Last Updated: 3:31 p.m.
Thursday afternoon, the Flagler County Sheriff’s abuse hotline got a call from a 14-year-old girl contemplating suicide. she said she was the victim of physical and emotional abuse by her mother, that she was the caregiver for herself and her four siblings while her parents worked, and that she was supposed to be homeschooled but wasn’t being taught anything.
Sheriff’s deputies and the Department of Children and Families responded to the property at 2403 Water Oak Road at the western edge of Daytona North (or the Mondex). What they found was immediately disturbing.
The front yard was a mess. The grass was “high enough to hide a child in some places,” a sheriff’s report states, with gas cans, beer cans, rust-covered items and other trash scattered throughout. “The front porch was covered in fecal matter by the two chickens that roamed the porch.” When a deputy knocked at the door, a young boy opened it then closed it before the girl who’d made the call to the hotline appeared. Two dogs slipped out of the house, followed by two boys, 9 and 6, both of whom were barefoot, with dirty hands and feet, wearing soiled clothes.
The girl told the deputy of her depression over her living conditions, of planning to run away several times and attempting suicide. She spoke of not feeling wanted in her house or on earth, that there was little food in the house, and that her parents would leave the house around midday, not returning until around midnight. (The father is a store manager in a gift shop. The mother got a job in September.) The girl reported being hit by her mother in the past. When opening up to her parents about the issues, she would get yelled at. She was worried about retaliation. (Her mother in mid-September posted a meme on her Facebook page, not the first, about having depression: “It’s a daily struggle. It’s not my identity. I will get better in time. I need people to be patient and understanding, not patronising and harsh.”)The sheriff commended the girl for taking the step to call the abuse hotline.
Her parents are Betty Nicolicchia-Allen, 42, and Dennis Allen, 44. By Friday night, both had been booked at the Flagler County jail on felony child neglect charges, and the children had been taken into the protection of the Department of Children and Families.
What authorities found inside the house was a lot worse than what they saw outside.
The children the girl was caring for were 6, 8, 9 and 12. All looked as unkempt as the two boys who’d run out a short time before. The house smelled of urine and animal waste. “When I entered I observed the children living in squalor,” the deputy reported. “The floor of the living room was covered in what appeared to be feces and urine from the three dogs running around. Some of the feces and urine has been dried and left for days and other was fresh. There was a rabbit living in a small fenced in area of the bare living room floor. On a dresser in the living room was a dirty plate of food which appeared to have been left for days next to a can of roach killing spray. The living room couch and walls were tarnished in filth. The kitchen counters were stacked with dirty dishes that were covered in the abundance of insects to include roaches and flying bugs. A mostly empty bag of bread was on the counter that had insects on or in the bag. The white floors and green counter tops were tarnished with mold and filth from an extended time of being neglected. In the middle of the kitchen was another hand pumped spray bottle as if it was used to assist with mitigating the insect infestation in the kitchen. On the open bottom shelf the kitchen counter were multiple bottles of bleach and unknown chemicals.”
The descriptions go: a fridge empty of edible food, a stove covered in days-old filth, soiled clothes on laundry machines that were themselves “tarnished with filth.” There was no running water. A hose snaked through the only bathroom’s window and into the shower. The children reported having bathed three days to a week before, and even then, only by traveling to Bull Creek Fish Camp to do so. The toilet was clogged with accumulated waste. “Tooth brushes were kept between two Styrofoam plates on the bathroom sink in what appeared to be a lackluster effort to keep them from the filth of the house,” the deputy wrote. The parents’ bedroom floor was invisible under piles of trash and other items. “This was the only bed in the house with sheets that were very soiled.”Two other bedrooms looked the same, though the beds had no sheets. “The tremendous filth in the house along with the abundance of animal feces caused my boots to stick to the floor and caused me to constantly watch the placement of each step as to not soil my boots,” the deputy, Seth Green, reported.
“This is a traumatic situation for all of the children involved,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Halloween is a day where kids should be out having fun, not contemplating ending their life. I want to commend the girl for calling the Abuse Hotline and being brave enough to ask for help. These children were living in deplorable conditions. I am thankful that these kids are now safe from these two individuals who obviously do not know how to properly care for children.”
A DCF investigator took custody of the children. The oldest was taken to Halifax hospital for observation because of her suicidal thoughts. The parents Saturday morning remained at the county jail, each on $5,000 bond. They have lived at the 1,200-square-foot house on Water Oak Road since 2006. It had been deeded to them by Habitat for Humanity.
The animals in the house were not claimed or adopted, but left in the house. The arrest reports note three dogs and a rabbit. When Keith Neal, Flagler County’s animal control officer, looked in the window today, he noted four dogs and a guinea pig. The door was locked. He could not go in or claim the animals. He posted a legal notice giving the owners 24 hours before animal control would have the authority to go in and take the animals.
That notice and 24-hour wait would not have been necessary had deputies followed normal protocol at the time of the arrest, he said. “If we get the call at that time when deputies are making the arrest, there is no 24-hour wait,” Neal said. But animal control was never notified. Today he had no choice but to wait. “I looked in the window, the animals look fine,” he said.
He could not explain why animal control had not been called, and questions to that effect to a sheriff’s spokesperson had not yet been answered when the story was updated Saturday afternoon.
Anyone interested in donating clothing or other goods to the family may drop off the donations at the Department for Children and Families office at 105 South Bacher Street, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at Community Partnership for Children in the VyStar Credit Union commerce center on Palm Coast Parkway.
attila2 says
Take a good look at this and that’s how Palm Coast will look it we continue to support low income housing. It’s an ingrown problem that will not change.
Mike Cocchiola says
Nonsense, attila2. People like this are an anomaly. It is an individual thing as likely to happen, and has far too many times, to higher-income families. There are mental health issues here as well as parental neglect.
BW says
I’m sorry, but you have to be a pretty rotten person if that is the first thing that comes to your mind after reading this story. There are plenty of examples in this County, City, State, and White House that wealth does not equal a moral person with good values that contributes positively to society.
erobot says
You’re right, but we are talking here about how our tax dollars are being spent.
Patricia says
I AGREE
Cori Apostle says
Well said. Ignorance, abuse, indifference and inhumanity comes in all sizes, shapes and socioeconomic situations. For the price of feeding the 4-legged animals, the parents could’ve bought dishwashing liquid and sponges and laundry detergent. Not to mention food. For the sake of children, they should have applied for food stamps. It’s not the children’s fault. The mom and dad could’ve spent even a half hour a a day cleaning. Something! Anything! The girl proved she’s 10 times smarter than both of her parents put together. Probably because she actually spent time actually being a parent. She’s to be commended! Hopefully, this decision to speak up will serve her well going forward. You’re the problem, Attila! I bet you think you’re better than them. With a few keystrokes, you’ve gone on public record proving just the opposite. Thank you for that. Hopefully someone who used to respect you will see the error of their ways!
Mary Fusco says
Sorry, but why do people continue to have children when they have no visible means to support them. Just because they can. This makes me sick. This woman is on FB saying how she cleans the house and kids only eat certain foods, never junk, etc. etc. Always crying and whining and begging. Sickening. Who would have known they are just 2 filthy pigs. No mental illness here. Burn that hell hole down.
CA365 says
What a classist, idiotic comment. Low income doesn’t equal living in squalor, just like being well off doesn’t mean you clean up after yourself or take better care if your kids. So, unless you’re offering to make up the monetary difference, you’re just being rude amd discriminatory.
Bobbi Jo says
with an attitude like this, your right ! Nothing will change. Not every poor person has a dirty house. Not every rich person has a clean house! Not all drug attics are poor, not every Rich person is sober. I am just proud of the girl to reach out for help! She may have just saved her siblings for going thru life struggling. This world needs more compassion and understanding. We are quick to rally to take care of animals but look the other way at humans! Just my thoughts not looking for an argument!
Alan says
Exactly thankyou for this statement its the mentality of the people not the money
erobot says
Yep and unfortunately, this is the way most people treat free stuff.
Habitat Partner Family says
The thing is, there are challenges this family was facing which are unique to this family and likely more complicated than what we see on the surface. For the record, the rest of us who have bought homes through Habitat don’t end up on the front page of Flagler Live. You see this situation, but not all the situations where Habitat and other program-based homeowners flourished and now contribute immensely to the community. We prosper, grow, and work up. Some Habitat families, I know, have gorgeous homes. Many work in the community, highly respectable, hard working, bright people. Habitat homeowners knew what this would mean–that the challenges this family faced–culminating in these awful pictures– would become the “face of Habitat.” That this would be the thing that surfaces and makes other citizens reluctant to acknowledge a need for housing which is affordable. There are so many of us who have prospered and given back because of Habitat. Please don’t let this situation tarnish how valuable this program (not free homes, by the way, they come with mortgages and restrictions and sweat equity requirements) is and has been for many, many families.
S. Taylor says
Just because you may have a low income, does not mean you are a scum bag. Flagler county is nothing but a black hole, devoid of any decent way to make a living. You and your comment are a big part of the problem!
R and W says
About your comment. How long have you considered yourself to be a “goodie two shoes?” We lived in a low income apartment for a number of years and I don’t consider us scumbags as you called us. So, do not judge least thee be judged. Just enjoy your crystal palace and thank God you have what you do have and don’t belittle others.
Lisa Moyer says
What a snob. Poor people know how to use soap. It is people like that who lack CLASS. Kind of like yourself.
Cheryl W says
This is a completely inaccurate and unfair portrayal that stigmatizes low income families. I have worked in child abuse and neglect cases for over 25 years, by far, abusive and neglectful parents were not “low income”. To make a generalized statement that a low socioeconomic level equates to people not being proud, hardworking and loving and caring for their family and children is actually a very uneducated and unaware comment. While profound mental health has a long term impact on parents and their children, there are also people who care more for themselves and the animals (although the animals weren’t treated any better in this case) than they do their own children. While people often are moved to give their time and money to help these parents, the situation is far more dire than mowing a lawn or cleaning a home. These parents must now prove they are actually worthy of having their children in their care. Statistics show that children that are neglected actually suffer more long term abuse than those that have been physically abused. Often they are deprived of nutrients so their brains do not grow as they should and they suffer in every aspect (physically, emotionally and educationally), they haven’t lived in a nurturing environment so they suffer from attachment disorders, they lack the ability to trust others and often have very unhealthy sibling relationships as some have been in the position of caring for the younger siblings and harbor understandable resentment towards them. The federal law states these parents will now have to WORK hard to have the privilege of having their children reunified with them and the timeline is a very short one as it should be. Focus on the children, not the parents, the children deserve the opportunity to become healthy in every sense of the word so they may live an abundant life.
Connie Sparks says
Instead of complaint how some people live. Go give donations or money to the Children.
Jean says
This is such a horrible tragedy for these children. It makes me sick to think this is how these poor children have been living. Haven’t the neighbors seen any of this?! I commend the girl for trying to get out of this horrible situation and hope these children can be placed in a home where they will be cared for and loved. Please get them help! These people don’t deserve to be parents so please give these children a loving home!
JustBeNice says
I know for a fact that Code Enforcement and DCF were called several times in past and nothing was ever done.
It’s also not fair to judge an entire group of people. We were poor growing up and my parents rented a house. We had chores and we helped keep the house- inside and out clean. My parents had pride in their home and passed that along to us.
Erobot says
Whom am I judging?
When children are indulged, they often grow up as spoiled brats — ditto for adults. Two people work in that household and their housing was given to them scot-free. Even at minimum wage, they should be able to take care of their home and kids reasonably well.
Edith Campins says
Your comment speaks to your ignorance. Do you have any idea what it takes to qualify for a Habitat home? The hours of work that have to be put in? Do you have any idea that they may actually have had a small mortgage? How do you know that anyone involve was a spoiled brat?
erobot says
I didn’t say anyone was a spoiled brat. I used overly indulged children becoming spoiled brats as an example to what happens when people become addicted to the “gimme free stuff” mindset.
Don’t judge says
Yes…cops, code and DCf..many times!!! Oh wait I forgot animal control they are the only agency that stepped up.
MercyNEW says
And they also do receive food stamps…I think its sad that it took the eldest girl to call for help before anyone went into the home.
Counselor2018 says
I know for a FACT that DCF has numerous reports and have done nothing! Flagler Live or someone should advocate for these kids! Ask DCF how many reports!
Outsiderlookingin says
I know for sure one of the neighbors reported this family numerous times to no avail.
me and you says
Very sad Prayers
J says
It’s not a palm coast thing or a dex thing it is a neighborhood thing and the mondex is probably a not as good as palm coast or the city of bunnell because of the fact that it is easier to hide the issue. And how much that everyone does not like each. I think that if you home schooling u should have to make sure they are yearly physical check up maybe have dcf check in and see how it is. Not saying that homeschooling is wrong but maybe the school could have alarted some one the teacher have alot of responsibility on our kids and well-being not saying that they are bad ppl we need to step up as coumtuy to offer a hand to the ones who wants to get ahead but there’s r the one’s who streal from everyone and I see y ppl are not getting along so what should we do but there has to be something done about
Teacher says
How about Flagler County Schools do a better job of finding out what these HOMESCHOOLING parents are actually doing! No follow-up when these kids are withdrawn to HomeSchool!
orl says
@teacher
Is there anything else people want the schools to do? Schools are to take of the students when they are students. It is not the job of schools to track kids that are homeschooled. Parents need to be parents and people need to stop throwing parenting jobs on teachers.
Dedicated American says
Thank you Pierre for bringing light to the people that care. This is such a sad state of affairs for these children. Please stop passing judgment on all aspects of this article. The bottom line is, There Was Absolutely No Follow Up, on home schooling by our Board of Education, on many complaints made to the Flagler County Police Department, and the DCF. I would think there would be an inspection every six months by Habitat For Humanity on ALL their homes. Flagler County Sheriff and the DCF should be held responsible for not following ALL many the complaints made by the residents of Mondex. This just adds to all the oversight that exist in Flagler County right down to our county government. Tax payers we all have to band together and go to Board of County Commissioners Meetings tomorrow, Monday 9 am and the third Thursday of the month at 5 pm.
CB from PC says
This is what happens when people are given a home as part of “entitlement”, and not the result of work.
The parents here both now had jobs. No excuse.
These conditions will likely have a lifetime devastating effect on these poor kids.
How many success stories does subsidized, section 8 or “free” housing have going for it?
I have yet to see one.
Pierre Tristam says
The ignorance of the comment is such that it shouldn’t bear addressing, but since CB has “yet to see one,” when there are millions, maybe we should oblige with one emblematic “success story,” one of the greatest of its time. On September 20, 1948, a family gained admission to one of the 433 subsidized housing apartments at Lauderdale Courts in Memphis. Rent was $35 a month. Allowable income ceiling was $2,500 a year. They had no telephone and a car that barely ran. The father was a loader at a business called United Paint, making 85 cents an hour, what would today be $9.21. The mother got a part-time job at a store called Fashion Curtains and did her share of tupperware parties. They had a son in junior high who took to playing the guitar while at the Courts. Two years later the mother got a job at St. Joseph’s Hospital as a $4-a-day nurse’s aid, and by January 1953 they were making enough to move out of the Courts. By then their son was a senior in high school, who graduated a few months later and got a job at $33 a week at M.B. Parker Machinists’ Shop. His name: Elvis Presley.
Sure the Courts deteriorated over time, but the Presley family wasn’t an exception. The Courts, not unusually for subsidized housing at one time and even now, produced their share of people who’d become lawyers, judges, business people. Subsidized housing was never the problem. The dearth of it, the stinginess of support for it, and of course the incessant prejudice and nimbyism against it so expressed by CB and many others contributed (and contributes still) to the self-fulfilling prophesy of subsidized housing as a blight. But to point to one instance of a set of negligent parents who happened to have received a house from Habitat for Humanity and conclude that either habitat for Humanity or any form of housing assistance is cause for trouble as “entitlement” is almost as absurd, but really more immoral, as what follows: those who make those judgments, and i doubt CB is an exception, are on entitlements themselves–on Medicare, on Social Security, and almost certainly benefited from massive middle class subsidies to their own housing, such as the interest rate mortgage deduction, which alone (until recent changes in law) overwhelmed whatever subsidy was going to “Section 8.”
And to think one has to actually waste time making these points. The squalor in thinking and prejudice in this town far outstinks anything found in the house on Water Oak Road, because that squalid thinking is what leads to the sort of social and political atmosphere that makes enemies of those who need help most.
Mary Fusco says
You know what. Anyone is capable of cleaning up after themselves. This is disgusting squalor that did not happen over night. These children have been neglected for some time. There is no food in the house, not even sheets on their beds. Yet on social media, they pretend to be parents of the year. The brunt of this is on these poor children. Idiots need to stop having kids that they cannot ever possibly care for. I hope they stay in jail and the kids will get a normal life.
Starfyre says
Need to correct you on a fact- SOCIAL SECURITY IS NOT AN ENTITLEMENT!!
Those who receive have PAID INTO IT. I EARNED my Social Security! As did everyone on it!
And I agree that subsidized housing is not the problem. The lack of helping people who WANT to be helped is the problem. This family received a LOT of help. I personally was one of many in the community that helped them.
There is a mental health issue here that was never addressed! And it simply got worse and worse. And sadly, the children suffered!!!
Traveling Rep says
Long winded, as usual. As soon as you mentioned mephis- I skipped ahead to Elvis. Cherry picked example. Still better would be the example of Dr Ben Carson (taboo for a lefty, eh?) . Talk about a dirt poir upbringing , fraught with challenges, Yet, i was mindful that a good Lefty like you wouldn’t dare drift from an addict like Elvis. Role model?
Pierre Tristam says
To each his own. I prefer giants to gnats. But thanks for making my point either way.
Eva Mowry says
I adore this post. Thank you!
DREW DIXON says
Bravo Pierre. This is one of the few times I totally agree with what you have to say. Habitat is not a freebie. If Palm Coast had higher paying jobs that could support the population maybe there wouldn’t be such a need.
SocialismWorksAroundTheGlobe says
Is this supposed to be an argument in favor of subsidized housing? The bottom line is that there is not industry in the area to support working families. These are the ones that require housing subsidies. I can’t just move into an upper class neighborhood that I cannot afford to live in and expect someone to help me pay my way. Why again do families move here if they have no jobs to indepedently support themselves?
Robert Cuff says
The comment that Habitat homes are “given” to the partner families who own them is wrong and a huge disservice to the thousands of families around the country who have bettered their lives and the lives of their children through the Habitat program.
Habitat families qualify to purchase their homes, by performing hundreds of hours of sweat equity on the construction of their own home or the home of another partner family and completion of homeowner training. Once a family has completed these initial requirements, they are SOLD their home with a mortgage held by Habitat that they pay back over 15-30 years.
Habitat helps qualified families afford the purchase of a simple, decent place to live through the family’s own efforts and the help of volunteers from the local community. Habitat is not and never has been a giveaway program. The families who build and purchase their homes in partnership with Habitat for Humanity work hard to improve their lives and deserve our respect and support.
Locally, Habitat has helped over 100 families build and own their homes. The horrific conditions reported in this story are appalling, but it is wrong to assume that they are typical of Habitat families or that any Habitat partner family is “given” their home. The assumption unfairly stigmatizes some of the hardest working people in our community.
Eva Mowry says
You are truly ignorant. There but for the grace of God go YOU. Think about it. And do not judge.
Habitat Partner Family says
Habitat is a private nonprofit that, in general, sells modest homes to “partner families” at cost with no interest. It’s a smart option for homeowners who qualify for this type of mortgage. They also have to complete over a hundred hours of volunteer work helping to build other homes and eventually their own. It’s not free. It’s not subsidized.
Also, I was a Habitat Homeowner. I know a lot of Habitat homeowners who are great people and they contribute to their communities. We don’t hear about our stories because they aren’t interesting. Living a decent life or moving on isn’t a headline. It’s what most of us do, though.
I mean, we were ecstatic when we no longer qualified for the Earned Income Tax Credit. It’s not a front page headline though. “Affordable Housing Helps Family Migrate out of Low Tax Bracket.”
It’s the anomalies that make the headlines, not the normal every-day “success” stories.
Tameka McDowell says
This can and does happen anywhere. No one is immune. It took amazing courage and strength for that child to come forward.
Concerned Citizen says
@ Atilla2
What a judgemental and rude thing to say.
Speaking as a low income person myself I don’t live like this. I work 2 jobs and am in school to make a better life for myself. I live in a mobile home that I finally bought after renting for 4 years and keep it clean and nice. I don’t have fancy things but what I have is decent and clean. Sometimes it’s about choices and lifestyle. Not the situation you are in. Maybe you are one of those that has a 6 figure income and lives in a 300K plus home but does that make you a better person?
What’s at stake here and should be our concern as a community is the deplorable condition the children are in. The children are the ones who are suffering the most and have no way to fend for or defend themselves. One is being abused and suffers from depression. I only hope she gets the care that is needed. I also hope the parents are held fully accountable for their actions. As a parent you should do everything possible to provide for your child and make sure they are safe. Somewhere these 2 lost sight of that.
Does anyone know if donations to care for the children have been set up?
Instead of judging others let’s stop hating and try helping.
DREW DIXON says
I believe they are accepting donations of clothing etc for the kids at DCF. I’m not sure if it was in this article or another one I was reading.
Land of no turn signals says says
You can be poor and still keep your house neat and clean.laziness looks to be the answer here pile all that outside garbage to the curb,what’s that an hour’s worth of work.Go a head and blame mental issues it’s politically correct.What ever the reason children lose.
Dan says
I used to work for low income housing in Baltimore. We would give them new houses, within 1 year it was totally trashed , mostly all low income people do not want a nice place to live,99% are just happy living in filth and drugs infested neighborhoods
Don't Judge says
This is where i disagree.. they don’t like it..its probably all they know…
Thurston Howell III says
The old Mondex madness disease hits another unfortunate family. The need to bulldoze that place and fumigate !
mike king says
This is not Mondex. Will u ppl stop calling it that. This is Daytona North. Many, many respectful and proud ppl live here. Don’t group us together. Thank you
CB from PC says
As my previous post stated…free house, unearned. Classic case of what happens. Sorry the kids will be also screwed by this situation.
Btw, the issue is way beyond rich or poor clean house.
No excuse for kids to have to live in this.
snapperhead says
Habitat houses aren’t free. I’ve volunteered on about a dozen builds in Flagler. The homeowners pay a mortgage and have to work on the homes as well to build sweat equity.
https://www.habitat.org/about/faq
How does Habitat for Humanity homeownership work?
Families in need of decent, affordable housing apply for homeownership with their local Habitat for Humanity.
Each local Habitat’s family selection committee selects homeowners based on three criteria:
The applicant’s level of need.
Their willingness to partner with Habitat.
Their ability to repay a mortgage through an affordable payment plan.
Habitat’s homebuyers invest hundreds of hours of their own labor, called sweat equity, working alongside volunteers and other Habitat homeowners, in addition to paying an affordable mortgage and receiving financial education.
.
Sally says
If you see something say something. It took a brave 14 year old who almost took her own life. If, DCF had been called there before, why was there not any follow ups? The system failed these children, and I think a lot of people would like to know why? I hope both parents pay for this neglect according to the law.
Resident says
Unfortunately these children will be given back to these parents before you know it, even the 14 year old. My heart breaks for them. And you wonder why some adults turn out so bad, well this is one of the answers.
erobot says
You are so right. When we lived up north, I was on a state mental health board whose charter included children’s issues and can tell you stories that would make your your hair stand up straight.
I finally resigned when one of the board members, a psychologist on the state payroll, came in late with the sad story of a two year old boy, abused by his mother’s boyfriend, but was returned to her anyway.
Reason: He was their only source of income.
Reaction of the Board: Oh how horrible for you to have to do that.
Not a single word about the little boy.
Giving people “free” aka taxpayer funded stuff is very much part of the problem. Dickens’ orphanages are Club Med compared to what goes on at child protective services.
MercyNEW says
You’re right…they served not even a full day in jail for 5 counts of neglect, assault and Grand bodily harm….kid’s are likely to go back once they try to get things cleaned up, everyone will help them which means they learn nothing from this situation…it’s sad. These babies are innocent and more than likely will continue to have to go through the same situation over and over again! Like a lot of these comments stated even poor people can feed their children and keep a clean home. NOBODY is perfect, but not having a safe home for them is unacceptable.
Habitat Partner Family says
Ideally, the parents will work with case managers that understand the challenges that led to this getting to this point. Their location, income, social network all combine with possible depression, anxiety, or whatever the parents may have dealt with. If the parents can get to a point where they know they can solve problems efficiently, then it would be ideal for the family to be reunited. Maybe some things are simple: A plan to have all children attend public school with possible extended day–and how to get them before and after work. Transportation solutions, a chore plan for the household–parents and kids. In home therapy, financial counseling, etc. There’s hope that they can get back on track. On the plus side, both parents were working. On the plus side, the 14 year old seems curious and anxious for a good education. On the plus side, they live with a relatively low mortgage. There’s a lot of potential here for this family to get to a good spot and we should root for that rather than terminal failure. :)
LDRM Flagler says
This sounds more like a mental health issue to me. I can summarize my experience inFlagler County searching for a mental health counselor, therapist, doctor and used the resources available to us. It is hard it is to find some for low income, low middle, middle class families with or w/out insurance to find CAPABLE help, in a clean environment, in a safe neighborhood, who could actually help you with counseling, diagnosis (without a lap top in front of them opened) and not just the popular dx. one at the moment, which happens to be Bipolar. You also have to find one that can prescribe rx and they are just burnt out old pshychiatrist who sell their services to all of these lap top therapists. They throw medicine at you in excess, at once, meaning enough that you could end your life right then and there. It is heartbreaking and could be prevented. We need to fight for more mental health in Flagler County. I truly believe we would see less of these disturbing stories on Flagler Live. No amount of money can fix one person, but it could help millions of people to be able to cope and live in our world.
Don't Judge says
One thing you all seem to not understand or care about, since I’ve moved out here, I’ve seen how POOR the people are out here. They are the poorest of the poor, they have bad wells which they can’t afford to fix, old falling down houses they can’t afford to fix, no services to speak of, an Uber costs $20 just to get to Target. We have a Dollar General and a County Store, a Community center that provide clean drinking water, yes many of these people do not have POTABLE WATER because the wells are terrible. These people out here are the first to give you the shirt off their back if you need it. This is a bad situation and those that continue to bash and bad mouth poor and low income are just need a little education. Until then, stay in your cozy AC controlled home, with your clean running drinking water, your Publix or Walmart around the corner. and perhaps someday you may crawl out from under the rock in which you came and realize not everyone can live like you.
Mary Fusco says
Don’t Judge. Being poor is not a license to live like that. My grandmother told me over 60 years ago that there is no need to be dirty. If you have one shirt, wash it at night so you will be clean the next day. Truer words were never spoken. No child should ever be living like that with 2 adults in the home. I grew up poor and I’m not rich now and I have never even seen anything like that except in pictures. I Don’t need to come out from under a rock because no matter where I would live, it would be clean. I also don’t collect kids and animals that I am not able to care for. Of course, it is always someone else’s fault. Some things never change.
ASF says
This fourteen year old probably has wounds that have accumulated throughout her young life that many adults can only imagine. She deserves to get all the help there is out there for a person to receive and I hope she gets it. I also hope she knows that she may be not only be salvaging her own life and future through this very difficult call for help that she so bravely made but also the lives and futures of her siblings.
I have no doubt that her parents also need serious help for whatever problems have resulted in this tragedy. Their issues may be multi-faceted and include affective and/or personality disorder(s) as well as possible addiction issues. I hope both parents get in-depth evaluations because, if they don’t and these children are ever returned to them, those children don’t stand a chance.
This is certainly one case where it will take a village.
Willy Boy says
You need a HAZMAT just to read that article.
Lil Bird says
My heart goes out to the minor who was brave enough to stand up. Brave enough to put faith in an unknown system for help, knowing only the lies the parents have told them about life beyond their fence. Brave enough knowing they might be indirectly doxxed by newspaper articles that share the age of the child, sex of the child, what “anonymous” hotline they call, area of town & full names of parents, etc. I pray that EVERY child in that home gets the support & help they need/deserve & only experience love and kindness from our community! IMHO that is where the discussion of “breaking the cycle” should be.
erobot says
UPDATE
DCF to close Flagler office by November | Palm Coast Observer
[Search domain http://www.palmcoastobserver.com/article/dcf-close-flagler-office-november%5D https://www.palmcoastobserver.com/article/dcf-close-flagler-office-november
The Florida Department of Children and Families will be closing its ACCESS service center for public assistance in Flagler County at 105 S. Bacher St., Bunnell, by November. “The reason we are doing this is that the ACCESS service centers have become less necessary for our customers,” explained David Abramowitz, DCF Northeast Regional Director.
Habitat Partner Family says
That article is from 2012. They’ve closed the center her but have an intake person come to Flagler County instead.
Sally says
Governor DeSantis doesn’t see a need to raise the min. wage to $ 15.00 an hour and allow people let fortunate to be able to afford housing and food. Unfortunately, people don’t realize how poor or rich you are soap and water are not that expensive, you can still maintain a clean dwelling to live. My thoughts and prayers are for their 14 yr old daughter who will be going back to the home, I am sure and only know what, she will endure now. I just can’t understand why DCF allowed this to go on as long as it did? The system failed these children and how many others children are out there the need to be heard?
Mary Fusco says
Sally, $15 an hour is not a living wage to support 7 people. Why is it always someone else’s problem. These are 2 adults that chose to produce 5 children when they knew they could not provide for them. It’s not just them, but everyone else who does the same thing. These 2 are con artists. Today they are running to clean up the mess but they were too depressed to clean it up until now? BS. Kids have to be clothed, fed, housed and most importantly educated. Something people like this seem to be ignorant of. There was little food in the house, yet both of them are over 200 pounds. Someone is eating. It is a sickening situation and these poor kids are meal tickets. I’m sure these little ones are scared to death and these 2 should be ashamed.
Hmmm says
Raising min wage to high will result in businesses downsizing. Jobs will be cut to offset the increase in payroll. It will also cause a decrease in motivation. Why would someone strive for a more challenging $18 an hour job, when you could literally do anything for $15? Lower paying min wage jobs are supposed to be used as a steppingstone in my eyes. If you want more, you’d do more. And living in filth is a choice. It has nothing to do with your take home pay.
Derek says
Wait… a free house? In Florida where you don’t spend $2,400 per year on heat in the winter. Wow… I can’t imagine what I’d do with all the money I’d have if I didn’t have $1,200 of rent/mortgage to pay. How do you go from receiving a brand new house in 2006 to living in roach-infested squalor with no running water in 2019 when you OWN YOUR HOUSE outright? I don’t get it.
Tammy says
OMG. I knew little bit about these people and one day I knocked at their door and. Small baby with no clothes came to the door when the father only barely opened the door to me with his head poked out and when that poor naked baby went to the door he picked that baby up by it’s arm and slung that poor child back into the house. I hope they never get these children back!!