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Bills Aimed At Helping Florida’s Disabled Foster Kids Gaining Traction

Sen. Nancy Detert (R-Venice) speaking at the Florida Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee Thursday about her bill.
Sen. Nancy Detert (R-Venice) speaking at the Florida Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee Thursday about her bill. Credit Florida Channel

A bill that would help identify guardians and guardian advocates for children with developmental disabilities aging out of foster care passed its first committees this week.

Gerry Glynn is the Chief Legal Officer for Community Based Care of North Florida. But, before that, he worked as a law professor and child advocate in 2009. In that role, Glynn says he chaired a committee reviewing the tragic death of a young man by the name of Regis Little.

“At 18, he left foster care after many years from foster care, he did not have a guardian. He was not able to make decisions because he had an intellectual disability,” said Glynn, during a House panel hearing earlier this week. “DCF and, at that time, Families Services of Metro Orlando, offered him services, and he said no. APD—Agency for Persons with Disabilities—offered him services; he said no. If he had had a guardian, who could have helped him make better decisions, the tragedy would not have occurred, which occurred when he was 18 and 11 months. Regis was found stabbed to death in a parking lot in Orlando.”

Glynn says Regis would have been helped by a bill that just started moving in the Florida Legislature. It’s aimed at providing assistance to those aging out of foster care. And, Senate sponsor, Sen. Nancy Detert (R-Venice), says that’s her goal.

“Within Florida’s foster care system, a high number of children have mental health diagnosis or disabilities,” said Detert, during a Thursday hearing. “A small percentage may lack capacity to make some or all decisions, concerning their own lives to the extent that some sort of guardianship may be needed upon reaching adulthood. So, as these kids age out of our system, they may need some assistance after the age of 18.”

So, Detert’s bill, which passed the Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs unanimously Thursday, creates a system to help these kids.

“So, the strike-all provides a mechanism for identifying guardians and guardian advocates and authorizes probate court to exercise jurisdiction for 17-year-old dependent children, so that children who need a guardian or guardian advocate will have it in place before they turn 18, and leave the foster care system,” added Detert.

Meanwhile, the House companion, sponsored by Rep. Janet Adkins (R-Fernandina Beach), also passed its first committee earlier this week.

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

 

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Alexia Nechayev

FYS Events & Meeting Chair
(Palm Beach/Miami)

Alexia Nechayev, from Miami, Florida, is a dedicated advocate for youth with lived experience in foster care and with homelessness. After being placed in foster care as a teenager, Alexia experienced firsthand the stigma surrounding the system, as well as the challenges of navigating a system that didn’t provide support for her to advocate for herself. This experience motivated her to create change, ensuring that other youth in care have the tools and resources she lacked.

She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Florida International University, and upon graduation worked as a Hope Navigator with the Department of Children and Families which allowed her to assist clients through individualized care plans, further deepening her commitment to improving the lives of marginalized youth. Alexia is now applying to law schools with the goal of advancing her advocacy work through a legal career. As the Events and Meetings Chair for Florida Youth SHINE (FYS), she creates opportunities for foster and homeless youth to collaborate and push for meaningful change. She is also an active member of the Policy and Initiative Team for Florida Youth SHINE, where she helps create and shape policies that directly impact youth in foster care. One of her proudest accomplishments is helping to develop the Foster Care Bill of Rights, a law that she feels would have made a difference during her own time in care.

In addition to her work with FYS, Alexia serves on the Board of Directors for the parent organization of FYS, Florida’s Children First. In this role, she contributes to strategic decision-making while advocating for the rights and welfare of children statewide.

Every year, she travels to the state capitol to advocate for bills she and her peers have helped shape, including key pieces of legislation that benefit foster and homeless youth. However her advocacy extends beyond her state, as she represents Florida Youth SHINE at national conferences such as the National Leaders 4 Change Conference.

Through her internship with the National Foster Youth Institute, Alexia continues to refine her advocacy skills, preparing for a future where she can contribute meaningfully to both policymaking and the legal system. Guided by the belief that “the blue sky is always there,” she remains committed to ensuring that every youth in foster care has the power and support to advocate for themselves.

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