Confidential Records Sold at DCF Auctionhttp://www.wtsp.com/news/2002_05/30_dcfauction.htm TAMPA - Thousands and thousands of confidential files were left in an abandoned building where the public was invited in for an auction on Thursday. A reporter from 10 News was able to purchase boxes containing some of these records that the public should never have been allowed to see. The incident shows apparent gross negligence by the Department of Children and Families. |
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All over the building were signs that said “shred all”, as well as printed on the boxes. Obviously, the contents were never shredded. Anyone who registered for the auction could have bought these boxes. The problem is that confidentiality is the cornerstone of child protection. Workers are told they are never supposed to break confidentiality. When district headquarters abandoned their old building to move. The agency seemed to forget that rule. When the Department of Children and Families was questioned about the records, a spokesman said it was not their fault, but the auctioneer who made the mistake of selling them is responsible. Auctioneer Tom Hicks says people from the department walked through the building several times. They were completely aware of what was being sold. They opened the doors to the offices. When he asked prior to the auction if there was anything they didn't want him to sell, they asked for the building blueprints DCF says it is firing the auctioneer because he shouldn’t have sold the files, and they are halting the auction. The auctioneer says he has a contract for what's called an absolute auction, which means everything in the building is sold. Governor Jeb Bush says he’s angry and upset that the Department of Children and Family services allowed thousands of confidential records to be put up for public auction. He thanked 10 News for bringing it to his attention and asked if he could take possession of the records. 10 News turned them over to him and he says the other records we bought will be shredded Monday. He says DCF needs to take responsibility for the mistake. He wants accountability and for the mess to be cleaned up. On Friday, DCF investigators went through some of the files inside, but still allowed others to be removed. Governor Jeb Bush isn't the only person concerned about this confidentiality crisis. Representative Sandy Murman from Tampa is taking some of the files to the FDLE. She feels there is a lack of accountability and that the problems are internal. Murman chairs a house committee investigating numerous problems at DCF. She's also working on a reform plan for DCF. She says DCF needs to change the way they operate. Employees need better training and more support. She says the quick fixes we have seen in the past simply won't work anymore. Murman says reforming the DCF will be a top priority in the next legislative session. The auction was supposed to resume on Saturday. Instead there was no auction. Locked doors greeted people who were told they could come over at 8 a.m. to pick up the merchandise they had bought. No one was allowed inside. Everyone was told DCF workers were busy looking for any lost files. Ninety minutes later, the customers were allowed inside, but not without a DCF escort. One customer, George Parker, who loves to attend auctions for the good deals, commented “I’ve been to auctions for probably 40 years. This is the most screwed up affair I’ve ever seen.” When the filing cabinets came out, 10 News reporter Michelle Jordan checked them. No files were inside. DCF says it has recovered all known confidential material that was inadvertently sold as part of the auction. What will happen next is anyone’s guess. Copyright 2002 WTSP-TV. |
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