by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Friday morning in Juvenile Courtroom 3, Circuit Court Judge David Gooding presided over the 500th adoption in Duval County for fiscal year 2008.
When David and Susan Shoaf brought Jonathan, then three months old, into their home last July, they had no idea his becoming an official part of their family would be such a big event.
Circuit Court Judge David Gooding set a goal 12 months ago to sign 500 Duval County adoption orders by June 30 and he achieved that goal with the Shoafs.
“It’s not so much the number of adoptions, but how we have been able to reduce the population of children waiting for adoption,” said Gooding.
He also pointed out how Jonathan Shoaf and the other 499 children adopted this year “are less likely to be involved in crimes and less likely to be involved in drug abuse. There is a lot of talk about the Jacksonville Journey right now and this child is a part of that journey.”
Gooding said Duval County adopted 100 more children this year than any other county in the state and at least 100 more than the next most successful county, Hillsborough. He already knows how he would like to top 2008 but it does not involve a number.
“I wish everyone out there would know they have adoption advocates who can help them cut through the red tape,” he said. “Our goal is to have a waiting list of parents who want to adopt.”
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