Florida Senator Jason Pizzo, an attorney, took on Joy Zuraff’s case pro bono. Pictured today, following Zuraff’s hearing at Santa Rosa County Courthouse (left to right): Pizzo, Zuraff, and retired local nurses Sherry Chapman and Cindy Smith, who were instrumental in bringing the case to the attention of state legislators.
Navarre mom Joy Zuraff’s daughter on June 10 was returned to her family’s home after a two-year fight against the Florida Department of Children & Families. Now DCF faces legislative reform after four senators along with members of the House of Representatives vow to file legislation to overhaul the agency, which a Fifth Circuit Grand Jury this week described as having “heartbreaking, systemic patterns of neglect and abuse” and “operational failures.”
“The Grand Jury’s report confirms many of the serious sconcerns we encourted about practices of the Deparmtent and its contractors in the wrongful termination of parents rights, including grossly incompetent casework, cruel treatment of children, unqualified clinical personnel, wasteful and improper use of finds, and numbingly bureacratic obstacles. This repot makes clear that these are not isolated problems but systemic failures,” said a joint statment from Senators Gaetz and Pizzo along with Senators Jennifer Bradley and Erin Grall.
District 1 Senator Don Gaetz hosted a press conference this morning at Santa Rosa County Courthouse, to provide the update on the Zuraff case and announce the development of legislation aimed to protect Florida’s “cherished children and most vulnerable citizens.” Other state legislators in attendance included Florida House District 3 Representative Nathan Boyles and House District 1 Representative Michelle Salzman; both local legislators said they will support DCF reform legislation.
Dozens of citizens attended the press conference. Many families spoke up, saying DCF employees or case management workers colluded with agencies or others against them, making fradulaent assertions to take, and keep, their children in state custody, denying grandparents who tried to step in and help.
Pizzo and Gaetz encouraged families who have evidence that fraud was used against them in DCF cases to contact law enforcement; however, multiple families said they had been turned away by the Office of the First Judicial Circuit State Attorney Ginger Bowden, who was not present at the event.
As for Zuraff’s case, it is expected to close in December, following a statutorily required six-month period of supervision. Pizzo discussed revisiting that requirement, suggesting a three- month period instead.
While leaving court, Zuraff said she remains under a gag order by Circuit Judge J. Scott Duncan. But she did say “Pizzo for President,” to the cheers of several bystanders.
On a related note, effective Oct. 1, FamiliesFirst Network (FFN) will no longer provide child welfare case management and protective services across the First Judicial Circuit. The Northwest Florida Health Network is contracting those services to Lutheran Services in Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton Counties; FC Outreach will be contracted to serve Escambia County.
