summary
Introduced
02/28/2025
02/28/2025
In Committee
03/05/2025
03/05/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
Potential new amendment
2025 Regular Session
Bill Summary
An act relating to contracts for postadoption contact; amending s. 63.0427, F.S.; defining the term "legal relative"; authorizing certain parties to enter into a written contract for postadoption contact that permits contact between an adopted child and his or her legal relatives; providing that certain contract provisions are unenforceable; requiring that a postadoption contract include certain statements; authorizing any party to such contract to file the contract with the court; requiring the court to make the contract a part of the final adoption order; providing that the continuing validity of the adoption is not contingent upon compliance with the terms of the contract; authorizing and providing requirements for enforcement, modification, or termination of the contract; prohibiting enforcement of the contract in certain circumstances; providing for automatic termination of the contract in certain circumstances; providing an effective date.
AI Summary
This bill establishes a framework for legal postadoption contact agreements in Florida, allowing adoptive parents, biological parents, and adopted children (age 14 or older) to create voluntary written contracts that permit continued contact between the adopted child and legal relatives (defined as people related to the child biologically or through legal relationships prior to the termination of parental rights). The contract can include provisions for visitation, communication, and information sharing, but cannot permit contact with legally restrained individuals or impede the adoptive family's ability to move. The bill requires specific statements in the contract indicating that contract non-compliance does not invalidate the adoption and cannot affect child custody. Parties can file the contract with the court, and while it becomes part of the adoption order, the adoption's validity is not dependent on contract compliance. The bill outlines a detailed process for modifying or terminating the contract, which includes notice to all parties, potential psychological evaluation, mediation, and potential court intervention, with the child's best interests as the primary consideration. The contract automatically terminates when the adopted child reaches 18 years old, and during periods when adoptive parents temporarily lose custody, the contract remains in place but cannot be enforced. The law is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.
Committee Categories
Health and Social Services, Justice
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration (on 05/03/2025)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/1537 |
| Analysis - Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee (Post-Meeting) | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/1537/Analyses/h1537a.CIV.PDF |
| https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/1537/Amendment/693127/PDF | |
| Analysis - Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee (Post-Meeting) | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/1537/Analyses/h1537.CIV.PDF |
| BillText | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/1537/BillText/Filed/PDF |
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