HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Eckerd Connects will no longer be providing child welfare services across several Tampa Bay area counties come 2022.
Both Eckerd and the Florida Department of Children and Families announced the contracts for Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties will be terminated once they expire.
For Hillsborough County, that takes place on June 30, 2022, while Pasco and Pinellas will see a swifter exit by Eckerd come December 2021.
Eckerd claims it decided to discontinue operating the contract due to a lack of funding from DCF, while DCF claims it is terminating the contract due to "repeated failures" by Eckerd.
According to Eckerd, its board of directors decided on terminating the contracts on Oct. 26 "after a thorough assessment of current state funding levels and the growing needs of children in the three counties."
Over the years, Eckerd says it saw a 40-percent increase in children being removed from their homes by law enforcement across the three counties while dealing with "woefully underfunded" contracts to serve the community.
The agency also claims in 2016 and 2018, DCF was warned by the board chair that fiscal needs were not being met and that it was causing "tragic consequences" for those it served.
“Our focus in this region and throughout the State of Florida has always been on what is best for children and families. We have repeatedly expressed concerns to state officials and legislators about the mismatch between inadequate funding levels and the growing needs in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. We regret that it has come to this, but we simply cannot continue under the current circumstances,” Board Chair V. Raymond Ferrara said.
A letter dated Nov. 1 from DCF Secretary Shevaun Harris notes that the Department chose not to renew Eckerd's contract for Pasco and Pinellas counties for several reasons.
"Eckerd’s recent actions and inactions have jeopardized the health, safety and welfare of the dependent children under your care. Coupled with a history of placing youth in unlicensed settings for extended periods of time, and repeated failure to secure appropriate and stable placements for all children in Eckerd’s system of care, they call into question your ability to fulfill your contractual obligations," Harris wrote.
DCF says it expects a smooth transition once Eckerd's services are no longer needed. According to the Department's letter, Eckerd will need to transfer over relevant data, files and property funded or provided under the contract.
