Case Name: T. P., Mother of D.B., A Child, Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2003-12-12
Citations: 860 So. 2d 1084
Docket Number: No. 5D02-3671
Parties: T. P., Mother of D.B., A Child, Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, Appellee.
Judges: ORFINGER and MONACO, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 860
Pages: 1084–1095

Head Matter:
T. P., Mother of D.B., A Child, Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, Appellee.
No. 5D02-3671.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.
Dec. 12, 2003.
Jeffrey L. Dees, Daytona Beach, for Appellant.
John H. Traphofner, Palatka, for Appel-lee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
T.P., the mother, appeals the order terminating her parental rights to toddler D.B. The mother asserts that she provided sufficient evidence of substantial changes in her life since the 2000 termination case in which her parental rights to her other five children were terminated to warrant the maintenance of her parental rights to D.B. Accordingly, she asserts that the court erred in terminating her parental rights to D.B. We disagree and affirm.
The mother has given birth to seven children: G.P. (2/7/92); D.J. (12/23/94); E.P. (7/15/96); C.P. (1/10/98); V.P. (she is described as being either six or eleven months old at the time of her death on February 12, 2000); D.P. (7/28/2000); and the child involved in the instant proceedings, D.B. (9/10/01). The 2000 order terminating the mother's rights to D.B.'s half siblings was entered following the death of V.P. The order in the instant case recites the facts of that 2000 case, summarized as follows.
In 1999 and 2000, the mother lived with Victor Hill, an alcohol abuser with a drug habit. Because the mother's care for baby V.P. was less than adequate, Hill took on an active role in caring for V.P. Sometime the evening of January 18, 2000, baby V.P.'s tongue was slashed, leaving a cut so serious that the loss of the baby's tongue was threatened. Only Hill and the mother were present when the baby was cut. There was significant blood loss, yet the mother denied seeing bleeding and did not know what had happened to the baby. She did not inform DCF that Hill lived in the home at any point during DCF's investigation of the incident. Later that same month, the mother's apartment burned down. The mother was referred to Children's Home Society for social services. Again the mother failed to reveal that she was living with Hill.
On February 12, 2000, baby V.P. was killed while in the care of the mother and Hill. The autopsy revealed multiple broken bones in various stages of healing, showing that the baby had been abused for some period of time. The baby would have been in a great deal of pain and would have cried out when moved, yet the mother never sought medical attention for the baby. The medical examiner concluded that the baby died from a fatal blow to the head that fractured her skull, causing a subdural hematoma and massive swelling of the brain. Both Hill and the mother denied knowing what happened to V.P.
The five half siblings were removed from the mother's custody after V.P.'s death. These children's bodies also showed they were the victims of ongoing physical abuse and neglect which, the court in that proceeding found, "was clearly deplorable, flagrant and outrageous by a normal standard of conduct."
The subject of the instant proceeding, D.B., was born seven months after the rendition of the termination order as to the half siblings. DCF removed D.B. from the mother four days after he was born and placed him with his paternal aunt, Stephanie Brinkley, while DCF pursued termination of the mother's rights to him in the instant case. D.B.'s father was incarcerated during this period.
At the July 31, 2002, termination hearing, testimony regarding the current situation was offered. Ms. Brinkley, testified that she is a counselor for at-risk families and children and is earning her master's degree in counseling. She encouraged the mother to visit D.B. often, advising the mother of the importance of early bonding. Sadly, the mother's visits with D.B. became less and less frequent over the ten months that D.B. was in Ms. Brinkley's care, despite Ms. Brinkley's advice. The mother admitted not often visiting D.B., stating that it was difficult for her to visit D.B. in someone else's house because she felt that D.B. should be with her.
The mother testified that she is unemployed and not looking for a job. She "does hair" for people. Her last employment was a short-lived job at Best Packers. Prior to that, the mother was employed for a short period by the O'Carroll House for' Disabled Children. Her employment there was terminated after complaints by an unknown source. The mother is currently facing an eviction action, two child support cases, two county court cases, and one felony charge.
The mother became involved with D.B.'s father, Kevin Brinkley, about two years prior to the hearing. She stated that he has "a little drinking problem," but the bigger problem is the drugs he does. She stayed with Mr. Brinkley even after D.B. was removed from her care because Mr. Brinkley is "no harm to me." In fact, even after Mr. Brinkley was released from incarceration (the record does not reveal the reason for the incarceration), she allowed him back in the home with her. The mother admits that Mr. Brinkley has physically abused her. Mr. Brinkley has lived with the mother as recently as the two-month period before the hearing. A week before the hearing, the mother had moved in with her own father.
When asked what she would like to tell the court to assure the court that the abuse and neglect her other children had suffered would not occur again, the mother stated that she had been trying to make changes. She listed those changes as going to church and "staying away from things that don't mean me any good, by an abusive person." Explaining that since 2000, she had learned that she could only trust herself to take care of her children, the mother stated that she loves all of her children and that D.B. would be safe in her care.
The mother's mother, Clara Phillips, testified that the mother was having a difficult time in 2000, but was doing a great job parenting all of her children. When asked how the mother had changed since 2000, Ms. Phillips stated that the pain of losing her children had made the mother a very good parent. Since 2000, the mother had watched several of Ms. Phillips's grandchildren while at Ms. Phillips's house and had no problems until DCF stepped in and threatened the mothers of those children. Ms. Phillips described the mother as having "an overprotective spirit."
Katherine Walburn, an administrator at Putnam Behavioral Health Care, reviewed the paperwork in the termination file. She could not give an opinion specifically about the mother because she did not examine her, but she did testify that some of the things reported as fact by the mother "are extremely disturbing." Ms. Walburn stated that if a person who exhibited the behaviors reflected in the file had established a new relationship with a person who had a substance or alcohol abuse problem, that would be a sign that nothing about that person had changed. As evidence of a change in a person who had done what was described in the file, Ms. Walburn would look for the ability to maintain a job and a household and look for evidence that the person was able to delay self-gratification and do things for others first, day after day. She inferred from the mother's diminishing visits with D.B. that the mother had a lack of interest, "which to me goes back to the matter at hand, the interest, the care, the ability to look after and be present for a child and do everything in one's power to protect it, and make sure it's okay."
Following the hearing, the court entered an extensive order terminating the mother's parental rights. It found that "the mother's recent activities and current situation do not demonstrate that she has made any significant changes in her life or pattern of behavior" and that "other factors that might have indicated a positive change in the mother's life are lacking." In explaining our affirmance of this termination order, we address first the standard of review, then the applicable law, and finally, how the law applies to the above facts.
Section 89.809(1), Florida Statutes (2002), provides, "In a hearing on a petition for termination of parental rights, the court shall consider the elements required for termination. Each of these elements must be established by clear and convincing evidence before the petition is granted." In In re Adoption of Baby E.A.W., 658 So.2d 961, 967 (Fla.1995), cert. denied, 516 U.S. 1051, 116 S.Ct. 719, 133 L.Ed.2d 672 (1996), the Florida Supreme Court observed that in reviewing findings of the trial court made under a "clear and convincing" evidentiary standard:
[0]ur task on review is not to conduct a de novo proceeding, reweigh the testimony and evidence given at the trial court, or substitute our judgment for that of the trier of fact. Instead, we will uphold the trial court's finding "[i]f, upon the pleadings and evidence before the trial court, there is any theory or principle of law which would support the trial court's judgment in favor of terminating . parental rights."
Id. at 967 (emphasis added) (quoting Kingsley v. Kingsley, 623 So.2d 780, 787 (Fla. 5th DCA 1993), review denied, 634 So.2d 625 (Fla.1994)); see also N.L. v. Department of Children & Family Servs., 843 So.2d 996, 999 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003) ("Our standard of review is highly deferential. A finding that evidence is clear and convincing enjoys a presumption of correctness and will not be overturned on appeal unless clearly erroneous or lacking in evidentiary support.") (citations omitted).
The petition for termination in the instant case cited two grounds for the termination, sections 39.806(l)(i) and 39.806(1)®, Florida Statutes. Although the court cited both in its termination order, the mother's arguments generally focus- on section 39.806(l)(i) to the exclusion of section 39.806(1)®. Section 39.806(l)(i) states that parental rights to one child may be terminated when parental rights to a sibling have been terminated involuntarily. The statute essentially creates a pre sumption sufficient to support termination that is subject to rebuttal by the parents. Department of Children & Families v. J.H.K., 834 So.2d 298, 299 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002) (citing Department of Children & Families v. B.B., 824 So.2d 1000 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002); A.B. v. Department of Children & Families, 816 So.2d 684 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002)). A.B. recognized that a parent facing the termination of his or her parental rights based on the parent's egregious abuse or neglect of another child must have the right to show that there is no "predictive relationship" between the prior abuse and the prospective abuse:
Otherwise stated, a parent whose rights have been involuntarily terminated as to one child may avoid termination as to another child if he or she comes forward with evidence that the circumstances or pattern of conduct that led to termination of parental rights to the other child cannot serve as a predictor of his or her conduct with the child at issue.
A.B., 816 So.2d at 686. Simply stated, under section 39.806(l)(i), the egregious abuse directed at one sibling is alone sufficient to support the termination of parental rights to another child, "without requiring additional proof to establish a likelihood that remaining children will be abused," B.B., 824 So.2d at 1007 (citing In the Interest of B.S., 697 So.2d 914 (Fla. 2d DCA 1997), review denied, 707 So.2d 1123 (Fla.1998)), but this presumption may be rebutted by an appropriate showing by the parent.
The mother argues that she provided evidence of substantial changes in her life since the 2000 termination case, but the trial court improperly ignored the evidence of these changes. Furthermore, she asserts that DCF did not provide evidence of the mother's current status as opposed to her situation in 2000. Thus, she concludes, DCF failed to demonstrate that the mother's current conditions had not changed or that she was unable to parent D.B.
The mother's argument is without merit. She, not DCF, had the burden to come forward with evidence "that the circumstances or pattern of conduct that led to termination of parental rights to [her other surviving children] cannot serve as a predictor of . her conduct with [D.B.]." A.B., 816 So.2d at 686. She failed in her burden. In fact, if anything, her testimony and that of the witnesses testifying on her behalf solidified the conclusion that the mother continues to be unfit to parent. The mother has made no positive changes in her life: She is unemployed; she was evicted from one place; she is facing criminal proceedings; and she not only entered into another relationship with an abusive, substance-abusing man, but she continued that relationship even after D.B. was removed from her, even taking the man back into her life after he was released from incarceration. The mother tries to rely on the testimony of her own mother that she is a good parent. However, given that the grandmother was of the opinion that the mother has always been a great parent, we, like the trial court, give her opinion little credence. When pressed, the grandmother identified the mother as having "an overprotective spirit," leaving this court to question exactly where that spirit was when the mother's six other children were being physically abused. Obviously the grandmother's testimony is not convincing evidence that the mother has changed or that she would or could adequately parent D.B.
The mother also claims that it is DCF's fault that she has not paid child support for D.B. She suggests that DCF threatened the mothers of her nieces and nephews if they continued to allow the mother to care for their children. The mother also blames DCF for the reports the O'Carroll House received that resulted in the termination of her employment there. However, there is no record evidence that DCF in any way interfered with the mother's employment.
Next, the mother contends that the trial court's conclusion that the manifest best interests of D.B. were met by termination was unsupported by competent, substantial evidence. Specifically, the mother argues that the trial court's conclusion that she lacks the current capacity to safely care for D.B. and fails to have the present ability and disposition to provide the child with food, clothing and medical care ignores all of the evidence of the current conditions of her life. She states that even the removal of D.B. from her care was a "knee-jerk reaction" to the 2000 case.
There is little that can be said in response to the mother's position given her refusal to acknowledge reality. She either physically abused her other children or allowed them to be abused while in her custody, and they were removed from her care following the tragic and unnecessary death of her own baby, which occurred while the baby was in her care. She has done nothing to improve her circumstances, and in fact, the evidence shows that she has continued down the same path she was on in 2000. Going to church and feeling pain from the loss of her children are not examples of substantial changes that would support any conclusion other than the one reached by the trial court. The termination order is thus affirmed.
We certify conflict with the Fourth District Court's decision in F.L. v. Department of Children & Families, 849 So.2d 1114 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003), for the reasons discussed supra. We also certify the following questions to be matters of great public importance:
1. IS SECTION 39.806(1)®, FLORIDA STATUTES, CONSTITUTIONAL, AND IS APPLICATION OF THE REBUTTABLE PRESUMPTION ESTABLISHED IN DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN & FAMILIES v. B.B., 824 So.2d 1000 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002), AND A.B. v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN & FAMILIES, 816 So.2d 684 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002), NECESSARY TO MAKE IT CONSTITUTIONAL?
2. IS THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE MEANS TEST STILL APPLICABLE IN TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS CASES IN LIGHT OF SECTION 39.810, FLORIDA STATUTES?
AFFIRMED.
ORFINGER and MONACO, JJ., concur.
SAWAYA, C.J., concurs and concurs specially, with opinion.
. The mother argues that it was error to terminate her parental rights without also terminating the rights of D.B.'s father, Kevin Brinkley. She asserts an "all or nothing" approach to termination of parental rights, arguing that termination of her rights is not the least restrictive means of protecting D.B. given that Mr. Brinkley may never have his rights terminated. There is no merit in this argument. Mr. Brinkley was served with a petition for dependency and termination. The trial court found D.B. dependent based upon Mr. Brinkley's substance abuse problems and the mother's egregious abuse of D.B.'s half siblings. Whether Mr. Brinkley's parental rights are terminated remains to be determined.
. Mr. Brinkley's own mother substantiated the testimony that her son has a drinking problem and is abusive.
. The Fourth District Court in F.L. v. Department of Children & Families, 849 So.2d 1114 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003), has recently held section 39.806(l)(i) unconstitutional. The decision in F.L. directly conflicts with our decision in A.B. v. Department of Children & Families, 816 So.2d 684 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002), and with the recent decision rendered by the Second District Court in In re T.S., 855 So.2d 679 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003), which agreed with the conclusion of this court in A.B. that the statute is constitutional. F.L. may also conflict with the decision of the First District Court in C.W. v. Department of Children & Families, 814 So.2d 488 (Fla. 1st DCA), review denied, 823 So.2d 122 (Fla.2002).