A Sarasota lawmaker wants to put in place more stringent protections for those working and living in Florida’s foster care homes.

Republican Rep. Fiona McFarland filed a bill ( HB 287 ) that would introduce new public records exemptions to protect the personal identifying and location information of individuals associated with family foster homes.

This would include current and former owners and operators of family foster homes that are licensed by the Department of Children and Families ( DCF ), their spouses and children, including biological, adopted and foster children placed in their care by DCF.

DCF’s Foster Parent Handbook already provides essential guidance to foster parents, which includes being advised to maintain confidentiality about the child’s case an

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