Case Name: S.D., Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2001-09-26
Citations: 805 So. 2d 10
Docket Number: No. 3D00-3086
Parties: S.D., Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, Appellee.
Judges: Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and COPE and FLETCHER, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 805
Pages: 10–20

Head Matter:
S.D., Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES, Appellee.
No. 3D00-3086.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.
Sept. 26, 2001.
Rehearing Denied Jan. 16, 2002.
Greer Davis Wallace; Virginia Lee Stanley, Miami, for appellant.
Ileana Orta-Rodriguez; Robin H. Greene, for appellee.
Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and COPE and FLETCHER, JJ.

Opinion:
FLETCHER, Judge.
S.D. [Mother] appeals a final judgment which granted the petition of the Florida Department of Children and Families [DC & F], and terminated S.D.'s parental rights as to L.R. The trial court entered a well thought out final judgment which clearly sets forth the grounds and reasons for this most difficult of decisions.
In affirming we share with the reader the trial court's final judgment:
"There is clear and convincing evidence that:
1.1 The Child was first taken into DC & F custody on or about January 7, 1999 based on allegations that he was born cocaine-exposed and that the Mother had a severe substance abuse problem which interfered with her ability to parent. The Child was detained in shelter by Detention Order entered by this Court on January 9, 1999 and the Child was placed in the home of his Godmother, Charlotta Smith.
1.2 The Child is presently in the custody of his father, [M.R.].
This Court having heard the testimony, observed the witnesses and having reviewed the evidence finds clear and convincing proof that:
2.1 The Child was abused and neglected, and prospectively will be abused and neglected in Miami-Dade County, Florida, by the willful acts of the Mother that have resulted in physical, mental and emotional injury that has caused or is likely to cause the Child's physical, mental or emotional health to be significantly impaired.
a. The Mother has a long-standing chronic substance abuse problem that significantly interferes with her ability to care for the Child and she has placed and prospectively will place the Child at risk of physical, emotional and mental harm. When [L.R.] was born cocaine exposed, the Mother met with Vicky Gray, a social worker at the hospital. Ms. Gray initially informed the Mother that the Child was born cocaine-exposed and the Mother responded with a flat affect. Ms. Gray testified that she provided the Mother with the names and phone numbers of DC & F personnel assigned to the case. Ms. Gray also testified that she discussed possible drug treatment and services with the Mother and that she could have assisted the Mother with receiving those services prior to discharge, however, the Mother had no interest at that time. The Mother left the hospital without providing a contact number where she could be reached or notified.
b. The Child has been neglected and' abused by the Mother in that the Child was born cocaine-intoxicated as a result of the Mother's drug use during pregnancy, thereby placing the Child at significant risk of physical, mental and emotional harm. Both the Mother and the Child tested positive for cocaine immediately after the Child's birth and it was reported that the Child was suffering from tremors.
c. The Mother has a substance abuse problem that significantly interferes with her ability to care for the Child in that the Mother knew or should have known of the adverse effect her drug use during pregnancy would have on the Child yet she continued to abuse cocaine during her pregnancy in gross disregard of the physical, mental and emotional health of the Child.
d. The Mother has ten Children and this is the Mother's sixth cocaine-exposed Child. All of the Mother's Children have been involved in the dependency system due to the Mother's drug abuse and failure to protect. The Mother's first Child was born cocaine intoxicated in 1989. The Mother has since given birth to six cocaine exposed or intoxicated babies in 1990, 1992,1993,1995,1997 and the Child in 1999. The Mother's parental rights to several of the siblings of the Child have been terminated and these siblings of the Child have all been adopted or are pending adoption. Several of the Child's siblings have been residing with the Maternal Grandmother. The Mother has never tried to regain custody of any of her other children.
e. The Child is at prospective risk of harm in that the Mother has a long and extensive history with DC & F and with relinquishing all of her parental rights and duties. In spite of the loss of all of her Children, the Mother continues to abuse crack cocaine, fails to seek treatment and places her Children at risk of harm in blatant disregard for her physical and mental health, thereby placing the Child at prospective risk of harm. Ruth Brown, a counselor, with the Substance Abuse Newborn Program ("SANP") testified that the Mother had been referred to SANP at least two different times after the births of her Children and that the Mother could not be located despite repeated attempts by Ms. Brown to locate her. Based on the Mother's history with many cocaine-exposed births, Ms. Brown had attempted to locate the Mother on at least ten different occasions. With respect to [L.R.], Ms. Brown went to the address that the Mother provided to the hospital social worker, and left her business card. The Mother never contacted Ms. Brown. The Mother was not willing to avail herself of the services that DC & F and SANP were willing and able to provide to her.
f. At the time of the TPR [termination of parental rights] trial, the Mother was incarcerated on a conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The father of the Child was the victim in that crime. The Mother was subsequently released from prison and was not incarcerated at the time of the dispositional hearing on this case. However, the Mother failed to appear at the dispositional hearing. The Court is also aware that the Mother tested positive for cocaine within weeks of her release from prison and prior to this Court rendering its decision on whether the Mother's rights should be terminated. This conduct by the Mother further evidences the Mother's chronic substances abuse problem and her relinquishment of parental responsibility.
g. Reasonable efforts have been made by DC & F to provide assistance to the Mother, however the Mother refuses to seek help for her drug addiction and blatantly disregards the duties and obligations of parenting Children. The Mother continues to use drugs while pregnant and to place newborn infants at risk of physical and mental harm. Richard Rodriguez and Brenda Boston are DC & F counselors and both attempted to provide services and referrals to the Mother. Mr. Rodriguez went to the hospital after the Child was born cocaine-exposed and the Mother had already left the hospital. Thereafter, Mr. Rodriguez went to the father's home where he located the Mother. This was several months after the Child had been born. At that time, the Mother denied that she was [S.D.] and left the premises. Despite the Mother's deceptive behavior, she later returned and talked to Mr. Rodriguez and Ms. Boston. Mr. Rodriguez referred the Mother to the SANP however, the Mother failed to comply with that referral or to seek drug treatment. During the conversation that Mr. Rodriguez had with the Mother, Mr. Rodriguez offered the Mother a referral for drug treatment, however, the Mother stated that she did not want the referral because she would soon be turning herself into the authorities and would be going to jail,
h.To this date, the Mother is still using drugs and failing to seek out services. The Mother's last referral made by DC & F was to . SANP on January 21, 1999. However, the Mother failed to keep any of the appointments and SANP reported that they have made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to conduct a home-based substance abuse assessment. The Mother has never completed a drug treatment program in spite of the many referrals provided by DC & F. This evidences the Mother's intention to abandon her parental obligations and places the Child at prospective risk of harm.
i. The Mother's inability to benefit from the services offered to her, evidences her inability to be an adequate Mother to the Child in the foreseeable future and evidences her prospective neglect of the Child if the Child is ever reunited with the Mother.
j. The Mother has not remedied the circumstances that caused this Court to place the Child in DC & F custody to the extent that the Child's well-being and safety would not be endangered if the Court were to place the Child in the Mother's custody. Section 39.01(68), Fla. Stat. (1999).
k. The Child is at risk of harm in that the Mother has a history of engaging in acts of domestic violence. The Mother was the perpetrator in at least one episode of domestic violence that resulted in the Mother being found guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
2.2 The Child has been abandoned by the Mother in that while being able, the Mother made no provision for his support and made no meaningful effort to communicate with him since the Child has been taken into custody, which evinces a willful rejection of her parental obligations. The Mother has not only abandoned this Child, but has a history of abandoning all of her Children. The Mother has failed to Mother any of her Children and has failed to have any significant contact with them, thereby evidencing the prospective risk to the Child.
2.3 There are no other custody proceedings pending in any other Court concerning the Child.
2.4 It is in the manifest best interest of the Child that this Court terminate the Mother's parental rights to the Child and, pursuant to Sections 39.806 and 39.811, Fla. Stat. (1999), permanently deprive the Mother of any right that she may have to the Child because:
a. The Mother lacks the ability and disposition to provide the Child with food, clothing, medical care or other remedial care recognized and permitted under state law in lieu of medical care, or other material needs. Section 39.810(2), Fla. Stat. (1999). The Mother has not demonstrated any ability to provide for herself, let alone a Child.
b. The Mother lacks the capacity to care for the Child to the extent that the Child's health and well-being will be endangered upon the Child's placement in the home of the Mother. Section 39.810(3), Fla. Stat. (1999). The Court has considered the totality of circumstances of this case and the Mother's extensive history of drug abuse and abandonment of her Children demonstrate that she is incapable of providing a stable placement for Children.
c. The present mental and physical needs of the Child and future needs of the Child, to the extent that such future needs can be ascertained based upon the present condition of the Child, require termination of the Mother's parental rights and duties. Section 39.810(4), Fla. Stat. (1999).
d. The Child has the ability to form a significant relationship with a parental substitute, and it is likely that the Child will enter into a more stable and permanent family relationship as a result of permanent termination of the Mother's parental rights and -duties. Section 39.810(7), Fla. Stat. (1999). The Child is presently placed with the father.
Having found that these facts as stated have been proven by clear and convincing evidence at trial as to the Mother, The Court finds that it is in the manifest best interest of the Child that this Court terminate the Mother's parental rights to the Child and order the Child to remain in the custody of the Father, [M.R.], pending further order of the Court.
The Court FURTHER FINDS that pursuant to Section 39.811(7)(b), Florida Statutes (1999), the Mother is to have no further contact with the Child.
IT IS THEREUPON ORDERED that the above-captioned Child is hereby adjudicated dependent as to the Mother and the parental rights to the Child of the Mother are terminated and the Mother is permanently deprived of any right that she may have to the Child and the Child is ordered to remain in the custody of the Father, [M.R.], pending further order of the Court. In the event the father successfully completes his case plan and obtains complete custody of the Child, he may decide the question of further contact with the Child."
R.134-40.
The above findings of the trial court as to the Mother's addiction and violence are sufficient to form the bases for the termination. See M.A.P. v. Department of Children & Families, 739 So.2d 1287 (Fla. 5th DCA 1999); M.B. v. Department of Children & Families, 739 So.2d 716 (Fla. 5th DCA 1999); In re K.C.C., 750 So.2d 38 (Fla. 2d DCA 1999). The guardian ad litem , in her report, recommended that the Mother's parental rights not be terminated, believing that contact between the Mother and the Child would be beneficial to the Child. That may be, but the trial judge had to determine the Child's best interests. The fact that there may be some potential good that might come from denying the termination petition does not compel denial if there is clear and convincing evidence that the Child's best interests lie in granting the petition. This the trial judge found to be the case. Accordingly the final judgment terminating the Mother's parental rights to the Child is affirmed.
Affirmed.
COPE, J., concurs.
. Termination of the parental rights of one parent and placing the child in the custody of the other natural parent is within the authority of a trial court. In the Interest of A.C., 660 So.2d 330 (Fla. 2d DCA 1995).
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