law Group to speak with a St. Petersburg adoption attorney about your family's next step.