Summary

A group of juvenile detainees filed for a writ of habeas corpus, seeking relief from the deplorable conditions at the North Florida Regional Detention Center. These juveniles argued that the conditions at the facility were unacceptable and violated their basic rights. The circuit court, recognizing the severity of the situation, issued a writ directing that the juveniles be released or transferred and that the Center be closed if certain conditions were not improved.

However, the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (HRS) was not properly made a party to the action. Florida Statute § 48.111 requires that public agencies be served through their chief executive officer, and this provision was not complied with in this case. As a result, the service of the Department was ineffective, and the court lacked jurisdiction to order the Department’s involuntary joinder as a party defendant. This procedural error was a critical point of contention in the appeal.

Jack Fine argued that despite the procedural misstep, the order should still stand as it applied to the superintendent of the Detention Center. The superintendent had direct physical custody and control of the juveniles, and the record adequately supported the court’s findings regarding the conditions at the Center. These findings showed that the superintendent was responsible for ensuring that the juveniles were held in a safe and humane environment, which was clearly not the case.

In the appeal, the court reversed the order insofar as it was directed to the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, citing the lack of proper service and jurisdiction. However, the court affirmed the order as it applied to the superintendent of the Detention Center. This decision was significant because it upheld the necessity of addressing the conditions at the Center and affirmed the superintendent’s responsibility for the well-being of the detainees.