A.E., Mother of G.E-M., S.E-M. and S.E-M., Minor Children v. Department of Children and Families
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledOctober 5, 2021
Docket1D21-0388
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
STATE OF FLORIDA
_____________________________
No. 1D21-0388
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A.E., Mother of G.E-M., S.E-M.
and S.E-M., Minor Children,
Appellant,
v.
DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND
FAMILIES,
Appellee.
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On appeal from the Circuit Court for Escambia County.
Jeffrey Burns, Judge.
October 5, 2021
PER CURIAM.
A.E. appeals the trial court’s final judgment terminating her
rights as to three of her children based on abandonment. We
affirm.
Under our “highly deferential” standard, S.C. v. Dep’t of
Children & Families, 311 So. 3d 971, 972 (Fla. 1st DCA 2020), the
trial judge did not err. A.E.’s admitted failures to maintain a
significant relationship with her children both in and out of
incarceration, even “considered in light of the limited opportunities
to assume those duties” while incarcerated, B.F. v. Dep’t. of
Children & Families, 237 So. 3d 390, 393 (Fla. 4th DCA 2018),
support the trial judge’s findings on both abandonment and the
manifest best interests of the children.
AFFIRMED.
LEWIS, NORDBY, and LONG, JJ., concur.
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Not final until disposition of any timely and
authorized motion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or
9.331.
_____________________________
Kevin Coyle Colbert, Miami, for Appellant.
Sarah J. Rumph of Children’s Legal Services, Tallahassee, for
Appellee Department of Children and Families.
Kristie L. Hatcher-Bolin of Gray Robinson, P.A., Lakeland; and
Thomasina F. Moore, Statewide Director of Appeals, and Sara
Elizabeth Goldfarb, Senior Attorney, Appellate Division,
Tallahassee, for Guardian ad Litem o/b/o G.E-M., S.E-M., S.E-M.
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