Virtual Adoption: Not Just for Netizens (Florida‪)‬

Sometimes a confluence of events conspires against an idea to make that idea seem preposterous. For instance, 20 years ago, the term "virtual" was understood to connote "nearly," or "practically," or "as good as." Twenty years later, with the advent and proliferation of the desktop personal computer, hand-held PCs, PDAs, and the iPhone, the term "virtual" has come to be understood as "computer-related," "geeky" or "nerdy," and "cyber" anything. To a segment of society that has been "virtually adopted," this is most unfortunate. A Florida probate judge, who shall remain nameless, when confronted by an eager, young probate attorney who argued for the theory of virtual adoption for his client, rolled his eyes and visibly and audibly sighed in exasperation. As recently as the last few months, when one of the authors proffered the theory on behalf of a client, the presiding judge, who apparently had at least heard of the doctrine, asked "Does Florida recognize this?" Such is the general state of understanding of the doctrine of virtual adoption.