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 put into a better understanding every year an allegation was reported to DCF regarding my family, which all turned out to be false and have no supportive evidence). There was no initial "report" or "complaint" that was given to the DCF tip but because I had a case prior and my name came up due to another case, the Department targeted my family. The only reason I could get from the workers was, I was "verified" under investigation. Which in my mind means nothing because I have no understanding of the way the Department uses the term "verified" as responding to conduct a case of remove the child(ren).                                                                                                              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. Never did she enter my home that day because I refused her entry to our home but she reported my home to be "unstable" and to be in "unsafe" living conditions. 

My children have never been abused and never been neglected by me but have by the foster homes and the workers on our case. We have reported any situation we encountered to higher up in the Department even to the court and it was told to us that without evidence it's "hear-say". 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 I have every right to obtain.

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 mental evaluation— a moment that would have devastating consequences — and from there, everything escalated. Even though the doctors cleared me and reported I wasn't mentally unstable by three in the after noon. Add soon as I was released I sent straight to the courthouse. I was told by the secretary to contact my case manager. 

I attempted to make contact with Ellarie but I never did and I never spoke to her again. I either sent her a text message or an email everyday for nearly three weeks before I was informed she was no longer on my case. Showing the level of maintaining contact between clients and case managers was non-existent unless it was used to benefit the state in court.

I found out that in court the state failed to inform the judge of my whereabouts with having the knowledge of my location because the initiated the Baker Act. 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 and without complying with the laws of the family court division. 

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). My children are the ones who suffered the most in this situation but DCF ignores it and ignores the mental health damage caused to them only to blame me so they don't have to own up to their mistakes. 

Most of these workers/case managers do not have any experience in life regarding the situations they put these families through. Just because you have an education on the topic doesn't mean you understand what your doing. Mental and physical understand can never be taught for someone to fully comprehend the situation unless you have been through it. There's a fine line between learning someone's pain to actually feeling someone's pain because you had to experience it. 

This experience has left me questioning how a system designed to protect children can cause such deep and lifelong 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 deems 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.

This case I've had to deal with is a situation based off of past problems that had been taken care of and false made up information that the case managers have made up even though I reported it false it made the docket against me. It has been unjustified and unlawful causing irreversible pain on our family. We have missed holidays, birthdays, milestones, and much more together. Time is something that can never be replaced.

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