Case Name: S.K., the father, Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, STATE OF FLORIDA, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2003-03-12
Citations: 839 So. 2d 876
Docket Number: No. 4D01-5027
Parties: S.K., the father, Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, STATE OF FLORIDA, Appellee.
Judges: FARMER, STEVENSON and HAZOURI, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 839
Pages: 876–876

Head Matter:
S.K., the father, Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, STATE OF FLORIDA, Appellee.
No. 4D01-5027.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
March 12, 2003.
Gary L. Pickett, West Palm Beach, for appellant.
Jeffrey Dana Gillen, West Palm Beach, for appellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
We find that the entry of a default and the trial court's denial of the father's motion to vacate the default judgment terminating his parental rights was an abuse of discretion. Rule 8.270 provides that "[o]n motion and upon such terms as are just, the court may relieve a party or the party's legal representative from an order, judgment, or proceeding for the following reasons: Mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect." Fla. R. Juv. P. 8.270(1). We find that the father demonstrated at least one of these reasons.
REVERSED.
FARMER, STEVENSON and HAZOURI, JJ., concur.