stipulates that if the person who has custody of a public record contends that all or part of the record is exempt from inspection and copying, he or she shall state the basis of the exemption that he or she contends is applicable to the record, including the statutory citation to an exemption created or afforded by statute. stipulates that "Every person who has custody of a public record shall permit the record to be inspected and copied by any person desiring to do so, at any reasonable time under reasonable conditions and under supervision by the custodian of the public records."įlorida courts have stated that the statutory reference to the records custodian does not alter the "duty of disclosure" imposed by the public records law upon "very person who has custody of a public record." Thus, the term "custodian" for purposes of the law refers to all city employees who have it within their power to release or communicate public records. stipulates that the phrase "custodian of public records" is statutorily defined as the elected or appointed official charged with the responsibility of maintaining the office having public records, or his or her designee. If these kids are going to be here, I want them to be safe.The City Clerk is the City of Madeira Beach custodian of public records and is responsible for their safety (Sec. “I don’t think anyone can understand why Biden has opened our borders but that’s happened. Senator Rick Scott, who toured the facility and used the moment to inject some politics while demanding answers into the teen’s death. “This facility seems like a safe clean place,” said Republican U.S. Records also showed a child’s average stay at the shelter was just over 30 days before leaving and then being reunited with a sponsor or relative in the United States. That year, according to state documents, the shelter had an annual budget of just under $5 million dollars- all of it federal money since the nation’s unaccompanied children’s shelter program is completely federally funded. In state licensing documents from 2022, which is the last year the 32-bedroom shelter was licensed by the state, inspectors from the Department of Children & Families (DCF) described the shelter as “appropriate and equipped to care for up to 50 children.” At the time, the shelter had, “no reported complaints or pending lawsuits,” the records show. At the time, the Governor dubbed the order “Biden’s Border Crisis.”īut licensing documents we obtained as part of our two-year-long investigation into Florida’s crackdown on unaccompanied minors and the shelters that house them show the shelter where Espinoza was placed has a recent history that’s largely problem-free. The move originated with Governor Ron DeSantis in 2021 as part of a larger executive order he signed to crack down on illegal immigration. Last year, as part of an ongoing political feud between the Biden and DeSantis administrations, Florida stopped licensing most of these shelters, halting any state oversight. The program operates out of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the U.S. While the investigation surrounding the teen’s death remains ongoing, the Gulf Coast JFCS is one of a handful of shelters in Florida that are federally funded to provide temporary care for kids who cross the border into the United States without a parent or guardian. We need to be aware of that,” Shaw said, describing why she wanted to leave something outside the shelter in his honor. “It’s a loss of life and a young life in our town. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to authorities. It’s been a few days and I see no one else recognizing him,” the Safety Harbor resident said as she placed a small bouquet of flowers along with a simple sign on a piece of cardboard that read “Angel Eduardo Maradiasa Espinoza.”Įspinoza is a 17-year-old from Honduras who died a few days after he arrived at the Gulf Coast JFCS shelter for unaccompanied minors.Įspinoza, who had just been placed at the shelter a few days prior to his death, was found unresponsive in a shelter bed Wednesday morning. ![]() When Barbara Shaw walked up to the Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS) shelter in downtown Safety Harbor Monday morning, she came to pay her respects to a teenager she didn’t know and never met.
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