The Florida Senate

¹110.152  Adoption benefits for state or water management district employees; parental leave.--

(1)(a)  Any employee of the state or of a water management district who adopts a special-needs child, as defined in paragraph (b), is eligible to receive a monetary benefit in the amount of $10,000 per child, $5,000 of which is payable in equal monthly installments over a 2-year period. Any employee of the state or of a water management district who adopts a child, other than a special-needs child as defined in paragraph (b), shall be eligible to receive a monetary benefit in the amount of $5,000 per child, $2,000 of which is payable in equal monthly installments over a 2-year period.

(b)  For purposes of this section, a "special-needs child" is a child whose permanent custody has been awarded to the Department of Children and Family Services or to a Florida-licensed child-placing agency and who is not likely to be adopted because he or she is:

1.  Eight years of age or older.

2.  A person with a developmental disability.

3.  A person with a physical or emotional handicap.

4.  Of a minority race or of a racially mixed heritage.

5.  A member of a sibling group of any age, provided that two or more members of a sibling group remain together for the purposes of adoption.

(2)  An employee of the state or of a water management district who adopts a special-needs child must apply to his or her agency head to obtain the monetary benefit provided in subsection (1). Applications must be on forms approved by the department and must include a certified copy of the final order of adoption naming the applicant as the adoptive parent.

(3)  Nothing in this section shall affect the right of any state employee who adopts a special-needs child to receive financial aid for adoption expenses pursuant to s. 409.166 or any other statute that provides financial incentives for the adoption of children.

(4)  Any employee of the state or of a water management district who has a child placed in the custody of the employee for adoption, and who continues to reside in the same household as the child placed for adoption, shall be granted parental leave for a period not to exceed 6 months as provided in s. 110.221.

History.--s. 1, ch. 2000-241.

¹Note.--Section 4, ch. 2000-241, provides that "[t]his act shall take effect October 1, 2000, and shall apply to adoptions finalized on and after that date."