Case Name: Terry RITTER, Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1997-10-29
Citations: 700 So. 2d 804
Docket Number: No. 97-210
Parties: Terry RITTER, Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, Appellee.
Judges: COBB, J., concurs.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 700
Pages: 804–807

Head Matter:
Terry RITTER, Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, Appellee.
No. 97-210.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.
Oct. 29, 1997.
Charles E. Gordon, Winter Park, for Appellant.
Claire Molchan and James A. Sawyer, Orlando, and Cindy M. Rothfeld, Kissimmee, for Appellee.

Opinion:
PETERSON, Judge.
The reason for the delay of almost 27 months between the day of the dependency hearing and the rendering of the order declaring T.R. to be dependent is not explained in the record of this matter.
On April 13,1994, in Polk County, a dependency petition was filed on behalf of appellant's alleged child. In May of 1994, pursuant to a motion filed by the appellant, the ease was transferred to the Ninth Judicial Circuit in and for Orange County. On September 28, 1994, a hearing was held on the dependency petition and at the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court informed the parties that a position on the matter had not yet been formulated, but that an attempt in good faith to come up with a decision by Friday at 5:00 p.m. would be made. When the order had not been entered by May 5, 1995, the appellant filed a motion for a status hearing on the matter, and on May 25, 1995, the Guardian ad Litem for the child filed a similar motion. The child's guardian filed a second report on the child's status in August of 1995. On March 26, 1996, the trial court entered an order for a status review hearing for April 16, 1996. When, on October 28, 1996, an order on this dependency case still had not been entered, the appellant filed a petition for writ of mandamus in this court to compel the trial court to issue a ruling. On December 16, 1996, the trial court declared the child to be dependent, ordered the child and his sister to live with the children's maternal great aunt, and transferred the case back to Polk County.
We find this case falls within that class of cases in which trial courts have been sternly admonished for unnecessarily impeding the prompt administration of justice, especially in matters involving child custody. See Falabella v. Wilkins, 656 So.2d 256 (Fla. 5th DCA 1995) (trial judge's delay in custody dispute, in entering custody order more than 16 months after trial, was indefensible and intolerable); Polizzi v. Polizzi, 600 So.2d 490 (Fla. 5th DCA 1992) (three-month delay in entry of final judgment in marriage dissolution case mandated new final hearing where final judgment did not reflect the evidence or the oral pronouncements at trial). Moreover, we find that the delay of nearly 27 months in this case in resolving the question of dependency, coupled with the proceeding for mandamus brought by one of the interested parties, casts sufficient doubt upon the wisdom and fairness of the decisions rendered by the trial judge to require that all of the orders in this matter be vacated and that a new evidentiary hearing be conducted forthwith.
Accordingly, we vacate the orders entered and remand this matter to the Ninth Judicial Circuit in and for Orange County. The chief judge of the circuit shall assign this matter to another judge. Custody of the child declared dependent in this case, as well as that of his older sister (who was declared dependent in an earlier and separate proceeding), shall remain with the children's maternal great aunt, until the matter of this dependency is resolved.
ORDERS VACATED; REMANDED.
COBB, J., concurs.
HARRIS, J., concurs specially, with opinion.