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Staff ReportsMay 15, 2017

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George Sheldon‘s hometown newspaper now has weighed in on the former Florida politico, putting in newsprint the latest ethics woes of the now-director of Illinois’ Department of Children and Family Services. The Tallahassee Democrat’s Monday edition (online version here), with help from the Chicago Tribune’s estimable reporting of the last few weeks, documented Sheldon’s travails as head of […]

Staff ReportsApril 14, 2017

Farm Share, Inc., in partnership with Florida Department of Children and Families, announced Friday it distributed more than 100,320 pounds of food and fed approximately 1,125 families at the Farm Share community partners event, in Quincy. In addition to providing free food to residents of Leon, Gadsden, Liberty, Jefferson, Franklin and Wakulla Counties, the event […]

Florence SnyderApril 4, 2017

It’s that time of year when claims bills are briefly — very briefly — in the news. Claims bills are the state’s reluctant, belated, grudging way of saying “we’re sorry” for the malfeasance and malpractice that ruined someone’s life. In a functioning system, simple mistakes and honest errors are caught quickly and generally capable of […]

Scott PowersApril 4, 2017

In a case of two young children who endured torture, sexual abuse, violence, murder and attempted murder by an adoptive family while the Florida Department of Children and Families did nothing, a House committee Tuesday voted to support a $5 million settlement. The money would go to Victor Docter Barahona, now 16, who survived the physical and […]

Les NeuhausMarch 23, 2017

A sub-contracted case manager with the Florida Department of Children and Families was arrested for falsifying information regarding the well-being of children living alone, officials confirmed Thursday. Spokespeople for both DCF and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed Vanessa Arias, 33, was arrested Friday for lying on safety reports. “The department has no tolerance for […]

Guest AuthorMarch 17, 2017

As young people transition to adulthood, earning their driver’s license provides a certain level of independence and economic mobility — a vehicle, if you will, to go places in life. Whether heading to school or work, the doctor’s office or the grocery store, having the ability to drive is a necessity most Floridians take for […]

Les NeuhausMarch 10, 2017

Five minutes could’ve been enough time for a deadly mistake to happen, a parent was reported saying after it was revealed one of the teachers at her toddler’s daycare class in Hobe Sound, Florida, had fallen asleep during class – in the class – as a second teacher was gone in a bathroom, leaving the […]

Les NeuhausMarch 8, 2017

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A mother and father have had enough of their neighbors’ drug-dealing, late-night romps that devolve from friendly partying into “screaming matches,” court records in a lawsuit filed in early March indicate. Jose and Lisa Alecia, with their two children, are homeowners in the Gibsonton neighborhood, located in Hillsborough County outside of Tampa, are seeking $75,000 […]

Les NeuhausFebruary 21, 2017

A recently-fired employee of the Florida Department of Children and Families, who had worked as a child protection investigator since 2015, was taken into custody by sheriff’s deputies on drug trafficking charges after a warrant was issued for her arrest, a spokesperson with the agency said Tuesday. According to the Lakeland Ledger, Laymeshia Hicks, 25, […]

Les NeuhausFebruary 20, 2017

Guns, children, neglect, animal abuse, human trafficking and forced prostitution. These aren’t the beautiful, cliché, sundown-on-the-beach Florida stories, but in an attempt to raise public consciousness about these issues we at Florida Politics bring you today’s ‘DCF Files.’ *** On Monday, the Palm Beach Post published a story citing chilling figures from the Florida Department of […]

Tag: Florida Department of Children and Families

George Sheldon now taken to task by hometown paper

Farm Share distributes over 100,320 pounds of food to Big Bend families

Florence Snyder: Why children die — Part 2; clues in the claims bills

‘Single worst case:’ Bill compensating Barahona twins’ survivors gets committee approval

Five children used candle for ‘light and heat’ after child welfare worker ignored calls for help

Jennifer Sullivan, Aaron Bean: Foster care program for teen drivers deserves support

Teacher fell asleep during school, leaving toddlers unsupervised

Family complains about noisy, alleged drug-dealing neighbors; gets DCF-style investigation by Sheriff’s office

Child welfare investigator, mother arrested for cocaine, heroin in home

The bad, the ugly and the downright horrible — a roundup of today-in-DCF news