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M.G. v. Children

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District
Jun 20, 2007
975 So. 2d 477 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2007)

Opinion

No. 2D06-5555.

June 20, 2007.

Appeal from the Circuit Court for Hills-borough County; Martha J. Cook, Judge.

Jessica C. Tien of Tien Law Group, Tampa, for Appellant.

Bill McCollum, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Kelley R. Schaeffer, Assistant Attorney General, Tampa, for Appellee Department of Children and Family Services.

Mercedes Scopetta, Orlando, for Appellee Guardian ad Litem Program.


Affirmed.

CASANUEVA and STRINGER, JJ., concur.

LaROSE, J., Concurs with opinion.


The trial court entered an order terminating the Mother's parental rights to her four minor children. The trial court found that the Mother tested positive for drug use on two occasions. The trial court also concluded that the Mother tested positive for creatine and alcohol use in January 2003.

Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid found mainly in the muscle tissue of many vertebrates and acts in muscular contraction. See The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 311 (1980).

The record does not contain competent, substantial evidence supporting the Mother's two supposed positive drug screens. Further, based on our record, I cannot say that a positive screen for creatine or an isolated use of alcohol formed a sufficient basis to terminate the Mother's parental rights. Appellee offered no evidence regarding the illegal nature of creatine. Neither creatine nor alcohol use specifically were prohibited by the Mother's case plan.

Nevertheless, the facts otherwise before the trial court amply support the termination of the Mother's parental rights under sections 39.806(1)(c) and 39.806(1)(e), Florida Statutes (2004). Therefore, I concur in the court's affirmance.


Summaries of

M.G. v. Children

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District
Jun 20, 2007
975 So. 2d 477 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2007)
Case details for

M.G. v. Children

Case Details

Full title:In the Interest of M.G., T.G., T.G., and J.D., children. M.G., Appellant…

Court:District Court of Appeal of Florida, Second District

Date published: Jun 20, 2007

Citations

975 So. 2d 477 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2007)