"The case " which appears to be one from Lake County " and others like it were detailed by the grand jury in a scathing report that concluded DCF was "failing catastrophically" in its duties to protect the vulnerable.
The agency's "systemic inaction" led to severe trauma and the preventable deaths of children and the elderly across a five-county region in north Central Florida, it said."
"The most recent grand jury, sitting in Marion County, detailed seven "heartbreaking" cases in its report where DCF had been called to investigate but took little to no action. Six of the cases resulted in death and the seventh in the arrest of the father on sex abuse charges.
The deaths included that of a toddler who died from skull and spinal injuries, and whose mother " who had a 17-year history with DCF " was charged with his murder.
Another was that of an elderly women who was regularly found on the floor naked and covered in human waste but who remained with her caretaker, though DCF knew that person had been using illegal drugs.
"Children were exploited, abused, neglected. Children died," said Sen. Don Gaetz, a Panhandle Republican, at a press conference a few days after the report's release.
"The department delayed, denied, lied and then did nothing."
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Also see, 'Republican Family Values'.
