- Florida foster kids are given powerful medications, but Feds find state oversight lacking (KFF Health News, 9/27/2023)
- A federal audit has revealed significant issues in Florida’s child welfare system regarding the prescription and monitoring of psychotropic and opioid medications for foster children. The audit found lax record-keeping, missing authorization paperwork, and incomplete case files in a random selection of 115 children. Over 2,200 foster children, including 73 aged 5 or younger, in Florida are prescribed mental health medications, but in nearly half the cases, there were no records of the prescribed medications in the state’s primary case management system. The lack of oversight raises concerns about potential health and safety risks for these vulnerable children.
- Florida lawmakers denied Alligator Alcatraz access sue DeSantis (The Hill, 7/11/2025)
- Five Democratic state lawmakers in Florida filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s emergency management chief, alleging they were unlawfully blocked from conducting oversight at the state-run Alligator Alcatraz migrant detention facility. The lawmakers argue that the governor exceeded his authority by obstructing legislative oversight, while DeSantis’s office dismissed the suit as frivolous. The facility, opened July 1 with support from former President Trump, is also facing a separate lawsuit from environmental groups over potential harm to nearby wildlife preserves.
