Opinion ID: 1105999
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Is a strict construction constitutionally required?

Text: Instead of the legislatively mandated liberal construction, the majority applies a strict, or narrow, construction. [11] The only ground the majority provides for its strict construction of the statute is its mistaken belief that such a construction is constitutionally required. Majority op. at 1052. A strict construction, however, is not constitutionally required. The majority's reasoning is flawed because it fails to place this particular subsection (one of a number of alternative grounds on which DCF may petition for termination of parental rights) in the constitutional context of Florida Department of Children & Families v. F.L., 880 So.2d 602 (Fla.2004). In F.L., we provided the strict construction necessary to assure the constitutionality of section 39.806(1). Regardless of how broadly or narrowly we interpret section 39.806(1)(d)(1), the principles of F.L. will require that, in addition to satisfying the criterion of the subsection, DCF will also have to carry the burden of proving that there is a substantial risk of significant harm to the ... child [and] that the termination of parental rights is the least restrictive means of protecting the child from harm. 880 So.2d at 608. DCF will also have to satisfy the statutory burden of demonstrating that termination of parental rights is in the child's manifest best interests. Id. at 607-10 nn. 5 & 6. Like section 39.806(1)(i), which we construed in F.L., section 39.806(1)(d)(1) gets DCF through the courthouse door. Id. at 609. But no matter how wide or narrow the door, the constitutional requirements of F.L. still remain. The majority's decision today simply narrows the door provided by section 39.806(1)(d)(1). It is not, however, constitutionally required, nor is it consistent with the Legislature's expressed purposes and instructions.