http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2005/02/06/a2e
_dcfedit_0206.html

More scandal at DCF
By Palm Beach Post Editorial

Sunday, February 06, 2005

The man hailed as the architect of Florida's plan to privatize child welfare
acted unethically and made decisions that cost taxpayers tens of thousands of
dollars. The latest episode of waste and unethical behavior within the
Department of Children and Families underscores the need for stronger rules
governing the state's private "partners."

Chris Card quit Jan. 25 as executive director of Hillsborough Kids Inc., the
private, not-for-profit agency handling foster care and adoptions in its
namesake Florida county. Three days later, DCF's inspector general released an
investigation that found the agency "mismanaged telecommunications expenses
from September 2002 through December 2004. As a result, costs in excess of
$80,000 may have been charged to DCF as operational expenses." The probe also
found:


• Hillsborough Kids contracted with Verizon before an existing contract with
ITC Deltacom had expired. The result? An "early termination penalty" of
$23,000.

• Mr. Card let former employees and non-employees keep DCF laptop computers
and cellphones.

• Mr. Card accepted VIP tickets to sports events from a company doing
business with his agency.

And what about the abused and neglected children who should have been Mr.
Card's priority? A separate DCF report, noted in a St. Petersburg Times article
and issued the day Mr. Card resigned, said too many Hillsborough County
children are being removed from their homes and placed with foster families,
instead of with their biological families or with adoptive families. No wonder
the public is skeptical of DCF's private venture.




-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown