Adoption Agencies in Florida

If you are a pregnant woman or birth mother please click here to see information that is geared to your needs. 

If you are an adopting family we believe you will find the information below helpful. We begin by giving you information regarding child adoption law in Florida (some of what you can and can't do) and then provide you with information on children available for adoption in Florida.  We then relate how we can assist you during the adoption process, and finally we provide a list of licensed Florida adoption agencies through which you can browse for additional information.

Before starting to search for a child to adopt or an agency to assist you, it is important that you understand how the adoption laws in Florida may affect your decisions. Making informed decisions is the best way of increasing your chances of adopting a child.  By way of example, we have listed below a few of the important parts of Florida child adoption law including such topics as advertising, adoption expenses, and the critical issue of ending the biological parental rights (called a Consent, Relinquishment or Surrender).

Use of Advertising and Facilitators in Adoptive Placements
Use of Advertisement
Citation: Ann. Stat. § 63.212(1)(g)

It is unlawful for any person, except an adoption entity, to advertise or offer to the public, in any way, by any medium whatever, that a minor is available for adoption or that a minor is sought for adoption.
It is unlawful for any person to publish or broadcast any such advertisement without including the Florida license number of the agency or attorney placing the advertisement.

Use of Intermediaries/Facilitators
Citation: Ann. Stat. §§ 63.032; 63.039; 63.085

An intermediary is an attorney, acting as an adoption entity, who places a child for adoption. An adoption entity has an affirmative duty to:

Make full disclosure of all State law requirements for adoption
Obtain necessary consents
File necessary petitions and affidavits
Serve notices of hearings
Report to court all expenses paid

State Regulation of Adoption Expenses
Birth Parent Expenses Allowed
Citation: § 63.097

Reasonable living expenses of the mother that the mother is unable to pay due to unemployment or disability that may include rent, utilities, basic phone service, food, transportation, clothes, and insurance
Medical or hospital care received by the mother or minor
Services related to the adoption
Attorney and other professional fees
Any other expenses found by the court to be necessary
Expenses may be paid during pregnancy and up to 6 weeks postpartum.

Birth Parent Expenses Not Allowed
Citation: § 63.097

Any payment not itemized on the affidavit
Any fee for which service is not specified
Any payment for locating a minor for adoption

Allowable Payments for Arranging Adoption
Citation: § 63.097

A licensed agency, professional, or any other person is due an amount equal to the cost of all services performed.

Allowable Payments for Relinquishing Child
Citation: §§ 63.212(1)(c); 63.085

It is unlawful to sell or surrender a child to another person for money or anything of value.
The payment of expenses does not obligate the birth mother's consent.

Accounting of Expenses Required by Court
Citation: § 63.132

The petitioner and adoption entity must file an itemized affidavit of a full accounting of all disbursements for expenses, including professional and legal fees, and any additional information the court requests.
The expenses that must be included are specified in statute.

Consent to Adoption
Who Must Consent to an Adoption
Citation: Ann. Stat. § 63.062

A petition to terminate parental rights pending adoption may be granted only if written consent has been executed by:
The mother of the minor
The father of the minor, if:
The minor was conceived or born while the father was married to the mother.
The minor is his child by adoption.
The minor has been established by court proceeding to be his child.
He has filed an affidavit of paternity.
In the case of an unmarried biological father, he has acknowledged in writing, signed in the presence of a competent witness, that he is the father of the minor, and has filed such acknowledgment with the Office of Vital Statistics of the Department of Health within the required timeframes.
Any person lawfully entitled to custody of the minor, if required by the court
The court having jurisdiction to determine custody of the minor, if the person having physical custody of the minor does not have authority to consent to the adoption
If parental rights to the minor have previously been terminated, the adoption entity with which the minor has been placed for subsequent adoption may provide consent to the adoption. In such case, no other consent is required.

Age When Consent of Adoptee is Considered or Required
Citation: Ann. Stat. § 63.062(1)(c)

A child age 12 or older must consent, unless the court determines it is in the child's best interest to dispense with consent.

When Parental Consent is not Needed
Citation: Ann. Stat. § 63.064

The court may waive the consent of the following individuals to an adoption:

A parent who has deserted a child without means of identification or who has abandoned a child
A parent whose parental rights have been terminated by order of a court of competent jurisdiction
A parent who has been judicially declared incompetent and for whom restoration of competency is medically improbable
A legal guardian or lawful custodian of the person to be adopted, other than a parent, who has failed to respond in writing to a request for consent for a period of 60 days or who, after examination of his or her written reasons for withholding consent, is found by the court to be withholding his or her consent unreasonably
The spouse of the person to be adopted, if the failure of the spouse to consent to the adoption is excused by reason of prolonged and unexplained absence, unavailability, incapacity, or circumstances that are found by the court to constitute unreasonable withholding of consent

When Consent Can Be Executed
Citation: Ann. Stat. § 63.082

An affidavit of nonpaternity may be executed before the birth of the minor; however, the consent to an adoption shall not be executed before the birth of the minor.
A consent to the adoption of a minor shall not be executed by the birth mother sooner than 48 hours after the minor's birth or the day the birth mother has been notified in writing that she is fit to be released from the hospital or birth center, whichever is earlier.

A consent by a biological father or legal father may be executed at any time after the birth of the child.

Revocation of Consent
Citation: Ann. Stat. § 63.082

A consent to adoption executed by the mother within 48 hours of the child’s birth is valid upon execution and may be withdrawn only if the court finds that it was obtained by fraud or duress.

When the minor to be adopted is older than age 6 months at the time of the execution of the consent, the consent to adoption is valid upon execution; however, it is subject to a 3-day revocation period or may be revoked at any time prior to the placement of the minor with the prospective adoptive parents, whichever is later.

Following the revocation period for withdrawal of consent or the placement of the child with the prospective adoptive parents, whichever occurs later, consent may be withdrawn only when the court finds that the consent was obtained by fraud or duress.

An affidavit of nonpaternity may be withdrawn only if the court finds that the affidavit was obtained by fraud or duress.

Rights of Presumed (Putative) Father
Registry/Paternity Requirements to Receive Notice
Citation: §§ 63.054; 39.803

The putative father must file a notarized claim of paternity form with the Putative Father Registry.
The form may be filed at any time prior to the child's birth, or the filing of a petition for termination of rights.
If the identity or location of a parent is unknown and a petition for termination of rights is filed, the court will conduct an inquiry.
If a prospective parent is identified, he may complete a sworn affidavit of parenthood, which must be filed no later than at the time of or prior to the adjudicatory hearing in the termination proceeding.

Yes, through both public and private adoption agencies.  For example, in 2004, Florida had 7,705 children in the welfare system waiting to be adopted of whom 221 were under the age of 1 year, and 2,642 were between ages 1-5 years old. The actual number of children adopted through Florida public child welfare agencies was only 3,264, which represents only a small portion of the total number of all Florida adoptions (exact numbers are not available at this time). 

Remember that while you may be a resident of Florida, you are not limited to adopting a child from Florida.  You can adopt a child born in Florida, a child born in any other U.S. state, or even a foreign born child.  What is important for you to understand is that infants and children are available for adoption in Florida, in each of the other the 49 states, and in many foreign countries.

Yes, we can help you and so can any licensed child adoption agency (we have listed several below).  By way of introduction to Adoption Services, Inc, I will relate to you a little about myself and our child adoption agency.

Almost 40 years ago I (Dr. Vince Berger) began working as a psychologist with pregnant teens in the Pittsburgh city school system. It was very challenging because in those days there were very few services for these young women, society was not yet accepting of unmarried and/or pregnant teens, and the word "adoption" was hardly ever used.

I loved the work I was doing and knowing that I was personally able to help so many of the pregnant women I was working with. But something was missing - I did not feel I was helping people enough. So, I set out to provide the personal and professional care that a birth mother and adopting family need and deserve in the adoption process.

I started a full service, non-profit adoption agency. Not just any agency, but one that was, and still is, dedicated to helping birth parents and adopting families receive the best and most comprehensive of adoption related services. Over the past 20 years, my staff and I have helped over 9,000 adopting families, birth parents, their babies and children.

I love helping people. I work 6 days a week and answer calls at all hours. The hours I put in are long but never hard, since I find so much joy and strength in helping others.

I hope that you will call me or my staff so we can help you in the adoption process. However, if you don't want to call us, then please review the agencies listed here and give one of them a call. Do not give up until you get the help and attention you need and deserve.

Thank you for letting us help, and good luck.

Dr. Berger
and the staff of Adoption Services

A Bond of Love Adoption Agency, Inc. (ABL)
1800 Siesta Drive
Sarasota, FL 34239
Phone: (941) 957-0064
Fax: (941) 954-5134
Toll-Free: (800) 225-4543

Adoption Advocates, Inc.
11407 Seminole Boulevard
Largo, FL 33778
Phone: (727) 391-8096
Fax: (727) 399-0026

Adoption Placement, Inc.
1840 North Pine Island Road
Plantation, FL 33322
Phone: (954) 474-8494
Fax: (954) 474-2251

Adoption by Shepherd Care, Inc.
5935 Taft Street
Hollywood, FL 33021
Phone: (954) 981-2060
Fax: (954) 981-2117
Toll-Free: (800) 966-2060

Advocates for Children and Families (ACF)
16831 NE 6th Avenue
North Miami Beach, FL 33162-2408
Phone: (305) 653-2474
Fax: (305) 653-2746
Toll-Free: (800) 348-0467

All About Adoptions, Inc.
503 East New Haven Avenue
Melbourne, FL 32901
Phone: (407) 723-0088
Fax: (407) 952-9813

Beacon House Adoption Services, Inc.
376 West Chase Street
Pensacola, FL 32502
Phone: (850) 430-4005
Phone: (850) 430-4004
Fax: (850) 430-4016

Catholic Charities
PO Box 8246
900 54th Street
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
Phone: (561) 842-2406
Fax: (561) 863-5379

Catholic Charities Bureau
134 East Church Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Phone: (904) 354-4846
Fax: (904) 354-4718

Children's Home Society of Florida
2400 South Ridgewood Avenue
Suite 32
South Daytona, FL 32119
Phone: (386) 304-7600
Phone: (386) 304-7605
Fax: (386) 304-7620

Children's Home Society of Florida
3270 Suntree Boulevard
Melbourne, FL 32940
Phone: (321) 752-3170
Fax: (321) 752-3179

Children's Home Society of Florida
415 Avenue A
Suite 101
Fort Pierce, FL 34950
Phone: (772) 489-5601
Toll-Free: (800)-737-5756

Children's Home Society of Florida
800 NW 15th Street
Miami, FL 33136
Phone: (305) 324-1262
Fax: (305) 326-7430

Children's Home Society of Florida
5375 North 9th Avenue
PO Box 19136
Pensacola, FL 32523-9136
Phone: (850) 494-5990
Fax: (850) 494-5981

Children's Home Society of Florida (CHSFL)
700 West 23rd Street
Suite 100
Panama City, FL 32405-3932
Phone: (850) 747-5411
Fax: (850) 747-5662
Toll-Free: (866) 696-8765

Children's Home Society of Florida
PO Box 5616
3027 San Diego Road
Jacksonville, FL 32247-5616
Phone: (904) 493-7794
Fax: (904) 346-5199
Toll-Free: (800) CHS-4600

Children's Home Society of Florida
3535 Lawton Road
Suite 260
Orlando, FL 32803
Phone: (407) 895-5800
Fax: (407) 895-5845

Children's Home Society of Florida (CHS)
1940 Maravilla Avenue
Fort Myers, FL 33901
Phone: (239) 334-0222
Fax: (239) 334-0244

Children's Home Society of Florida
3333 Forest Hill Boulevard
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
Phone: (561) 868-4300

Children's Home Society of Florida
605 NE 1st Street
Gainesville, FL 32601
Phone: (352) 334-0955

Children's Home Society of Florida
401 NE 4th Street
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Phone: (954) 453-6400
Fax: (954) 764-6458

Christian Family Services
2720 SW 2nd Avenue
Gainesville, FL 32607
Phone: (352) 378-6202
Fax: (352) 378-6205
Toll-Free: (800) 226-2367

Commonwealth Adoptions International, Inc. (CAII)
13902 North Dale Mabry Highway
Suite 102
Tampa, FL 33618
Phone: (813) 269-4646
Fax: (813) 269-7722

Everyday Blessings (EB)
13129 St. Francis Lane
Thonotosassa, FL 33592
Phone: (813) 982-9226
Fax: (813) 986-0298

Florida Baptist Children's Home
7748 SW 95th Terrace
Miami, FL 33156
Phone: (305) 271-4121
Fax: (305) 271-8891

Florida Baptist Children's Home
1000 Chemstrand Road
Cantonment, FL 32533-8916
Phone: (850) 968-1114
Fax: (850) 968-1322

Florida Baptist Children's Home
8415 Buck Lake Road
Tallahassee, FL 32317-9522
Phone: (850) 878-1458
Fax: (850) 942-9981

Florida Baptist Children's Homes (FBCH)
1015 Sikes Boulevard
Lakeland, FL 33815
Phone: (863) 688-4981
Fax: (863) 284-5684

Florida's Adoption Information Center and North American Council on Adoptable Children Representative
4203 Southpoint Boulevard
Jacksonville, FL 32216
Phone: (904) 353-0679
Fax: (904) 353-3472

Gift of Life Adoptions, Inc.
4437 Park Boulevard
Pinellas Park, FL 33781-3540
Phone: (727) 549-1416
Fax: (727) 548-8174
Toll-Free: (800) 216-5433

Gorman Family Life Center, Inc. (Life for Kids)
315 North Wymore Road
Winter Park, FL 32789
Phone: (407) 629-5437
Fax: (407) 629-5812
Toll-Free: (888) 629-5437

Heart of Adoptions, Inc.
5633 Strand Boulevard
Suite 316
Naples, FL 34110
Phone: (239) 594-2830
Fax: (239) 594-2838

Heart of Adoptions, Inc.
418 West Platt Street
Suite A
Tampa, FL 33606
Phone: (813) 258-6505
Fax: (813) 254-9058

Heart of Adoptions, Inc.
1309 East Robinson Street
Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: (407) 898-8280
Fax: (407) 898-8215

Homecoming Adoptions, Inc.
200 East Robinson Street
Suite 1150
Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: (407) 420-1900
Fax: (407) 420-1201
Toll-Free: (877) 40ADOPT

Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options (JAFCO)
4200 North University Drive
Sunrise, FL 33351
Phone: (954) 749-7230
Fax: (954) 749-7231
Toll-Free: (866) JAFCO KIDS

Jewish Community Services of South Florida, Inc.
4200 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, FL 33137
Phone: (305) 576-6550

Jewish Family and Community Services, Inc.
6261 Dupont Station Court East
Jacksonville, FL 32217
Phone: (904) 448-1933
Fax: (904) 448-0349
Toll-Free: (800) 262-2186

Mother Goose Adoptions of Florida, Inc.
327 West Alfred Street
Tavares, FL 32778
Phone: (352) 552-5499
Fax: (480) 419-5961

One World Adoption Services, Inc.
400 Fairway Drive
Suite 107
Deerfield Beach, FL 33441
Phone: (954) 596-2222
Fax: (954) 596-2223

Open Door Social Services
5800 South Semoran Boulevard
Orlando, FL 32822
Phone: (407) 896-2323
Fax: (407) 896-7760

Southwest Florida Children's Home
4551 Camino Real Way
Fort Myers, FL 33912
Phone: (239) 275-7151

The Children's Home, Inc.
10909 Memorial Highway
Tampa, FL 33615
Phone: (813) 855-4435
Phone: (813) 864-1420
Fax: (813) 864-1325

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