Florida will pay nearly $4 million to two teens for having allowed them to stay in a Hernando County home where they were starved and abused by their foster parents.
Department of Children & Families Secretary George Sheldon confirmed the settlement Tuesday and called the case "horrific."
His agency agreed in July to pay $700,000 into a trust fund for John Joseph Edwards Jr., 19, and $3.28 million to his 15-year-old half sister. Their foster parents, Lori and Arthur "Tommy" Allain, were sentenced to 25 years in prison for child abuse and neglect in 2006.
"I don't think any amount of money can restore what they lost because of inaction on the part of the state," Sheldon said. "I was just shocked by what occurred. I'm hoping that we have sufficiently changed the culture in the department that this kind of thing would not happen again."
The girl, then 10 years old, weighed 29 pounds when she was removed from the Allains' home. Authorities said the couple kept her in a locked room with only a bucket for a toilet. The Allains raised the two children for about four years after a friend lost custody of them.
An agency panel that investigated said countless child welfare workers missed or ignored signs of abuse and allowed it to escalate.
Department of Corrections records show that Edwards is serving a three-year sentence for burglary and grand theft. A spokeswoman for DCF said his sister has been adopted.
Sheldon said the trust fund will pay for long-term therapy both victims will need. The payment settles lawsuits against the state in federal and Florida courts.
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