Case Name: In the Interest of B.W., J.W., and M.W., minor children. William H. WIRSING, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1985-07-18
Citations: 479 So. 2d 740
Docket Number: No. 84-844
Parties: In the Interest of B.W., J.W., and M.W., minor children. William H. WIRSING, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Appellee.
Judges: COBB, C.J., concurs.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 479
Pages: 740–751

Head Matter:
In the Interest of B.W., J.W., and M.W., minor children. William H. WIRSING, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Appellee.
No. 84-844.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.
July 18, 1985.
On Rehearing Dec. 20, 1985.
C. James Dulfer, Central Florida Legal Services, Inc., Daytona Beach, for appellant.
Jim Smith, Atty. Gen., and Eric J. Taylor, Asst. Atty. Gen., Tallahassee, for appellee.

Opinion:
DAUKSCH, Judge.
This case involves an appeal from an order of permanent commitment to the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services of three minor children and the severence of parental rights of the natural father.
William H. Wirsing, the natural father of three minor children, had his parental rights terminated following a permanent commitment hearing. In November 1979, dependency petitions were filed with the Circuit Court of Volusia County alleging that each child was abandoned, abused and neglected by their mother. The childrens' mother apparently was unable to responsibly care for the children at the time these petitions were filed. At that time, the father was serving time in the Lowell Correctional Institute for a burglary conviction. An order adjudicating them dependents was entered on December 12, 1979. The children were five months, three years and five years old, respectively, at the time of this initial adjudication.
By order dated July 21, 1981, the three children were placed back in the mother's custody. The legal custody remained with H.R.S. The mother was unable to care for the children and they were again placed in foster care. On August 26, 1982, William Wirsing entered into a performance agreement providing that custody of the children would be returned to him if he substantially complied with several conditions. Two days after this agreement was entered into, William Wirsing was arrested for armed burglary and sexual battery. He pleaded guilty to the sexual battery charge and was sentenced to twenty years in prison. These criminal offenses had occurred on August 24, 1982. H.R.S. filed petitions for permanent commitment on November 7, 1983. After final hearing the court entered its order of permanent commitment severing all the father's parental ties with the children. The attention devoted by this father to his children consisted principally of letter writing. From September 1982 to January 1983, Mr. Wirs-ing wrote the H.R.S. case worker in charge of his children twice concerning their welfare. After April of 1983, Mr. Wirsing wrote his children at least eight times. In December, 1983, H.R.S. filed a petition for permanent commitment alleging that the father neglected and abandoned his children and that he failed to comply with his executed performance agreement. At trial, Mr. Wirsing's counsel stipulatéd that it would be in the best interest of the children if parental rights were severed and the children were placed for adoption.
In its order of permanent commitment, the trial court recognized the interest Mr. Wirsing exhibited in his children during his incarceration but stated that the father never contributed to the children's support even during the period he was on parole and had a job. The court ruled that Mr. Wirsing abandoned his children in every respect except for giving "lip service" to maintaining an interest in them through letters. The court further noted that by continuing to commit criminal acts, which Mr. Wirsing knew, or should have known, would result in his incarceration and the removal from his children, he has demonstrated a lack of interest in the welfare of his children. This was an indicator of his intent to abandon them.
Whether one does or does not commit a crime is a purely voluntary act. When one commits a crime he is deemed to practically agree to suffer the consequences, all of them. It is cruel and inhumane to force children to rely upon as a father a person who has chosen to spend his life in prison and only sends letters to purport to fulfill his role as a father. A father nurtures and supports, he guides and uplifts. A father is available and willing to give of himself in order to raise his children to be whole persons who are prepared to face the world and work in it and contribute to it while enjoying all that the world has to offer. Children cannot do that without the assistance of parents. It is the duty of all of us to help all of the children to their best ends. If the natural parents fail, as the parents here have failed, then society, through legislative enactment, has provided a way to come to the rescue of abandoned children. It is more noble to provide for the immediate and lasting needs of neglected and abandoned children than to preserve some undefined wishes in some nebulous future for a biological father who will be in prison for all the time these children are children. The legislature recognized this, H.R.S. rec ognized this, both trial attorneys recognized this, the trial judge recognized this, and we recognize this by affirming the judgment.
AFFIRMED.
COBB, C.J., concurs.
COWART, J., dissents with opinion.