Not all Florida adoption agencies are the same. There are some specific things you should look for. There are also certain things that you should walk away from.
A legitimate Florida adoption agency is licensed by the Florida Department of Children and Families under Florida Statute Chapter 63 and provides all services at no cost to the birth mother.
The right agency will provide someone to help you at any hour of the day or night. The right agency will give you the chance to choose your baby’s adoptive family. The right agency will allow you to have your own lawyer that will cost you nothing.
Red flags include agencies that ask you to pay fees, pressure you toward a specific family, or discourage you from consulting an independent attorney.
Heart to Heart Adoptions is a licensed nonprofit (FL License #100033775) and has served Florida birth mothers for more than 25 years.
→ What to look forYes. Heart to Heart adoptions actually encourages you to call other agencies so you feel good about the decisions you are making. Call several agencies if you want. Ask them all the same questions. A good agency is run by people who really want the best for you and if the best for you is another agency or a different situation, these people want that for you.
An adoption agency that holds a Florida license like Heart to Heart Adoptions provides services such as counseling, matching you with the perfect adoptive family, management of what should happen next, financial support, and making sure you are provided with legal counsel of your own.
"I checked out three agencies before choosing Heart to Heart. They were the only ones who didn't rush me and really listened to what I wanted for my baby."
— Brianna, Fort Myers, Florida
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Ask for their Florida Department of Children and Families license number and verify it. Heart to Heart’s Florida license number is #100033775.
A local Florida agency with a physical Florida office and Florida-based counselors understands the state’s specific legal requirements and has relationships with Florida hospitals, courts, and attorneys. National agencies with call centers can miss local nuance. Heart to Heart’s Florida office is in Gainesville with statewide coverage.
Yes. Heart to Heart Adoptions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit adoption agency. Our focus is the people we serve, not agency profit.
You can request a different case manager. Heart to Heart’s goal is for you to have a relationship that feels safe and right. If it is not working, we want to fix it.
Yes. Heart to Heart has approved families across the country. You are not limited to Florida families when you choose your baby’s adoptive family.
Yes. Heart to Heart has approved families across the country. You are not limited to Florida families when you choose your baby’s adoptive family.
Heart to Heart will keep looking. There is no deadline and no pressure to choose quickly. If the right family is not in the current pool, your counselor will continue working to find them.
The timeline is determined by you, not by the agency. Heart to Heart can move as quickly as a same-day stork situation or as slowly as you need over months of decision-making.
We're here to help you explore your options, without pressure or judgment.