© 2024 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Claims Bill Further Compensating Surviving Child Abuse Victim Starts Moving In Fla. Senate

theangelprojectstories.blogspot.com

A bill further compensating a surviving child of an abusive adoptive home is starting to move in the Florida Senate.

Under a settlement agreement with the Florida Department of Children and Families, Victor Barahona is supposed to receive $5 million, due to the mistreatment he and his sibling suffered at the hands of their foster parents, who later adopted them. Nubia, his twin sister, didn’t survive.

DCF has paid $1.25 million, and Sen. Anitere Flores’ (R-Miami) bill will allow Victor to receive the rest of the five million. Flores says she’s shocked DCF, at the time, even allowed the adoption to go through—despite numerous red flags.

“The children hadn’t seen a doctor in years,” said Flores. “The reports of sexual abuse were rampant. The children would show up to school with bruises. They would steal food from school because they weren’t being fed at home. They hadn’t taken showers in who knows how long.”

It’s the fourth time Flores has filed the claims bill, which passed its first Senate committee last week. Meanwhile, its House companion has not yet had a hearing.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.