Let David Wilkins Stay Put; Get a Child-Safety-Oriented DCF Chief

Seeing as how Department of Children and Families Secretary David Wilkins is such a good chief operating officer for Florida's government operations, maybe Gov. Rick Scott should keep him right where he is, nowhere near the child protection agency.

Maybe the governor should give somebody else a shot at saving children.

Associated Press and Florida Today both have the Sunday story of a Titusville boy whose emaciated condition captured the attention of his elementary school teachers -- but escaped DCF's.

The teachers, fearing for the boy's life, repeatedly contacted DCF to report suspected child abuse, but day after day, there was no change. The child obviously remained in an abusive home, the teachers said.

Eventually, the youngster was found emaciated and being kept locked in a closet. Said Florida Today, a relative of two other children living in the same home says he called DCF 12 times.

DCF now claims investigators looked into the complaints but didn't find enough evidence to remove the boy from the home. When authorities finally got him out, the 13-year-old weighed just 40 pounds. They said he was being starved as punishment.

It was great to hear the governor enumerate Wilkins' successes at DCF -- cutting DCFs administrative costs by nearly $59 million, streamling administrative services and improving the agencys performance with financial, technological and human resource management enhancements.

All good reasons for Scott to have appointed him last Wednesday to double as chief operating officer for government operations. Maybe Wilkins should just single in that job. Maybe it's time to go looking for a full-time DCF chief whose priority will be to make sure the agency's investigators have everything they need to keep Florida's children safe.

The plight of this Titusville boy is an aptly timed warning bell. What do you say, Governor?