Florida's lost children got a Senatorial ally this week. Nan Rich, a Democrat from Weston, put forth a bill that will effectively overturn the Sunshine State's ban on gay adoption. Under Rich's law, judges are told to rule in the child's best interest, rather than along ideological lines:

Under Rich's bill, gay foster parents would be allowed to adopt children if a judge rules it's in the child's best interest. Also, a gay adult would be considered a potential adoptive parent if he or she were the legal guardian of the child whose parents had died.

Rich's proposal has received support from a number of groups including the National Council of Jewish Women, ACLU and Planned Parenthood.

Those who have opposed changing the ban include Governor Charlie Crist, who has publicly supported civil unions between gay couples, and state Senator Ronda Storms of Brandon, who ran for office on a pledge to prevent gays from being foster parents.

Storms currently heads the committee considering Rich's bill and has vowed not to vote or debate the matter. Ah, democracy in action!