OCALA, Fla. — A Fifth Judicial Circuit Grand Jury report found “heartbreaking, systemic patterns of neglect and abuse, abrogation of statutory responsibilities, as well as operational failures” within a Central Florida Department of Children and Families circuit.
The grand jury report outlines seven cases involving children and vulnerable adults where jurors say the DCF failed to act, resulting in trauma and even death. Circuit 5 consists of Citrus, Lake, Sumter, Hernando and Marion Counties.
Carley Santana has been organizing protests and advocating for improvements in DCF Circuit 5 since the death of three-year-old Paisley Brown in February. The child’s caretaker was found guilty of murder after admitting to hitting her…