I am a former foster youth and a community advocate speaking alongside parents, families, and children who have been harmed by Florida’s child welfare and dependency court system.

I was removed from my mother’s care at a very young age. That experience never left me. As an adult, I have witnessed family members, friends, and countless community members endure similar — and often far more devastating — outcomes. Parents losing their voices. Children separated from their families. Permanent damage done under a system that too often refuses accountability.

Families report repeated patterns of:

* Children removed without clear evidence of imminent danger

* Inadequate or inaccessible due process

* Coercive or unattainable case plans

* Failure to meaningfully pursue reunification

* Termination of parental rights despite substantial effort

* Psychological harm to children placed into care

* Retaliation or fear when parents question decisions

These are not isolated incidents. They are recurring, systemic concerns.

A formal petition requesting an independent **federal civil rights investigation** has already been submitted. This public petition exists to ensure these concerns cannot be ignored, minimized, or buried.

Signing this petition is not about politics.

It is about **children, families, and basic civil rights**.

If you or someone you love has been impacted, a **separate confidential and anonymous form** is available to share experiences safely. Stories are being preserved responsibly and will not be shared publicly without consent.

Children deserve safety **and** family.

Parents deserve due process.

Communities deserve accountability.

Testimony submissions link 🔗 

https://forms.gle/RFWg9LfoudZSRuea7

Please stand with families. Please help make change.