Florida unsealing records?

I am also looking, not for myself but my Cousin. Florida is a hard state to deal with. :(

I am also looking in Florida, Duval County, and have heard it is a hard state to deal with. If anyone has a personal experience to share about petitioning Florida courts, please post and it will be helpful to myself and others.

ljduncan77. I read your post and wanted to share some thots for your evaluation.If you know where your final adoption took place, in all probability the court records surrounding your adoption are there.Adoption Court records contain only the actions of the court. Other than the names of the parties involved in the adoption, there is no personal information.You are involved in seeking information from sealed records so you are entitled only to non-identifying info.There are some requirements to attempt to unseal records.You must be able to tell the court what you want it to do. Courts will not 2nd guess.You must be able to present to the court evidence that is more compelling than the reasons the records were sealed. This is "Good Cause." If this criteria can be met, the judge will review the evidence and rule. Some states are very strict on the evidence presented and do not accept terminal disease as a reason to unseal records.There are a number of lawyers that offer free 1st time consultations to see if there is enough evidence to go to court.I wish you the best.

Drywall, What kinds of evidence would be compelling enough for the courts? Can u give me some examples.

Hey Robin30, let me see if I can provide some explanation as to what the law looks at in attempts to unseal records. I will be brief.Records are sealed by acts of the legislature for each state. Judges do have some discretionary powers. As a matter of course, they follow the guidelines handed down by the legislature.As a result, to unseal records you have to prove to the court that the evidence you are presenting meets the criteria of "good cause." If the judge finds that the evidence you have presented meets the "good cause" criteria, he will note in the record that "good cause" was shown and rule.In other words you are presenting evidence which is more compelling in nature than the reason the records were sealed.The court would take a very dim view if it discovered in the adoption process that a female child was being adopted for purposes of prostitution. Or that the motives for adoption were for purposes of obtaining slaves, etc. Or the a-parents were involved in the black market sales of children. These are just examples of the worst case scenes that would have to be presented to a court to prohibit the adoption process. There are many others.Additionally, there are statutes of limitations. The legislature decides how many years a case is valid and can be brought to the court for litigation. It varies with each state.Courts act on and review the evidence presented. You must tell the court what it is you want it to do, it will not 2nd guess.Many courts are strict in their interpretation of "good cause."To attempt to get records unsealed as a matter of gaining personal or identifying information is not acceptable in many courts. Often, even with a letter from a physician, courts do not accept terminal disease as a reason for unsealing records.If you are considering unsealing records, my recommendation is to seek the advice of an attorney. Many attorneys provide a free first meeting to determine if there is enough evidence to go to court.I wish you the best.

what year were you adopted and what sate? @ rhondasue1974@gmail.com I am and have been searching 20 years for my brother

Good cause is medical or like with me. Florida now mandates you have a birth certificate to renew your drivers license that is cause. I tried and tried until Florida exempted me but now I have to have it for my social security. I will be petitioning the court next week. Will let you know what happens.