EXCERPT FROM: South Florida Sun Sentinel
By Sally Kestin
Felons and others with criminal records will have a tougher time getting day care jobs in Broward County under a measure passed Tuesday.
County commissioners voted unanimously to end the practice of holding local hearings to determine whether people with criminal records are rehabilitated and can be trusted to work with children.
The decisions now will be made by Florida's Department of Children & Families, which handles exemption requests in all other counties.
The change was prompted by a Sun Sentinel investigative series last September. The Sun Sentinel found Broward's child care licensing agency was more lenient than DCF, turning down just 1 in 50 requests.
Under Florida law, an exemption is required for anyone with certain crimes in his or her past to work as a caregiver of children, the elderly or disabled.
Nancy Merolla, the circuit administrator for DCF in South Florida, told commissioners the state supported the county's decision.
"We know that ultimately the goal is to provide the highest standards, not only professionally, but also [to] provide the most moral backgrounds for the people that are serving the needs of our children," Merolla said.