Florida stepparent adoption / abandonment — bio father has had no support or contact since 2022. How strong does this sound?
I’m looking for real-world experience from anyone who has gone through a stepparent adoption or termination/consent-waiver based on abandonment in Florida.
I am the mother of a minor child. My husband wants to adopt her. He has been in her life for years and has acted as her father figure from the beginning. My daughter voluntarily began calling him “Daddy” on her own, without being forced or coached, and she has never called anyone else that. He accepted her as his own immediately and has been present for daily life, birthdays, holidays, school, family events, vacations, medical needs, and normal parenting responsibilities.
The biological father has had no support and no outreach since 2022.
Back in 2022, there were arguments/messages where he claimed he wanted contact and claimed he was being prevented from being involved. But after that, he did not follow through. Since 2022, there has been:
No child support
No financial help
No birthday gifts/cards
No holiday gifts/cards
No school help
No medical help
No meaningful outreach to the child
No court filing for visitation, custody, parenting time, or support
No attempt to legally enforce contact
No attempt to repair the relationship
In 2025, we reached back out to him/people connected to him to try to clarify how he wanted to proceed regarding the adoption situation. He did not answer, respond, call back, ask about the child, or attempt to reconcile with her.
My husband, on the other hand, has been the consistent parent in her life. We have years of photos, family events, holidays, birthdays, trips, school involvement, and witnesses who can confirm he has acted as her father figure. My daughter is fully integrated into his family and household. He has loved, supported, protected, and helped raise her as his own.
I understand that courts care about evidence, not emotion. We are trying to gather everything properly, including:
A timeline from 2022 to present showing no support/contact
Call/text records
Proof of our 2025 outreach
Proof that bio father never filed anything in court
Receipts and bank records showing we paid for the child’s needs
School/medical/emergency contact records
Photos over the years showing stability and family life
Witness letters from people who have seen my husband act as her father figure
My question is: For those who have dealt with Florida stepparent adoption or abandonment-based consent waiver, does this sound like a strong case?
I know nothing is guaranteed and we need an attorney. I’m just looking for real-world experiences about what evidence mattered most, what the court focused on, and what we should be prepared for if the biological father tries to fight it after years of no support and no outreach.