Florida Adoption Records
The world's largest adoption reunion registry for adoptees and families
Start Your Search Today
Accessing Adoption Records in Florida
Florida adoption records, including original birth certificates, are sealed. They cannot be opened without legal intervention. While the state prohibits access to adoption records, it allows for the release of birth parents’ names with written authorization.
Even with this possibility, finding information about an adoption can be difficult, and a reunion may take years. For adoptees or birth parents wondering how to find adoption records in Florida, there’s an easier way to begin your search.
Adopted.com offers a voluntary reunion registry to connect biological family members who want to meet through mutual consent. When you register with Adopted.com, you answer ten easy questions about the adoption. You don’t need official records to answer the questions – our system works with information you already know about the adoption.
We’re the largest adoption reunion registry in the U.S., providing an alternative path for biological relatives to reconnect.
Whether you’re in Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, or any other part of Florida, Adopted.com offers a simple, voluntary way to find the information you’re looking for — without a court order or other bureaucratic red tape.
Register Now Directory
17,241 Are Adoption Records Public in Florida?
No, Florida adoption records are not public. After an adoption, the state seals all records, including court files and the adoptee’s original birth certificate.
While getting official adoption records requires legal intervention, Florida allows adoptees access to their birth parents’ names if the parents authorize the release in writing. If you’re an adoptee, you can request this information once you’re 18.
How Do You Get Adoption Records Unsealed in Florida?
You need a court order to get adoption records unsealed in Florida. Contact the Clerk of the Court office in the county that handled the adoption. You’ll need to file a petition to unseal the records. The court will evaluate your petition and determine whether you’ve presented good cause to access the records.
How Long Are Adoption Records Sealed in Florida?
Once an adoption becomes finalized in Florida, the records are sealed permanently. Without a court order, you won’t be able to access the adoption file again, whether you’re an adoptee, a biological parent, or an adoptive parent.
However, state law allows people impacted by adoption to get information through the Florida Adoption Reunion Registry (FARR). This includes both non-identifying information and, in some cases, identifying information.
Non-identifying information includes family medical histories, which birth parents must provide at the time of adoption if it’s available. Adoptees can get access to this information once they turn 18. To get non-identifying information, contact the Florida Post Adoption Services Unit. If a private agency handled the adoption, contact the agency directly.
What Information Does FARR Provide?
FARR can also release identifying information with written consent. This includes the names of birth parents, adoptees, and adoptive parents.
Other family members can join FARR, including biological siblings, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. If two or more people join the registry, FARR will connect them for a reunion. However, this happens fairly infrequently. According to the state, FARR currently has over 10,000 people on the registry but only facilitates a few reunions each month.
What Happens to the Original Birth Certificate After Adoption in Florida?
After an adoption in Florida, the court forwards a report to the state Bureau of Vital Statistics. The bureau creates an amended birth record, which lists the child’s adopted name and adoptive parents. The original birth certificate is sealed and can only be released under a court order.
Search in nearby states to Florida
Let Adopted.com help you find your lost family today!
Adopted.com is a powerful adoption reunion registry designed to help you reconnect with your birth parents. By registering, you gain access to a growing database of over 1,201,335 profiles, increasing your chances of finding your biological relatives. The platform respects your privacy and allows you to update your profile anytime.
Registration is free, and the unique search tool ensures measurable match results. When you find your birth parents, remember to approach the reunion with an open heart and understanding, as it can be an emotionally significant experience for everyone involved.
Register NowRECENT MEMBERS IN Florida
-
P8LMember007
1 hour ago
-
Svatlana
2 hours ago
-
Alejandraarci
2 hours ago
-
Poodles1
3 hours ago
-
Nmck
3 hours ago
-
Natalieb44
4 hours ago
-
Syessity
4 hours ago
-
Nmiller4
5 hours ago
-
Sandor
5 hours ago
-
Lyrixissage
5 hours ago
-
Alexisa1
6 hours ago
-
Kjohn31326
6 hours ago
-
Brotherlove
6 hours ago
-
ANONYMOUS09876
7 hours ago
-
Nakiya
7 hours ago
-
Dkochever
7 hours ago
-
Dshy
7 hours ago
-
Lee2042
7 hours ago
-
Ashleychaff
7 hours ago
-
WillFord
7 hours ago
A Few of Our Members Currently Searching Within Florida Who Chose To Be Featured
16. Crucrush : county of birth: miami dade county‚ mother is possibly hispanic‚ dad is caucasian
17. Kweeksbryant : Bay County‚ Florida Panama City‚ Florida
18. TheresaLopezSymonds : I hope you had great parents and a great upbringing. I miss you every day! You mean the world to me! I hope some day soon I will meet you. You have two brothers name Christian and Steven and they can not wait to meet you. I am here for you in any way and everyway you want me to be. I love you and respect your wishes but I hope and pray you will come looking for us soon. Love Mom
19. MarciaMin8 : I hope to find my child given up for adoption when I was only 17. She was born on October 3, 1961 at Kissimmee Hospital, in Kissimmee, Florida. The doctor that delivered her was Dr. Gant. I was told by a nurse that she was going to be taken to Jacksonville, Fl. but I am not sure about that. The adoption was handled by the Catholic Charities in Winter Haven, Florida. I signed final papers about 3 months after her delivery. I very much want to find her and really only gave her up because I knew it would be best for her at the time.
20. Scgbri : **04/07/1964 female born in Winter Park, Florida adopted through Catholic Charities Orlando, Florida
21. Submux : I am in search of my birth mother and have received confirmation from the department of records and vital statistics that my adoption is fully registered in the state of Florida even though I was adopted by a family in New York. I was born at Morten Plant Hospital in Clearwater and have contacted managed to track down the Ob/gyn that performed the birth, a Robert Keller. He told me that he doesn’t remember anything, but has told me that the nurses log which is probably stored away would have an entry that may prove fruitful. He also told me that Morton plant during that era generally didn’t have more than 2-3 births per day. If you represent an organization that believes they are capable of unsurfacing this information, I welcome the solicitation. I am currently outside of the U.S.A. having found my love elsewhere, but have the means to pay fees within reason for the service. I am searching mainly because I am emotionally interested, but also because I am now the father of two children and if ever they became ill and I would need to legally open the records for medical reasons, given my location, I would never be able to in time.
22. Topacio : I am looking for any biological family. I was adopted at 7 in 1996.
23. Skdimarco : adopted thru Childrens Home Society in Broward County Florida 1970
24. JFavorite : The only info I have is what was told to me by my now deceased adopted father. I was born in Sebring, Florida but adopted in Fort Pierce, Florida by a lawyer, possibly thru the DCF services. Not sure. That lawyer died many years ago and his building was burned down more than 30 years ago, leaving my adopted father to believe that all paperwork and info was burnt up as well. I was called "baby Billy" in the Sebring hospital according to my adopted mother. She has not been in my life for many years and at this point is missing.
25. Imlookinforamir : Dear Mandy, It’s me your birthmom. I am still searching for you and always will. I love you so much. You will always be with me in my heart and my life. I named my business after you. I just wanted to let you know that today is March the 19, 2009, and next friday you will be thirty. I went shopping for your birthday to add something else to your hope chest, but wasn’t sure what to get you. I love you and continue to pray that your life has been a good one, and that one day soon we will meet. HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL! Love Always your birthmom Diana
26. BigScouterKen : I was born in Tampa and am looking for Birth Mother, Birth Father, or Siblings. The Adoption was handled through Children’s Home in Tampa. The photo is of me at age 9 months old. My Mother had Light Brown Hair and brown eyes and was 5ft 6in. Believed to be around 21 years of age and just finished two years of college in a 7th Day Adventist College. She told the home my birth father had blond hair and blue eyes, 6 ft tall and had an 11 year old daughter from his last marriage.
27. Bcrglobal : Hey! I’m hoping to contact my birth parents to learn more about them, and potentially build a friendship. I was put up for adoption at birth, so I know nothing about you! I know that both my parents were in Florida (Panhandle area) but I was actually born in Mobile, Alabama (And then adopted by a great family back in Florida) About me: I’m a successful, married, father of 1, currently living in Texas. I’m healthy, happy, emotionally sound, and have a reasonable financial base (I’m not looking for anything but friendship and knowledge) If you’re one (Or both) of my birth parents, let’s get in touch.
28. WinniePH : Searching for my birthson, interested in making contact to at least to provide him with current family medical history. I am open to more communication according to what he would be comfortable with.
29. Mousetrap : In search of medical records and possibly being reunited with family. Born in Ocala
30. Gettinwater : My brothers and I are searching for a boy who was born presumably at Munroe Regional Hospital in Ocala Florida,in 1984 or 1985, to a single woman, who was Caucasian, and named Cecilia. He was supposedly named Michael and was adopted by a family in Brandon, Florida. The stories have varied over the years that it was a surrogate birth, and then we heard it may have been that she was a single woman with children already and unable to provide for another. He may have also made contact with her. He may reside in Tampa. We hope to find you and put all of this together!
