A Cry for Help, A Call for Change

I never thought I would be in a position where I had to beg for my voice to be heard — but here I am. This is not just a petition. This is my story. This is my everyday pain. And this is happening to families not just across Florida but throughout the United States.

The most painful part? Being separated from my children and my children being separated from each other. That kind of pain cannot be put into words. It is a heartbreak I carry every single day — knowing my children are out there, missing me, missing each other while I have been fighting and losing to a system that won’t truly listen and honestly really doesn’t care as long as their winning case numbers go up and that’s at any and all costs regardless of the pain and lifelong damages caused to the families.

My name is Angela Rodriguez, and my involvement with the Florida Department of Children and Families began on October 19, 2021, when an investigation was opened into my family. (To out into a better understanding every year an allegation was reported to DCF regarding my family, which all turned out to be false). Less than 90 days prior I had an investigation behind conducted by another worker who found no reason for a case to be initiated. Then without explanation or reasoning my children were removed by Tawnya White (who made the news locally for abusing and neglecting her own children) without conducting an honest investigation.

My children have never been abused and never been neglected. From that moment forward, my life changed in ways I never could have imagined. I requested a copy of her investigation results which could never be presented to me. And also I requested the evidence for her reason to remove my children which also couldn't be provided.

Throughout the process, I tried to cooperate, provide information, and do everything that was asked of me, but I often felt unheard and overlooked. Important details and my side of the story did not feel fully considered, while decisions that impacted my family were made based on incomplete inaccurate information and fabricated lies used against me. Many times I requested assistance to comply with what was being asked but the case managers continuously denied my requests and reported I was in non-compliance.

On August 18, 2023, I missed a court hearing in which One Hope United case manager Ellarie Azizi signed to have me committed by Baker Act to a mental hospital for 24-hour evaluation— a moment that would have devastating consequences — and from there, everything escalated. I'm court the state failed to inform the courts of my whereabouts. Instead of being given a fair opportunity to correct the situation, I felt like the system moved forward without truly understanding my circumstances regardless of who’s life was being negatively impacted.

The most painful outcome had been forced upon me…in the form of the loss of my parental rights pertaining to two out of five of my children— not just a legal outcome, but an emotional burden that I carry every single day. My two boys are now in limbo pending adoption (even though there's family that requested to take them).

This experience has left me questioning how a system designed to protect children can cause such deep and lasting harm to families who are trying to be heard and given a chance. As parents trying our best, we deserve that chance to bring our children home. 

I can’t understand how the State deemed me unfit for only two of my children yet left two others in my custody without interference. My main concern is the future outcome of the destroyed relationships of my children, their confusions due to the lies being told to them by the very people who took them into their homes to provide safety, health, and stability.

I’ve reported the abuse of authority, mental abuse being done to my children, the alienation, and the sibling separation (which has caused irreversible mental health damage) to supervisors, judges, lawyers, the Department of Civil Rights, and Children’s Advocacy Groups only to be ignored and left with no hope of ever holding my babies close again. 

What’s Wrong with the System:

Through my experience, I saw patterns that cannot be ignored:

*Investigations that are not thorough or fair, where decisions seem made before all facts are gathered 

*Parents not being heard, with evidence dismissed or overlooked 

*Subjective opinions outweighing real facts, leading to life-changing decisions without solid grounding 

*Poor communication, leaving families confused and struggling to comply 

*Lack of real support, even when parents are trying to do everything right 

*Little to no accountability when mistakes are made 

*Children suffering emotional trauma from unnecessary separation 

This petition is not intended to relegate specific court rulings, but rather to highlight systemic concerns that raise serious questions regarding due process, fairness, and the consistent application of child welfare standards not just within the State of Florida but throughout the entire country.

The concerns outlined herein reflect potential deficiencies in:

*Procedural fairness 

*Evidentiary consideration 

*Adequate notice and opportunity to be heard 

*Reasonable efforts toward family reunification 

These principles are fundamental to both Florida law and constitutional protections afforded to parents. Any system that exercises the authority to permanently separate families must be held to the highest standard of accountability and transparency. This system is supposed to protect families — but too often, it breaks them.

They took my children. Not because I didn’t care. Not because I didn’t try. But because a system didn’t listen. DCF is supposed to protect families — but what happens when it breaks them instead?

I’m speaking up not just for me…but for every parent who feels silenced and every child who just wants to go home.

💔 This has to change. This must stop. 

✍️ Sign the petition. Share this. Help me be heard. 

#DCF #FamilyFirst #FixTheSystem #ParentalRights #FloridaDCF #ChildWelfareReform #SpeakUp #ProtectFamilies #ProtectOurChildren