State, Department of Health & Rehabilitative Services v. Pendino

The Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (HRS) seeks a writ of prohibition barring the respondent from exercising jurisdiction over R.M., a minor child. We grant the petition.

In 1991 R.M. was adjudicated dependent by Bay County Circuit Judge Judy Pittman. One provision of Judge Pittman’s order was that R.M. would be placed “in the temporary custody, care, and control” of her great-uncle and his wife, who reside in Tampa. Judge Pittman also took care to “retain[ ] jurisdiction over the parties hereto and the subject matter hereof and to make such other and further orders as the…