Florida Lawmakers Examine DCF Reform After Grand Jury Finds Systemic Failures

 Sen. Don Gaetz says proposed 2027 legislation will address due process, accountability, contractor oversight, false information presented to courts, and protections for Florida families. 

When a government system has the power to separate a parent from a child, the safeguards surrounding that power matter.

In the video below, Florida State Senator Don Gaetz discusses proposed reforms to the Florida Department of Children and Families following a Fifth Judicial Circuit grand jury investigation that identified serious problems in the state's child- and vulnerable-adult protection system.

The grand jury examined DCF operations within Marion, Citrus, Lake, Sumter and Hernando counties and issued 34 recommendations for reform. Among the issues reported were failures to protect children and vulnerable adults, deficiencies in investigations and oversight, and allegations that DCF or contracted case-management workers falsified records. According to reporting on the grand jury findings, law enforcement identified 12 cases involving alleged falsification of records, with eight resulting in official-misconduct charges. 

Senator Gaetz has said he is working with Senators Jason Pizzo, Jennifer Bradley and Erin Grall on legislation for Florida's 2027 legislative session incorporating a number of the grand jury's recommendations. 

Several of the concepts under discussion directly concern fundamental safeguards for families:

• stronger due-process protections for parents to present evidence and challenge inaccurate agency findings; 
• consequences when agency employees or contractors falsify records or provide false information to a court; 
• stronger oversight and accountability for private organizations performing government child-welfare functions; 
• statewide standards so that families' protections do not vary simply because they live in different counties; 
• greater scrutiny before the government seeks termination of parental rights; 
• requirements concerning the qualifications of therapists and medical professionals used by DCF and its contractors; 
• review of the legal protections afforded to DCF contractors; and 
• a stronger judicial check on agency decision-making.  

Gaetz has specifically said that parents should be able to dispute inaccurate information from DCF without fear of retaliation and that the DCF secretary should personally review cases in which termination of parental rights is being sought. 

For Operation Due Justice, the significance of this discussion extends beyond any one agency, legislator, or individual case.

DCF dependency proceedings and private family-law custody cases are legally different systems, and they should not be treated as interchangeable. But they can raise some of the same fundamental questions:

What safeguards should exist before the government separates a parent and child? What happens when information presented to a court is inaccurate? Who is accountable for the work of court-involved professionals and government contractors? How does a parent meaningfully challenge an allegation before temporary decisions produce long-term consequences? And what remedies exist when the system itself gets something wrong?

These are questions worth examining wherever decisions involving children and families are being made.

The grand jury's findings also should be presented in context. DCF has stated that it takes the findings seriously, that the cases examined span approximately a decade, and that some of the grand jury's recommendations reflect safeguards or reforms that the department says are already in place. DCF also said other recommendations would require legislation, additional funding, or legal review. 

Operation Due Justice will continue following the proposed legislation as it develops and examining what these reforms could mean for due process, evidentiary reliability, transparency, professional accountability, parental rights, and the protection of children throughout Florida.

Watch Senator Don Gaetz discuss the proposed DCF reforms above.

Operation Due Justice discusses the need to look beyond traditional DCF reform and examine how allegations of domestic violence, abuse, and other misconduct can move through law enforcement, child-protection investigations, injunction proceedings, and ultimately into family court—sometimes producing immediate and lasting consequences for parents and children before the underlying allegations have been fully tested.

The discussion focuses on the need for stronger safeguards surrounding investigations, accurate reporting, professional accountability, meaningful due process, and timely judicial review when parent-child contact has been restricted or eliminated.

Operation Due Justice advocates for reforms that protect legitimate victims while also ensuring that allegations are investigated fairly, evidence is carefully evaluated, and parents and children are not subjected to unnecessary or prolonged separation because of unverified or inaccurate claims.

The larger message is simple: protecting children requires both safety and due process. Reform should address not only failures within DCF, but the entire system through which allegations can affect custody, parental rights, family relationships, financial stability, and the long-term well-being of children.

Operation Due Justice — Family Court Reform. Accountability. Due Process. Children First.