Department of Children and Families v. T.H. & C.H., Paternal Grandparents of etc.

Opinion

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL FIRST DISTRICT, STATE OF FLORIDA

DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO AND FAMILIES and FILE MOTION FOR REHEARING AND GUARDIAN AD LITEM DISPOSITION THEREOF IF FILED PROGRAM, CASE NO. 1D15-4198

Appellants,

v.

T.H. & C.H., PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS OF J.R., A MINOR CHILD,

Appellees.

_____________________________/ Opinion filed March 10, 2016.

An appeal from the Circuit Court for Santa Rosa County. Marci L. Goodman, Judge.

Dennis W. Moore, Thomasina Moore, and Wendie Michelle Cooper, Sanford, for Appellant Guardian Ad Litem Program; Dwight O. Slater, Appellate Counsel, Tallahassee, for Appellant Department of Children and Families.

No appearance for Appellees.

PER CURIAM.

We affirm the dependency court’s order placing J.R. with Appellees for adoption pursuant to section 63.082(6), Florida Statutes (2015), because we find no

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error in the court’s interpretation and application of the statute under the circumstances of this case. Additionally, for what it’s worth, we note that many of the policy concerns with the statute articulated by the dependency court at the hearing below (and echoed by Appellants in their briefs) appear to have been addressed by recently-approved legislation. See Fla. CS for CS for CS for SB 590, § 2 (2016) (Enrolled) (substantially amending § 63.082(6), Fla. Stat.).

AFFIRMED.

WETHERELL, ROWE, and OSTERHAUS, JJ., CONCUR.