Third District Court of Appeal
State of Florida
Opinion filed February 10, 2021.
Not final until disposition of timely filed motion for rehearing.
________________
No. 3D20-1298
Lower Tribunal No. 19-15393
________________
C.J., the Father,
Appellant,
vs.
Department of Children and Families, et al.,
Appellees.
An Appeal from the Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Marcia B.
Caballero, Judge.
Law Offices of Roger Ally, P.A., and Roger Ally, for appellant.
Karla Perkins, for appellee Department of Children and Families; and
The Carlyle Appellate Law Firm, and Christopher V. Carlyle (Orlando); and
Thomasina Moore (Tallahassee), for appellee Statewide Guardian ad Litem
Program.
Before HENDON, GORDO, and BOKOR, JJ.
PER CURIAM.
C.J., the Father (“the Father”), appeals from an order adjudicating his
infant child, I.J. (“Child”), dependent. We affirm.
The Father contends that the trial court reversibly erred when it found
the Child dependent under sections 39.01(15)(a) or (f), Florida Statutes
(2020), arguing that the Department failed to establish that the Child was
neglected or at imminent risk of neglect as defined in section 39.01(50),
Florida Statutes (2020). We disagree.
The testimony at the adjudicatory hearing reflects that the Father has
anger issues; the relationship between the Father and the Child’s mother,
A.P. (“Mother”), is “volatile,” including ongoing domestic violence; and the
Father and the Mother remain in a relationship. The trial court found that the
“volatile relationship” between the Mother and Father creates “an unstable
environment for the Child,” which “pose[s] a risk to the safety of the Child.”
Thus, based on the record before this Court and the trial court’s findings, we
conclude that the trial court’s adjudication of dependency as to the Father
was supported by competent substantial evidence. See § 39.01(50)
(defining “neglect,” in part, as permitting a child to live in an environment that
“causes the child’s physical, mental, or emotional health to be significantly
impaired or to be in danger of being significantly impaired”); see also J.D. v.
Dep’t of Children & Families, 263 So. 3d 60, 62 (Fla. 4th DCA 2019) (“It is
2
not necessary to establish that the child saw or was aware of the domestic
violence for a finding of neglect.”); C.J. v. Dep’t of Children & Families, 968
So. 2d 121, 123 (Fla. 4th DCA 2007) (“It is not always necessary that a child
be physically present in the room in which an incident occurs to demonstrate
neglect or risk of neglect.”).
Affirmed.
3