The News4JAX I-TEAM is reviewing the private contracts from the company that ran the St. Johns Youth Academy. Meantime, the State Attorney’s office is interviewing people about what’s being described as a “riot situation” at the facility in October.

The News4JAX I-TEAM is taking a closer look at other facilities that have closed in the past couple of years following the abrupt closure of St. Johns Youth Academy on Avenue D in the St. Augustine area.

An 18-year-old inmate at St. Johns Youth Academy is accused of assaulting a staffer this week, according to an arrest report.

Florida lawmakers want nearly $70 million in the coming year’s budget to strengthen fatherhood in Florida through grants and education.

Harris has been serving as interim secretary at the Agency for Health Care Administration, where she has held a series of posts since 2005. Former Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Secretary Mary Mayhew resigned in October to head the Florida Hospital Association. An attorney, Marstiller once worked as the Agency for Health Care Administration’s chief appellate counsel, according to the governor’s office. Jeb Bush, who appointed her interim secretary of the state Department of Management Services in 2002 and as secretary of the Department Business and Professional Regulation in 2005. In a prepared statement Friday, Marstiller said she looks forward to her new position at the Agency for Health Care Administration.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. There were 216 reported cases of COVID-19 in young people at juvenile detention centers in Florida, according to statistics released Thursday by the Department of Juvenile Justice. The Department of Juvenile Justice serves approximately 1,700 young people in 72 of these facilities statewide, according to its own data. The data showed another five young people have tested positive at Duval Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Jacksonville. The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice released a statement that theyre taking precautions. It reads:The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice has a coordinated plan in place to protect youth and staff from COVID-19.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. More than 200 youths in Floridas juvenile-justice system have tested positive for COVID-19, with the number of cases steadily increasing, according to information released Thursday by the state Department of Juvenile Justice. The numbers show a spike during the past week at St. Johns Youth Academy, which has 26 cases, the most in the state. In all, 78 of the 216 youths who have tested positive statewide are no longer in medical isolation. The largest numbers of infected workers have been at Broward Regional Juvenile Detention Center and Miami-Dade Regional Juvenile Detention Center, which have each had 16 cases. In all, 78 of the 185 workers who have tested positive have been medically cleared to return to their jobs, according to the department.

The number of youth cases was up from 31 on May 26, while the number of worker cases was up from 43. The largest number of youth cases has been at Palm Beach Youth Academy, where 21 juveniles have tested positive, the Department of Juvenile Justice numbers show. Among workers, the largest numbers have been at Broward Regional Juvenile Detention Center, with 13 cases, and Palm Beach Youth Academy, with 11 cases. The Department of Juvenile Justice said 65 of the 85 youths who have tested positive are no longer in medical isolation. All employees as well as parents/guardians of youth are notified of positive cases.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. The number of youths in Floridas juvenile-justice system who have tested positive for COVID-19 jumped to 73 on Tuesday, up from 47 a week earlier, according to the Department of Juvenile Justice. Okeechobee Youth Development Center has had the next-highest total, with 16 infected youths and five infected workers. Of the 73 youths who have tested positive throughout the system, 16 are no longer in medical isolation, the department said. Of the 62 workers who have tested positive, 20 have been cleared to return to work. The local health department is made aware of each instance of a positive test result.

iStock/allanswartIn separate but parallel lawsuits, civil-rights and legal groups are challenging Florida's use of solitary confinement in prisons and juvenile detention centers -- but are facing pushback from state agencies. "Unfortunately, it is clear that plaintiffs' purpose in bringing this lawsuit is not to gain relief from some violation of constitutional rights," the Department of Juvenile Justice motion said. Data provided by the Southern Poverty Law Center shows the state placed more than 14,000 children in isolation while in the care of the juvenile justice department during the 2017-2018 fiscal year. Outside of court, the Department of Corrections has defended its use of confinement as a safety measure. Michelle Glady, a department spokeswoman, told The News Service of Florida in May that confinement is used for security reasons or to effectively manage prisons.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The number of Florida children charged with making school-related threats has steadily increased during the past three years, the state Department of Juvenile Justice said Tuesday as it announced a new awareness campaign. During the 2018-2019 fiscal year, 779 youths were charged with offenses related to school threats, up from 687 in 2017-2018 and 629 in 2016-2017, the department said. The department announced an "It's No Joke" awareness campaign to try to dissuade children from making threats about such things as having bombs of firearms. "There is nothing funny about threatening a school, and there is nothing funny about being charged with a felony. News Service of Florida