What is an abandonment affidavit for adoption in Florida?

An abandonment affidavit in Florida is a sworn, notarized written statement that describes how the other biological parent has stayed out of your child's life, and it is used when you are asking the Circuit Court to move forward with a stepparent adoption without that parent's consent. Florida's abandonment rules appear in Fla. Stat. § 63.089.

No fixed number of months. Florida does not set a specific waiting period before a parent is considered to have abandoned a child. Abandonment depends on the parent's overall conduct. The affidavit therefore needs to tell the whole story, not just count the months since the last visit.

What a strong affidavit usually covers:

• Last known contact: the date and circumstances of the last time the parent saw or spoke with your child.
• The pattern since then: visits, calls, messages, cards or gifts, or the lack of them.
• Financial support: whether the parent has contributed, and how often.
• Your efforts: any attempts you or your spouse made to keep the parent involved, such as invitations to visit or updates about the child.
• Specific facts: dates, places and examples. Specific, honest details are more useful to a judge than general statements like "he was never around."

Who is involved. The affidavit is signed in front of a notary and sworn to be true, so it must be accurate. The parent with firsthand knowledge of the history, usually your spouse, is typically the one who describes it. Exactly who must sign, and whether a supporting statement from you helps, is something the Circuit Court clerk in your county can confirm.

How it fits with consent. Florida's consent rules are in Fla. Stat. § 63.062, and the rules on waiving consent are in Fla. Stat. § 63.064. If the other parent will sign a consent, you may not need to rely on abandonment at all. If the other parent will not consent, or cannot be found, your situation depends on its particular facts. For a contested case, or one where the other parent's identity or whereabouts are unknown, speak with the clerk or a Florida attorney about that specific issue. Florida also requires a Putative Father Registry search in each adoption proceeding under Fla. Stat. § 63.054.

What to expect after filing. Florida courts handle stepparent adoptions through the Circuit Court in each of the state's 67 counties. A typical stepparent adoption timeline is about 3 months, though contested situations can take longer.

How we help. StepParent Adoption 360 is a document preparation service, not a law firm. You answer questions online, including the details of the other parent's absence, and we prepare the complete court document package for your county, including the affidavit. You then file it yourself without an attorney. The price is $349 for the first child and $99 for each additional child. Your court-ready documents arrive within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions, and the package comes with our 100% court acceptance guarantee. We have helped 1228 Florida families so far.