SB 558 Florida Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Contracts for Postadoption Contact

Summary

Contracts for Postadoption Contact; Authorizing certain parties to enter into a written contract for postadoption contact which permits contact between an adopted child and his or her birth parent and siblings; requiring that the contract be filed with, approved by, and entered into a certain final judgment by the court under certain circumstances; authorizing and providing requirements for enforcement, modification, or termination of the contract; prohibiting enforcement of the contract in certain circumstances, etc.

Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Mar 4, 2025 Last action Jun 16, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

S 558 Filed → S 558 c1 · 8 edits

MODERATE

This bill modifies Florida's postadoption contact laws by lowering the age requirement for children to consent to contact agreements from 14 to 12 years, adding siblings as eligible parties, and requiring court approval for enforceable contracts. The changes expand who can participate in postadoption agreements and make them more legally binding through court oversight.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope from only biological parents to include birth parents and siblings as eligible parties for postadoption contact agreements, and adds a new provision for automatic termination when the child turns 18.

ELIGIBILITY

Lowered the minimum age for children to enter postadoption contact contracts from 14 to 12 years old.

Added siblings as eligible parties for postadoption contact agreements alongside birth parents.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement that enforceable contracts must be filed with and approved by the court during termination of parental rights proceedings.

Added provision that contracts are unenforceable if objected to by children aged 12 or older.

Changed contract enforcement procedures to require filing motions in termination proceedings rather than using certified mail notice.

Added requirement that postadoption contract actions be included in court filing fee assessments.

ENFORCEMENT

Added provision that courts must reserve jurisdiction to enforce postadoption contact contracts.

Added automatic termination of contracts when the adopted child reaches 18 years of age.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 14, 2025

Upper · Passed

Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

upper

Mar 7, 2025

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Children, Families, and Elder Affairs, 03/12/25, 8:30 am, 301 Senate Building

upper

Mar 4, 2025

Introduced

upper

Feb 20, 2025

Committee

Referred to Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Judiciary; Rules

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors