The Florida Senate

63.072  Persons whose consent to an adoption may be waived.--The court may excuse the consent of the following individuals to an adoption:

(1)  A parent who has deserted a child without affording means of identification or who has abandoned a child;

(2)  A parent whose parental rights have been terminated by order of a court of competent jurisdiction;

(3)  A parent judicially declared incompetent for whom restoration of competency is medically improbable;

(4)  A legal guardian or lawful custodian of the person to be adopted, other than a parent, who has failed to respond in writing to a request for consent for a period of 60 days or who, after examination of his or her written reasons for withholding consent, is found by the court to be withholding his or her consent unreasonably; or

(5)  The spouse of the person to be adopted, if the failure of the spouse to consent to the adoption is excused by reason of prolonged, unexplained absence, unavailability, incapacity, or circumstances that are found by the court to constitute unreasonable withholding of consent.

History.--s. 7, ch. 73-159; s. 337, ch. 95-147.