Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Maria Sampedro-Iglesia has delivered the third ruling against Florida’s ban on gay adoption, allowing a lesbian couple to adopt an infant relative. While the 1977 law remains in limbo, Sampedro-Iglesia’s ruling suggests some state court judges already have made up their minds about gay adoption, a thorny political issue in a state with a significant social conservative streak. ‘There is no rational connection between sexual orientation and what is or is not in the best interest of a child,” Sampedro-Iglesia wrote in her order. ‘The child is happy and thriving with [Alenier]. The only way to give this child permanency . . . is to allow him to be adopted’ by her. In her ruling, Sampedro-Iglesia declared Florida’s adoption law ‘unconstitutional on its face.’ For Alenier, who shares a home near downtown Hollywood with her longtime partner, Melanie Leon, the ruling made formal what she already knew she had — a family.” During my doctoral studies, I conducted a Cost/Benefit Analysis on the ban and just how much money the ban is costing Florida’s taxpayers. Although the data are several years old, take a look at the study under the Professional Research and Reports Heading under the “Research” tab on my Web Site.