J.J., THE FATHER v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledMay 6, 2020
Docket3D19-2223
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
Third District Court of Appeal
State of Florida
Opinion filed May 6, 2020.
Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.
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No. 3D19-2223
Lower Tribunal No. 16-15781
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J.J., the father,
Appellant,
vs.
Department of Children and Families, et al.,
Appellees.
An Appeal from the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Jason E. Dimitris,
Judge.
Eugene F. Zenobi, Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Third
Region, and Kevin Coyle Colbert, Assistant Regional Counsel, for appellant.
Laura J. Lee and Thomasina F. Moore (Tallahassee); Family First Firm, and
Beth Kathryn Roland (Orlando), for Guardian ad Litem Program; Karla F. Perkins,
for the Department of Children and Families, for appellees.
Before SCALES, HENDON and MILLER, JJ.
PER CURIAM.
J.J., the father, appeals the trial court’s supplemental disposition and case plan
approval order requiring J.J. to submit to substance abuse and psychological
evaluations. We have appellate jurisdiction. See E.P.V. v. Dep’t of Children &
Families, 278 So. 3d 749, 750 n.1 (Fla. 3d DCA 2019). Concluding the trial court
did not abuse its discretion, we affirm. See M.P. v. Dep’t of Children & Families,
159 So. 3d 341, 344 (Fla. 4th DCA 2015) (concluding that good cause for directing
a parent to undergo a substance abuse evaluation is shown where there is record
evidence that the parent had a history of drug use); J.P. v. Dep’t of Children &
Families, 855 So. 2d 175, 176 (Fla. 5th DCA 2003) (“The instant record
demonstrates that the trial court acted within its legal authority in ordering the father
to submit to a psychological evaluation as an element of his case plan since the
record indicated that the father had participated in incidents of domestic violence
and possessed a criminal history which included incidents of violence.”).
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