A Navarre girl has reportedly been returned to Santa Rosa County after the Florida Department of Children and Families took her to a foster caregiver in Jacksonville nearly two years ago. The agency had also sought to terminate the parental rights of her mother, Joy Zuraff, over differing opinions regarding the child’s cystic fibrosis treatment. Florida Senator and attorney Jason Pizzo recently intervened in the case, representing Zuraff pro bono. He said today that the “process is going well” for their case.
Pizzo made the comment while leaving a Santa Rosa County courtroom with Zuraff, who was placed under a gag order by First Judicial Circuit Judge J. Scott Duncan. She did not respond to questions.
Senator Pizzo, NPA, represents District 37 in the Broward/Miami-Dade area.
Bodycam footage of the child’s removal from her Navarre home went viral, exposing unprofessionalism within DCF, resulting in employee termination. The video also ignited questions and concerns about the agency’s practices.
The child was taken to a foster caregiver in Jacksonville. For roughly two years Zuraff and her other daughter would make weekly 12-hour trips to the East Coast for visits.
Since Pizzo took on the case and other state legislators got involved, the child was relocated to a foster caregiver in Santa Rosa County.
A follow-up with the court is reportedly planned for September.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Was your child(ren) taken by DCF to foster caregivers more than 5 hours away? If so, pls email details to info@ssrnews.com, providing dates.
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