Four Florida state senators are publicly pressing the Department of Children and Families to reunite a Jacksonville girl with her mother after the agency removed the child in March 2024 during a dispute over medical care. The case centers on Joy Zuraff and her daughter, Kenlee, who was five at the time, and it has now jumped from a county courtroom into the political spotlight as DCF Secretary Taylor Hatch seeks Senate confirmation.
Sen. Don Gaetz is leading the charge, joined by Sens. Erin Grall, Jennifer Bradley and Jason Pizzo, urging the department to make reunification its priority. According to the Miami Herald, Gaetz said that “very little has been done for two years and a lot needs to be done soon,” and that committee scheduling has pushed the case into the middle of Hatch’s confirmation process. Hatch is back before the Senate for a second year, and the handling of this case has become part of lawmakers’ scrutiny of the agency.
Senators Press DCF As Hatch Seeks Confirmation
The department took custody of Kenlee in March 2024 and now says the child is safe and “no longer in imminent danger,” according to a DCF statement. As reported by the Tampa Bay Times, the agency also acknowledged that video of the removal captured conduct it called inappropriate and said it is reviewing how its employees behaved. That carefully worded response has not cooled criticism from senators, family members and advocates.
What The Footage Shows
Body-worn camera footage from the removal shows caseworkers accusing Zuraff of refusing medical treatments for her daughter, while Zuraff can be heard saying she was seeking a second opinion and was not denying care. The footage, and how DCF has responded to it, sits at the heart of senators’ push for the agency to pursue reunification, according to the Miami Herald. Strict confidentiality rules around juvenile court cases limit what officials can say in public, and both DCF and Zuraff’s supporters say they are letting the legal process run its course.
Sen. Jason Pizzo has stepped in with an offer to represent Zuraff pro bono at an upcoming custody trial set for April, giving the mother high-profile legal backing. As reported by the Tampa Bay Times, Kenlee remains in state care in Jacksonville while the case moves through court. The senators say their involvement is meant to push DCF toward a quicker, court-compliant path back to family.
Where It Goes From Here
The senators’ letters, combined with Hatch’s looming confirmation hearing, give lawmakers some leverage to demand more detail from DCF, but they cannot overrule a juvenile court judge. Judges will ultimately weigh the evidence about medical decisions, parental fitness and the child’s best interests before deciding on reunification or any termination of parental rights.
In the meantime, Zuraff’s supporters have turned out at local hearings and organized online, and senators say they intend to keep pressing for answers from DCF. The case has become a high-stakes example of how state oversight, medical judgment and parental rights collide in Florida’s child welfare system.
