Surrogacy by State
The Ultimate Guide to Surrogacy in Florida
If you're intended parents with dreams of growing your family through surrogacy, or a young woman considering becoming a surrogate, starting the process can be exciting but a little daunting. As one of the most experienced surrogacy agencies in the U.S., Circle Surrogacy can help you navigate surrogacy in Miami, Tampa, Orlando, or any other Florida community. We help intended parents find surrogates and guide women through the process of becoming surrogates and helping families.
An Overview of Surrogacy in Florida
Florida has specific laws regulating surrogacy, and surrogacy professionals have established safe, agreed-upon procedures for this family-building process in the state.
Couples and individuals from a variety of backgrounds, ages, and sexual orientations use surrogacy to build their families, with each unique journey.
Intended parents in Florida we work with may be:
Heterosexual couples who have struggled with infertility
Intended mothers who are unable to carry a child
Intended parents who have a genetic defect or health condition they don't want to pass onto the child
LGBTQ+ intended parents who want to have a genetic link to their baby
This page is an excellent resource for people considering surrogacy in Florida to learn more about what the state's surrogacy process involves, how to become parents or a surrogate mother, and what surrogacy costs.
Surrogacy in Florida for Intended Parents
Surrogacy and egg donation have been helping straight and LGBTQ+ singles and couples in Florida grow their families for decades. Intended parents are able to safely become parents in Florida.
Below you'll find information about surrogacy in Florida, including what the surrogacy process looks like, how much surrogacy costs in Florida, how to find a surrogate or egg donor, and so much more. The process can feel overwhelming at first, but the more you read and research, the more familiar it will become to you. Many professionals are involved in a surrogacy journey, and it is a life-changing experience.
We're ready to help intended parents from Miami, Tampa, Orlando, or any other Florida community. Read on to learn more about becoming a parent through surrogacy.
The Surrogacy Process in Florida
A surrogacy journey involves several milestones that lead to delivery day. Understanding and preparing for each of these steps is an important part of the process for intended parents.
Choosing to pursue surrogacy independently—without the assistance of a surrogacy agency—is an option available to anyone. That said, working with an agency such as Circle Surrogacy, which has almost 30 years of experience, helps you navigate the milestones and events throughout your journey. This enables you to concentrate on getting ready for your baby's arrival.
If you do decide to work with an agency, it's important to research your options. Some agencies may fit better with your specific needs and outlook. Choose one where you sense good chemistry, and which shares your views about the surrogacy process. It’s important to work with an agency whose lawyers are knowledgeable in ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) and surrogacy law, especially in a state such as Florida, which has specific state laws regarding surrogacy.
Finding the right surrogate match assisted by our Matching Team is an exciting time during your journey. We’ll get to know you and your preferences for a match and work to find the woman who most closely fits your personality and legal and geographical requirements. The relationship between intended parents and their surrogates is so unique, that finding the right match is an important first step.
An egg donor is a young, fertile woman who donates her eggs to enable another individual or couple to create embryos to build them family. Once embryos are created, an embryo transfer will take place into either the intended parent’s or gestational surrogate’s uterus to carry the baby. Egg donation is beautiful path to parenthood.
If you require an egg donor for your surrogacy journey, Circle recommends starting your search for an egg donor with our partner, Everie Egg Donation Program, who offers both fresh and frozen egg donor programs. Everie supports thoughtful decision-making for egg donation, including disclosed (known) donations and mutual matching between parents and donors. You can search their extensive database and learn about their programs. Many intended parents will search for a donor and create their embryos either coming to surrogacy or while they are waiting for a surrogate match.
If you select an egg donor with Everie and have selected Circle as your surrogacy agency, your Circle Surrogacy coordination team will be your support system during your egg donation and surrogacy journeys, giving you full support with one experienced team.
Developing a close relationship with your surrogate during pregnancy is an important part of the process. You may even be able to visit for her appointments if she lives close to you. Our agency supports you through each milestone, helping you prepare to travel for the birth and ensuring you have everything you need to return home safely.
Starting the Surrogacy Process
You've decided that you'd like to grow your family through surrogacy (hooray!), and you've selected an agency with whom you'd like to meet. What's next? Scheduling a consultation is the first step. It's important to meet with the agencies you're considering so you can share your story, ask questions, and see if the agency team is a good fit for your journey.
Circle Surrogacy offers complimentary consultations for intended parents who are emotionally and financially ready to begin a surrogacy journey within the next 12 months. These private consultations educate intended parents on the surrogacy process, surrogacy costs, and how to find and match with a surrogate mother.
We offer both in-person meetings and free consultations via Skype or Zoom. If you're not ready for a full consultation but would like more information, you can schedule a short pre-consultation, which lasts about 30 minutes and is a great way to ask questions and learn more.
Becoming a Parent in Florida
One of the most joyous moments you'll experience is welcoming a baby into your family. In Florida, becoming a parent through surrogacy is a safe, streamlined process when working with an agency such as Circle Surrogacy.
We know that one of the first questions intended parents ask is how much surrogacy costs. Our comprehensive cost sheets outline the surrogacy costs you should expect in a typical surrogacy journey.
How Much Does Surrogacy Cost in Florida?
We can help you understand the surrogacy programs available, the cost of surrogacy, and how much you can expect to pay for egg donation. Circle Surrogacy is transparent in its surrogacy options, costs, and what you can expect along your journey.
Circle Surrogacy offers an all-inclusive cost program: our Journey Protection Guarantee.
Journey Protection Guarantee Program surrogacy costs in Florida:
Surrogacy only: $157,750
Our Journey Protection Guarantee offers Intended Parents:
An all-inclusive program that covers all Surrogate fees and expenses for unlimited transfers and any complications that may arise during your journey
No surprise costs or invoices, even in scenarios that require a rematch with a new Surrogate
Circle's costs include all agency fees, attorneys’ fees, screening and surrogate fees, and insurance costs. They do not include IVF costs.
Some intended parents may require an egg donor to build their family. Circle’s partner, Everie, offers the most comprehensive fresh and frozen known egg donor program, and a database filled with hundreds of bright, young women. If you choose a donor (or frozen eggs) with Everie, you will receive special pricing on your surrogacy plus egg donation journey with Circle.
Journey Protection Guarantee surrogacy plus egg donation costs with our partner Everie:
Surrogacy plus fresh egg donation: $190,450 (cost excludes IVF)
Surrogacy plus 1 cohort of eggs: $185,700 (cost excludes IVF)
Additional costs available for guaranteed embryo program and multiple cohorts of frozen eggs. Inquire with our Parent Intake team.
The costs outlined above are for our Surrogacy Only and Surrogacy Plus Egg Donation Programs. For more information about the costs of our other programs, please email us or call us at 617.439.9900.
Financing Surrogacy Costs
Some intended parents may have the opportunity to qualify for financing for their journey. Please speak with our Parent Intake Team or Consultation Team or fill out this form.
Finding a Surrogate in Florida
An exciting milestone in your journey to parenthood is matching with a surrogate. We work with gestational surrogates from Florida, as well as surrounding states. If you're looking for a surrogate mother in Florida (or in neighboring states), we can help you find your surrogate match.
How We Match Parents and Surrogates
If you choose to work with Circle Surrogacy, we ask intended parents to fill out a profile that help us get to know them better and find appropriate surrogate matches.
The information we ask for in the profile includes your:
Relationship (if you have a partner)
Family
Hobbies and activities
Plans for parenthood
Reasons for pursuing surrogacy
Sharing photos of yourself, your loved ones, and anything else that gives a good sense of who you are as people also helps us find the best possible surrogate matches.
Your Circle Matching Team uses your answers—as well as your geographic location and views on termination— to find you the best possible surrogate match, so it's important to be honest when thinking about how you answer these questions. That's a key element of finding the best surrogate match for you.
Other preferences expressed by intended parents used when matching with your gestational carrier include:
Desired level of communication with their surrogate during the journey
Location of the surrogate mother
Number of embryos to transfer
Views on selective reduction and termination
You can use these criteria as guidelines as to what you should look for in a suitable match if you choose to pursue surrogacy without the assistance of an agency.
Appropriate Legal Fit
Our legal department always ensures potential gestational carriers meet both general and state-specific legal criteria before surrogate profiles are presented to intended parents.
Personality Fit and Surrogacy Expectations
We want both surrogates and intended parents to have a comfortable relationship throughout the journey, which is why your Matching team reviews the list of safe matches provided by the legal team to ensure good personality fits.
Expectations Surrounding Termination and Selective Reduction
In our experience, intended parents often prefer to make the choice regarding termination. It's important that surrogates and intended parents share similar views about the termination of a pregnancy if a situation develops in which a reduction or termination is considered.
3 Criteria for Finding Surrogate
Keep these 3 factors in mind as you think about your surrogate match:
Surrogacy Laws in Florida
As mentioned earlier, Florida has favorable laws regulating gestational and traditional surrogacy. That means you can safely use the surrogacy process in the state, but it’s important to have an agency such as Circle Surrogacy help you navigate that process. That way, everyone involved in your surrogacy journey is protected and has an advocate.
Florida’s favorable surrogacy laws recognize contracts for gestational and traditional surrogacy arrangements as well as egg and sperm donations. The rights of the surrogate, the intended parents, the baby, and the egg donor (if needed) are protected by the state’s comprehensive law.
The process of establishing parentage in Florida is seamless for everyone involved. Surrogates in Florida typically never appear in court since the statute eliminates the need for post-birth legal proceedings, such as post-birth orders and second-parent adoptions. Even in cases where a post-birth action is warranted (i.e. intended parents' citizenship needs), the surrogates won’t need to appear in court. In surrogacy arrangements that require the use of an egg donor, the donor’s contract requires the relinquishment of all maternal rights to the child.
Surrogacy in Florida for Surrogates
There is so much to learn about becoming a surrogate! We're here to help you navigate surrogacy in Florida, from understanding what a surrogate is, what to expect, how being a surrogate can affect your life, to how to apply become a surrogate.
We work with women from Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and other Florida communities. Becoming a surrogate is an amazing experience, and you have the opportunity to connect with other women in your area.
Read on to see how rewarding being a surrogate can be when you help those who aren't able to have a baby on their own experience the joys of parenthood.
The Process for Surrogates in Florida
Your surrogacy journey involves several key milestones that lead to the day you get to give your intended parents their baby. Understanding and preparing for each of these steps is an important part of the process, and our experienced team will be by your side for every step.
Working with an agency such as Circle Surrogacy for your surrogate journey, which has almost 30 years of experience, means you’ll have a full team of support to navigate the milestones and events throughout your journey. This enables you to concentrate on getting ready for your baby's arrival.
The surrogacy process can be looked at in seven steps:
Pre-screening
Consultation
Matching with intended parents
Medical screening and legal contracts
Monitoring appointments and embryo transfer
Pregnancy
Delivery
Getting Started as a Surrogate
We recommend completing our online surrogacy application to start the conversation about surrogacy. It takes only about 10 minutes to complete and there is no obligation to proceed if you aren’t ready.
Becoming a Surrogate Mother in Florida
What kind of women become surrogate mothers? They are generous, adventurous, and kind. They are teachers, nurses, and stay-at-home moms. They are passionate about their families. They are spirited, caring, and selfless. They are just like you.
Have delivered a child of their own and are currently parenting at least one child.
Have had uncomplicated pregnancies and deliveries, as documented by medical records.
Be between 21 and 44 years old
Typically have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of no higher than 33. Calculate My BMI.
Be citizens, legal residents, or legal immigrants of the United States. If a surrogate is a legal resident or legal immigrant of the United States, the surrogate must be able to provide documentation that is valid for at least 2 years.
Not participate in the following government aid programs: cash assistance, welfare, public housing, and Section 8. All other forms of government assistance will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Additional requirements for becoming a surrogate also apply to most states.
What Are the Requirements for Becoming a Surrogate?
Florida residents who would like to apply to become surrogates should meet the following criteria:
Benefits of Being a Surrogate in Florida
Becoming a surrogate in Florida appeals to women for several reasons, including generous compensation and a sense of pride like no other. Women who wish to become surrogates enjoy benefits such as:
Gaining an incredible sense of self-fulfillment from giving the greatest gift humanly possible to another family
Building a life-long relationship with forever-grateful intended parents
Working with a personal Program Coordination Team and licensed social worker
An opportunity to work with local and international intended parents
And, as mentioned, Florida surrogates receive generous compensation with a customized benefits package.
The Circle Surrogate Promise
We created the Circle Surrogate Promise because we truly care about our carriers, and we want each of them to have the most successful and rewarding journey possible. This program evolved after carriers shared their thoughts with their social workers or during their exit interviews. Those conversations led us to improve our offerings to our gestational carriers.
Guaranteed Pay, Security, and Support
The Circle Surrogate Promise is a program exclusive to Circle Surrogates; no other agency can offer the same level of security and support.
Circle Surrogacy promises:
Circle Surrogacy financially backs their intended parents, so a surrogate’s escrow account is always funded to ensure she is always paid in full and on time.
Circle Surrogacy takes on the liability of medical bills. We listened to our past surrogates and their frustrations with medical bills, and we’ve made big changes. While we can never stop having you receive medical bills (since you are the “patient”), our new Fixed Cost programs for intended parents allow us to protect both the surrogates and the intended parents and ensure all medical bills will be paid in a timely manner.
If you are accepted into our surrogate program and you are medically cleared and matched with intended parents – but you don’t achieve a pregnancy – we will compensate you for your time, energy, and dedication thus far in your journey (up to $5,000 total).
Not every gestational carrier has the same desires when it comes to the birth of their surrogate baby. At Circle, our surrogates have choices for her preferred birth options, such as doula care, a hospital birth, or using a birth center with a midwife.
One of the first people you speak with at Circle may likely be an experienced carrier who guides you through the process until you are matched with intended parents. They will personally introduce you to your dedicated social worker and journey support team, all of whom are in-house at Circle. You’ll always be supported by a Circle employee who knows all the details about you and your journey. (You’ll never have to worry about working with a third party who doesn’t even know your name!) Plus, with our expanded team, we are able to offer support groups, virtual events, one-on-one surrogate mentorship, and more.
How Much Do Surrogates Get Paid in Florida?
Carrying a baby for someone involves getting compensated financially. This compensation is often called a "surrogate base compensation" or "surrogate payment." Previous surrogates helped Circle Surrogacy create a compensation and benefits program for surrogates and their families. It provides security, benefits, and protection that are virtually unsurpassed.
Our new Surrogate Pay & Family Protection Program provides the following benefits:
Earning up to $55,000-$65,000+ (your base fee plus additional benefits)
Protection for the surrogate and her family throughout the journey
All expenses paid, from travel to meals to gas and more
Benefits and support through postpartum (the 4th trimester)
Full transparency on what's included
Benefits you won't find at any other agency
Are you still considering other surrogacy agencies because of their compensation? Before you make a decision, we'd appreciate having the opportunity to talk with you about those offers—we can match them. We promise you'll have the best surrogacy experience with us. Email us at [email protected] and we’ll compare our comp with other agencies for you.
How Does Surrogate Pay Work?
All surrogates will start with a base compensation. This may be based on where you live, whether or not you have insurance, or whether this is your first time as a surrogate. This is only the beginning of your compensation as there are many additional payments that make up your total compensation.
Signing payments and payments for your medical screening are examples of compensation provided by Circle early in the surrogacy process. These payments are in addition to your base compensation.
Circle compensates surrogates for their necessities during and after pregnancy, including maternity clothing, housekeeping, pumping and shipping breast milk, and more. These payments are in addition to your base compensation.
Surrogates receive other non-monetary benefits—in addition to financial compensation—that are priceless in ensuring they’re protected and have a smooth journey. These benefits include legal counsel, life insurance, and more.
How Circle Supports Surrogates
Circle Surrogacy is recognized worldwide as a leader in the surrogacy field, with almost 30 years of experience. Our team supports you every step of the way—from the day you begin exploring surrogacy to your meeting with the prospective parents and throughout your entire pregnancy to birth.
We help surrogates navigate the screening process, ensuring they match with the perfect intended parent or parents, and guide them through the legal and social work aspects of surrogate parenting. Because many of us are experienced surrogates, we bring authentic passion to our work. Some members of our team have completed 3 surrogate journeys. Besides having world-class expertise in the myriad legal, social, and medical aspects of your surrogacy process, we deliver hands-on guidance that’s informed by our experience. If you have questions, we'll have the answers.
When you need a lawyer to review legal contracts, we'll recommend an attorney in your area with whom we've worked previously and who is thoroughly knowledgeable about Assisted Reproduction Technology law. We can connect you with trustworthy experts whenever needed. To learn more about being a surrogate, read our blog post about the 10 steps to becoming a surrogate.
Finding a Perfect Intended Parent Match
The prospective parents you help will be part of an incredible, intimate journey with you. And it's why Circle Surrogacy has developed a thorough matching process.
Your Surrogate Support Team uses personality profiles to find the perfect intended parent(s) for you. You’ll get to review each other’s profiles, ask questions, and generally feel each other out. We also help schedule an initial video call. The goal is to ensure both you and the intended parent(s) feel completely comfortable with the match. And of course, the surrogacy agreement only moves forward if you do.
Circle works with single parents, LGBTQ+ and heterosexual couples, domestic and international couples, and others. We’re confident you’ll be able to find a great match.
