Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Les NeuhausMarch 27, 2017

A Pinellas County court set a trial date for John Jonchuck, arrested in 2015 for throwing his 5-year-old daughter off a St. Petersburg bridge. The Tampa Bay Times reported Monday that the trial will begin early February. In a pretrial hearing Monday, Jonchuck’s three public defenders listened as Pinellas County Circuit Judge Chris Helinger announced […]

Les NeuhausMarch 6, 2017

As legislators in Tallahassee prepare themselves to convene their 60-day Session Tuesday, expect an assortment of proposed bills to be hashed out over the Department of Children and Families (DCF). Hot-button subjects with bipartisan support in the Senate and House include improvements in mental health and substance abuse treatment programs, working toward identifying and reducing […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 19, 2016

Walt Disney World is billed as “The Happiest Place on Earth” and any regular reader of this blog or any friend on Facebook knows how much I believe that. In fact, I believe that title extends to any place where Uncle Walt’s magic can be found, including the majestic Disney cruise ships. My family and I […]

Peter SchorschMay 22, 2016

“The bed in which the child slept was peppered with bed bugs, and his sheets were dotted with blood spots from where his open bug bites had bled in the night.” Read that sentence as many times as it takes for you to imagine in your mind what a hellhole like that must look like. Now […]

Jim RosicaApril 28, 2016

An internal review by the Department of Children and Families depicts a still dysfunctional agency, with workers feeling “unsupported,” “overwhelmed,” and “defeated.” The 133-page report, commissioned by DCF Secretary Mike Carroll, was released Thursday afternoon to FloridaPolitics.com in response to a public records request. It has been referred to informally in DCF circles as the “Sanford Report” after […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 17, 2015

Florida’s child-welfare system is once again under Tallahassee’s microscope, further consequence of the death of 5-year-old Phoebe Jonchuck, whose father threw her off a St. Petersburg bridge into Tampa Bay on Jan. 8. Senate President Andy Gardiner is calling for an “across the board” examination of the state’s mental health care and abuse hotline procedures, […]

Florence SnyderFebruary 16, 2015

It’s not every day that a divorce lawyer reports her own client to the state’s child abuse hotline. But that’s what John Jonchuck’s lawyer did on January 7, when Jonchuck showed up at the firm’s office dressed in pajamas and toting his five-year-old daughter Phoebe, along with a Bible which he incorrectly believed to be written in Swedish. Jonchuck’s lawyer told the Hotline that […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 12, 2015

It’s not every day that a divorce lawyer reports her own client to the state child abuse hotline. But that’s what John Jonchuck‘s lawyer did. On Jan. 7, Jonchuck showed up at the firm’s office dressed in pajamas, toting his 5-year-old daughter Phoebe, along with a Bible he incorrectly believed to be written in Swedish. Jonchuck’s lawyer told the Hotline that her client was “out-of-his-mind […]

Associated PressFebruary 9, 2015

Just 12 hours before police say a man threw his 5-year-old daughter to her death off a Tampa Bay bridge last month, his own attorney called Florida’s child abuse hotline, warning that his client was suffering from mental delusions. But the hotline operator didn’t refer the call to investigators because she didn’t think the child […]

Tag: Phoebe Jonchuck
Mike Johnson. Image via AP.

February trial date set for John Jonchuck, accused of throwing daughter off St. Pete bridge

Range of DCF oversight issues, bills to be debated by Florida lawmakers this Session

Back from vacation with a special message to our readers

What the f*ck does it take for DCF to save a child?

DCF workers feeling “overwhelmed” and “defeated,” new report says

Andy Gardiner calls for full analysis after death of Phoebe Jonchuck

Florence Snyder: DCF's Orwellian response to child thrown from bridge

Florence Snyder: Phoebe Jonchuck tragedy reveals underpaid staff, DCF doublespeak

Hotline ignored calls on girl thrown over bridge by dad