Child custody over a two year old?

I have a two year old daughter. Her biological father has and plans on never paying child support for her. My husband is in the Navy and would like to adopt her. Seeing as he would make more income and she would be under medical it would be in her best interest and would make our family much happier if he did. Although the biological father will not pay for child support he wants to see her. Although his intentions are far from heart felt. He wants to see the child only when its convenient, and has been known from my own personal experience for being abusive and has three charges of battery previously. In one incident he was out of jail for a home visit and I aloud him to spend the weekend with his daughter. He failed to bring her back when asked, lied to me about there whereabouts and didn't return my phone calls. Being a mother I searched high and low. Went to his house. Called the cops but at this point in time I had no rights to take her back since he was on the birth certificate he had just as much rights as I did when the child is in your own custody. So after he got incarcerated again I got my daughter back and haven't let him take her since. Which he is throwing a fit about and refuses to get child visitation. I'm moving in approx. four months and would like to have something done. Obviously he isn't going to start paying child support and I don't trust him to take her off anymore. I would like to get full rights and let my husband adopt her, as I see this would be the best potential life for my daughter. How would I go about this? Or could I?