Senate Bill sb0018er

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    2002 Legislature                                  CS for SB 18



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  2         An act for the relief of Kathleen McCarty,

  3         individually and as personal representative of

  4         the Estate of Laura Bailey, deceased, and

  5         George Decker and Joan Decker, individually and

  6         as co-personal representatives of the Estate of

  7         Christina Decker; providing appropriations to

  8         compensate them for losses sustained as a

  9         result of the actions of the Department of

10         Children and Family Services; providing an

11         effective date.

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13         WHEREAS, Laura Bailey and Christina Decker,

14  developmentally disabled adults unable to care for themselves,

15  were institutionalized in various facilities on the grounds of

16  Tacachale and were wholly dependent upon the care, custody,

17  and control of the Department of Children and Family Services

18  and its employees, Rachuel Sercey and Evertice Cole, and

19         WHEREAS, on April 19, 1998, Rachuel Sercey lost control

20  of a facility-owned van that flipped and ejected Laura Bailey

21  and Christina Decker from the vehicle, and

22         WHEREAS, Laura Bailey and Christina Decker subsequently

23  died from their injuries, and

24         WHEREAS, Laura Bailey, Christina Decker, and their

25  guardians relied upon the Department of Children and Family

26  Services and its staff to provide for their safety and welfare

27  and to make the proper decisions on their behalf concerning

28  their day-to-day activities, and

29         WHEREAS, the facility-owned vehicle involved in the

30  accident which is the subject of litigation was improperly and

31  negligently maintained by the facility, including, but not


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    2002 Legislature                                  CS for SB 18



  1  limited to, negligent maintenance of the right rear tire on

  2  the van, and

  3         WHEREAS, for almost 15 years before the accident,

  4  Rachuel Sercey worked at Tacachale, and

  5         WHEREAS, before the accident, Rachuel Sercey was

  6  arrested and cited on numerous occasions for driving

  7  infractions and substance-abuse-related charges and was

  8  reprimanded by Tacachale for deviation from a trip ticket and

  9  neglecting residents in her care, and

10         WHEREAS, notwithstanding this history of which the

11  Department of Children and Family Services knew or should have

12  known, the department permitted Rachuel Sercey to drive

13  residents in facility-owned vehicles for facility purposes,

14  and

15         WHEREAS, the Department of Children and Family Services

16  did not require mandatory drug testing of facility staff, nor

17  did it conduct routine background checks on facility staff,

18  and

19         WHEREAS, before April 19, 1998, Tacachale staff

20  submitted for approval a request that certain residents be

21  allowed to attend a picnic field trip to Ginnie Springs, which

22  request was approved by agents and employees of the Department

23  of Children and Family Services, and

24         WHEREAS, Laura Bailey and Christina Decker were among

25  those residents scheduled to attend the Ginnie Springs field

26  trip, and

27         WHEREAS, on April 19, 1998, plaintiffs Laura Bailey,

28  Christina Decker, and five developmentally disabled adult

29  women were loaded into a facility-owned van along with two

30  staff personnel, Evertice Cole and Rachuel Sercey, and

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    2002 Legislature                                  CS for SB 18



  1         WHEREAS, the van was owned and maintained by the

  2  Department of Children and Family Services and used for the

  3  purpose of transporting facility residents, and

  4         WHEREAS, even though the van was designed to

  5  accommodate eight persons and was equipped with only eight

  6  seatbelts, Evertice Cole and Rachuel Sercey allowed nine

  7  occupants, including the seven developmentally disabled women,

  8  to enter the van, and

  9         WHEREAS, of these nine occupants, Evertice Cole and

10  Rachuel Sercey sat in the front two seats with seatbelts,

11  ensuring that at least one resident had no access to a

12  seatbelt at the outset of the field trip, and

13         WHEREAS, the security guard at the Tacachale front gate

14  was responsible for inspecting the paperwork authorizing the

15  outing to Ginnie Springs and ensuring that all occupants were

16  properly restrained and was otherwise required to ensure the

17  safety of the van's occupants, and

18         WHEREAS, the security guard failed to ensure that all

19  occupants were wearing their seatbelts, that the van had the

20  appropriate number of occupants, and that the right rear tire

21  of the van was properly inflated, and

22         WHEREAS, on April 19, 1998, Rachuel Sercey and Evertice

23  Cole were in the course and scope of their employment when

24  they took Laura Bailey, Christina Decker, and other residents

25  on the scheduled field trip, and

26         WHEREAS, after leaving the facility and instead of

27  going to Ginnie Springs, Laura Bailey, Christine Decker, and

28  the other residents were taken to a location where Rachuel

29  Sercey and Evertice Cole illegally consumed drugs and alcohol,

30  leaving Laura Bailey, Christina Decker, and the other

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    2002 Legislature                                  CS for SB 18



  1  residents improperly supervised and unattended during this

  2  time, and

  3         WHEREAS, after illegally consuming drugs and alcohol,

  4  Rachuel Sercey and Evertice Cole returned to the unsupervised

  5  residents and began to drive back to Tacachale, with Rachuel

  6  Sercey at the wheel, and

  7         WHEREAS, Rachuel Sercey, without protest from Evertice

  8  Cole, operated the van in a negligent, reckless, and dangerous

  9  manner, including, but not limited to, driving at excessive

10  speeds and ignoring an under-inflated right rear tire, and

11         WHEREAS, Evertice Cole had a duty to intervene on

12  behalf of the occupants of the facility-owned van and prevent

13  the accident, but did nothing to prevent Rachuel Sercey from

14  causing the accident, and

15         WHEREAS, the representatives of the deceased and

16  insured have been required to retain counsel and otherwise

17  incur expenses and costs as a result of the actions of the

18  Department of Children and Family Services and its employees,

19  and

20         WHEREAS, the Department of Children and Family Services

21  agreed in October 2001, not to oppose a claims bill up to the

22  amount of $400,000, and the Division of Risk Management has

23  already paid the statutory limit of $200,000 on behalf of the

24  department, and

25         WHEREAS, of the remaining $400,000 balance on the

26  claim, after payment of attorney's fees and costs in the

27  amount of $84,000, $246,000 is to be paid to Kathleen McCarty

28  and $70,000 is to be paid to George Decker and Joan Decker,

29  NOW, THEREFORE,

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31  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:


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    2002 Legislature                                  CS for SB 18



  1         Section 1.  The facts stated in the preamble to this

  2  act are found and declared to be true.

  3         Section 2.  There is appropriated from the General

  4  Revenue Fund to the Department of Children and Family Services

  5  the sum of $400,000 for the relief of Kathleen McCarty,

  6  individually and as personal representative of the Estate of

  7  Laura Bailey, and for the relief of George Decker and Joan

  8  Decker, individually and as co-personal representatives of the

  9  Estate of Christina Decker, for injuries and damages

10  sustained. After payment of statutory attorney's fees and

11  costs, the proceeds recovered through the passage of this act

12  shall be apportioned in the following manner:  $246,000 to be

13  paid to Kathleen McCarty, individually and as personal

14  representative of the Estate of Laura Bailey; and $70,000 to

15  be paid to George Decker and Joan Decker, individually and as

16  co-personal representatives of the Estate of Christina Decker.

17         Section 3.  The Comptroller is directed to draw a

18  warrant in favor of Kathleen McCarty, individually and as

19  personal representative of the Estate of Laura Bailey, in the

20  sum of $246,000 upon funds of the Department of Children and

21  Family Services in the State Treasury and the State Treasurer

22  is directed to pay the same out of such funds in the State

23  Treasury.

24         Section 4.  The Comptroller is directed to draw a

25  warrant in favor of George Decker and Joan Decker,

26  individually and as co-personal representatives of the Estate

27  of Christina Decker, in the sum of $70,000 upon funds of the

28  Department of Children and Family Services in the State

29  Treasury and the State Treasurer is directed to pay the same

30  out of such funds in the State Treasury.

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  1         Section 5.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

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