Miami, FL – January 28, 2020 – The Center Square- Super Bowl first test of Florida’s new defense against human trafficking The influx of an estimated 200,000 visitors this week to South Florida also will test state agencies and local governments in their implementation of a new human-trafficking law.
Panhandle, FL – January 15, 2020 – NBC News- Florida 14-year-old girl set up camera to prove physical abuse A Florida teen set up hidden cameras in her home to prove her claims of physical abuse, officials said.
Lake Worth, FL – December 30, 2019 – The Palm Beach Post- Lake Worth Beach parents arrested after 10-month-old overdoses Authorities arrested a 10-month-old girl’s parents last week after she nearly died from an overdose, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office arrest reports.
Jacksonville, FL – December 30, 2019 – The Florida Times Union- Jacksonville daycare co-owner arrested in death of 4-month-old left in van It was a local death discussed in front of a congressional committee in Washington as well as in Tallahassee.
Fort Myers, FL – December 19, 2019 – The News Press- Meet Anber, a teen who struggles with mental health. Did the system fail her? Anber is part of a group of foster kids with serious mental and behavioral health needs that the Florida foster care system doesn’t know what to do with.
Texas – December 18, 2019 – The Chronicle of Social Change- Texas Projects a Severe Shortage of Foster Homes for High-Needs Kids Buried within a wonky “needs assessment” report recently released by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is a finding that should raise alarm bells around the state. And perhaps around the country.
Tampa, FL – December 16, 2019 – The Tampa Bay Times- Get kids out of foster care quicker, state orders. But it may split up families. Getting children out of foster care more quickly is obviously beneficial but the state’s focus should be providing help to families so they can be reunified, Rosenberg said.
Jacksonville, FL – December 11, 2019 – Action News Jax- Kid Care Report: Large Catholic child care center receives most serious violation during inspection Every week Action News Jax investigates local child care centers to show you how they measure up to state guidelines.
Tallahassee, FL – December 10, 2019 – Florida Politics- Bill would remove statute of limitations for civil suits stemming from sex offenses against minors A measure from state Sen. Lauren Book would completely remove the statute of limitations for civil suits stemming from sexual abuse of a child.
Miami, FL – November 28, 2019 – The Miami Herald- Three chains sold 19 products, including sleepers in baby deaths, after recalls Ivanka Trump scarves, beer mugs, three infant sleepers linked to deaths, and 14 other items that were recalled by their companies continued to be sold by T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods.
Kennesaw, GA – November 27, 2019 – The Marietta Daily Journal- Cobb woman awarded $50 million in lawsuit against nonprofit A $50 million payment has been awarded to a Cobb County woman who was sexually assaulted by a male adult while she was a 15-year-old patient at a Kennesaw facility for troubled youth.
New Orleans, LA – November 25, 2019 – The Washington Post- One judge’s tough approach to foster care: It’s only for the really extreme cases Juvenile Court Judge Ernestine S. Gray gives each child who appears before her a bear and a book. She believes it makes what can be the worst day of their lives just a little easier.
Jacksonville, FL – November 15, 2019 – First Coast News- Attorney: Child abuse, neglect calls go under-reported in Florida Even though reporting suspected child abuse and neglect is mandatory for adults under Florida law, too often do those calls go under-reported.
Miami, FL – November 11, 2019 – WSVN 7 News Law enforcement agencies create Miami-based hotline to combat sex trafficking Super Bowl 54 is around the corner, and law enforcement agencies have collaborated to create a new hotline as part of a campaign to stop sex trafficking in South Florida.
New York, NY – November 9, 2019 – The New York Times Child Abusers Run Rampant as Tech Companies Look the Other Way Though platforms bar child sexual abuse imagery on the web, criminals are exploiting gaps. Victims are caught in a living nightmare, confronting images again and again.
Tallahassee, FL – November 6, 2019 – The Miami Herald- Proposed DCF changes could divert millions from South Florida or send kids here for care Miami-Dade and Monroe counties could lose about $11.5 million in funding for their child welfare system in the next few years, under changes that are being weighed by the state Department of Children and Families.
Tallahassee, FL – November 5, 2019 – The Daily Business Review- Florida Wants Rehearing in ADA ‘Medically Fragile’ Kids Case Florida is asking a full federal appeals court to take up a dispute about whether the U.S. Department of Justice can pursue a lawsuit against the state over alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a case stemming from concerns about “medically fragile” children being placed in nursing homes.
Bunnell, FL – November 3, 2019 – WPLG Local 10 News- Florida parents arrested, accused of leaving children in filth Two parents were arrested after their 14-year-old daughter called an abuse hotline to report she and her four younger siblings were living in filth, and she was being forced to be a full-time caregiver to the young children.
Tampa, FL – October 30, 2019 – WFLA News Channel 8- DCF’s Tampa Bay region has the highest staff turnover in the state, new report says Tampa Bay is seeing significant turnover in its child welfare investigators and staff, according to a new report from the Florida Department of Children and Families Office of Child Welfare.
Fort Lauderdale, FL – October 28, 2019 – WPLG Local 10 Another victim accuses janitor of molesting him in middle school Another teen took the stand on Monday and described to jurors an incident in which he said a former coach and middle school janitor molested him when he was a student at Coral Springs Middle School.
North Miami, FL – October 24, 2019 – The Miami Herald- First he was shot at by police. Now he is being evicted from his group home. Arnaldo Rios-Soto has been involuntarily committed, handcuffed, forcibly restrained, tranquilized, and shot at by police.
Houston, TX – October 18, 2019 – WPLG Local 10 News- Teen commits suicide after rescue from sex trafficking ring A family is in mourning after their teen daughter committed suicide after she was rescued from a sex trafficking ring.
Miami-Dade County, FL – October 17, 2019 – WPLG Local 10 News- Alleged abusive adoptive mother listed as registered nurse The adoptive mother accused of abusing three girls, one of them dying while in her care, is still listed as a registered nurse in Florida and also has a for-profit corporation with the state Total Excellent Care Corp.
Miami-Dade County, FL – October 16, 2019 – WPLG Local 10 News- Police say Miami foster mother abused children, causing one girl to die A foster mother is facing charges after three girls, ranging in ages from 6 to 12 years old, were continuously abused in what Miami-Dade police and the Department of Children and Families say is one of the most horrifying cases of abuse they have seen.
Brevard County, FL – October 3, 2019 – Florida Record- How new human trafficking legislation will affect Brevard’s hotels and hospitality workers Florida is one of the states most associated with human trafficking in the country, but Brevard County has not seen many arrests for that crime.
Pinellas County, FL – September 21, 2019 – NBC News- Florida man with Down syndrome dies in hot car after caregiver takes drug, falls asleep A man with Down syndrome who police said was nonverbal and had the cognitive ability of a 1-year-old died in a hot van while his caregiver slept in the driver’s seat after taking drugs, authorities in Florida said.
Jacksonville, FL – September 20, 2019 – WJCT- Florida Leaders Want Schools To Teach How To Spot, Stop Human Trafficking Florida leaders at the state and federal level are hoping to prevent human trafficking through education.
Lauderhill, FL – September 20, 2019 – WPLG Local 10 News- Woman accused of leaving daughter, 3, in car while she worked at strip club A 23-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday morning after leaving her 3-year-old daughter alone in a car for about three hours while she worked at a strip club in Lauderhill, authorities said.
Davie, FL – September 19, 2019 – WPLG Local 10 News- Detectives search for teenage girl allegedly held hostage by man Destiny Rose was tied to a chair with a rope wrapped around her neck, Rose’s aunt Shanna Champion told police officers on Wednesday.
Fort Lauderdale, FL – September 7, 2019 – WPLG Local 10 News- Day care worker charged in hot van death of 2-year-old released from jail on bond A day care worker facing charges for the death of a 2-year-old boy who was left in a hot van bonded out of jail early Saturday morning.
North Lauderdale, FL – September 6, 2019 – WPLG Local 10 News- Man arrested in connection with deaths of 2 boys who drowned in pool A Tamarac man was arrested Tuesday in connection with the deaths of two boys who drowned in a community pool, deputies said.
Broward County, FL – September 4, 2019 – The Miami Herald- A kid in Broward’s jail had a history of suicidal thoughts. How was he able to hang himself? A kid in Broward’s jail had a history of suicidal thoughts. How was he able to hang himself?
Pineville, NC – August 30, 2019 – WSOC TV- 12-month-old boy who died in hot car was in foster care, police say A 12-month-old boy died Thursday after his foster mother left him in a hot car for hours while she was at work, police said.
Mount Dora, FL – August 27, 2019 – NBC News- Shocking video shows alleged attack on mentally disabled woman by group home staff Surveillance video shows four caretakers in a Florida group home involved in the alleged abuse of a mentally disabled woman who was pushed, shoved and had her head stepped on.
Rochester, NY – August 14, 2019 – USA Today- Hundreds of child sex abuse claims filed on first day of New York’s Child Victims Act Thousands of New Yorkers who were molested or sexually abused as children have been waiting for years – in many cases, for decades – for their day in court.
New York, NY – August 14, 2019 – CNN- abuse lawsuits The New York State Court system is expecting so many lawsuits as part of a new child sex abuse law that 45 judges have been set aside to deal exclusively with them, spokesman Lucian Chalfen said.
New York, NY – August 13, 2019 – The New York Times- He Says a Priest Abused Him. 50 Years Later, He Can Now Sue. A new law has created a “look-back window,” during which claims that had passed the statute of limitations can be revived.
Los Angeles, CA – August 9, 2019 – The Los Angeles Times- I was born into foster care. A mentor would have made a big difference in my life I was born into foster care. My mother was in prison when she was raped and became pregnant with me. Like many mothers who must surrender their children to foster care because of addiction, disability, mental illness or incarceration, she was not allowed to keep me.
Oakland Park, FL – August 7, 2019 – The Miami Herald- Daycare hit with slew of violations after death of 2-year-old in sweltering van The driver of the daycare van in which 2-year-old Noah Sneed died after being left for five hours in the sweltering heat didn’t follow protocols when she turned off a safety alarm before letting the children out of the vehicle, a recently released report shows.
On Thursday, March 8, the Florida Legislature approved a Claims Bill regarding a West Palm Beach jury verdict, which would provide $5 million to a victim of sexual abuse. The bill is the result of a verdict against the Florida Department of Children & Families (DCF) on behalf of a young man (“C.M.H.”) who was sexually assaulted at age nine by an 11-year-old foster child (“J.W.”) that DCF had placed at the home. Children’s rights attorney Howard Talenfeld represented C.M.H.
Foster Child Suicide Shows Florida’s Failed Child Welfare Privatization Experiment
When the Florida Department of Children and Families responded to a records request by the media regarding the suicide of Lauryn Martin-Everett with the line, “We remain deeply saddened by the tragic loss of this child,” some could argue the admission itself was a reflection of the state’s failed experiment with privatization and outsourcing of child welfare services.
The 16-year-old girl was a ward of the state; her parents knew little about her care or what led to her death by hanging. Though she spent eight years in “the system,” a DCF “child fatality summary” was less than three pages long.
Whether Gabriel Myers; Naika Venant, the 14-year-old who hanged herself in a Miami Gardens foster home little over a month later, or Lauryn, we’ve learned that privatization of the child welfare system has done little to improve the welfare of the state’s children.
Again, child abuse attorneys and others who fight for the rights of abused, neglected, sexually abused, or those minors otherwise harmed or the victims of wrongful death while in the Florida child welfare system are left to wonder: When will the final stories of these children’s sad lives amount to a three-page summary? And when will the lessons be learned?