Case Name: B.D., Mother of K.D., A Child, Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2010-10-26
Citations: 46 So. 3d 650
Docket Number: No. 5D10-1536
Parties: B.D., Mother of K.D., A Child, Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, Appellee.
Judges: ORFINGER, LAWSON and EVANDER, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Third Series
Volume: 46
Pages: 650–650

Head Matter:
B.D., Mother of K.D., A Child, Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, Appellee.
No. 5D10-1536.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.
Oct. 26, 2010.
Nickole E. Frederick, Orlando, for Appellant.
Kelly A. Swartz, of Children’s Legal Services, Rockledge, for Appellee.
Laurie Beechner of Beechner & Eng-lert, P.L., Orlando, for Guardian ad Litem Program.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
We reverse the final judgment terminating appellant's parental rights, rendered after the entry of a consent by default. Constructive consent should be the disfavored result in a termination of parental rights proceeding. A.H. v. Dep't of Children and Families, 22 So.3d 801 (Fla. 5th DCA 2009). The trial court should have either granted a short continuance or permitted appellant to appear by telephone where the record reflects that appellant was making a reasonable effort to personally appear at the scheduled adjudicatory hearing. D.M. v. Dep't of Children and Families, 921 So.2d 737 (Fla. 5th DCA 2006); see also B.H. v. Dep't of Children and Families, 882 So.2d 1099, 1100-01 (Fla. 4th DCA 2004) ("Courts have made a distinction between parents who fail to appear at a hearing without a reasonable explanation versus those who have made some reasonable effort to be present.")
REVERSED and REMANDED for New Adjudicatory Hearing.
ORFINGER, LAWSON and EVANDER, JJ., concur.