The implications of the AARC denying your adoption application are serious: your only option is to appeal to the trial judge. In 2024, the Florida legislature wrote a law that makes a secret DCF committee the judge. There aren’t basic due process protections and there won’t even be a record of what evidence, if any, that DCF considered. Even worse, the law requires real judges to defer to whatever decision DCF makes. Recently, it got even worse when a Florida appellate court ruled in DCF v JH that trial judges must apply an appellate standard of review to DCF’s “fact findings.” This ruling basically nullifies the statute’s requirement that the trial court hold an evidentiary hearing. What this means boils down to: denied applicants will never be heard.

In our view, all of this violates the Florida Constitution. It is not easy to prevail against a law with such impediments, but at Jay & Campbell we’ve been successful in these hard fights against the government and we are ready to fight for your family. Before taking on any big case we have in-depth consultations with prospective clients so they understand what is involved and can make an informed choice.