The third session of the community outreach event, Your Courts Up Close, was held on March 5, 2019. Your Courts Up Close is a free event hosted by Judge Daryl Isenhower of St. Lucie County. This session included the topic of family and child resources and the involvement of pet therapy in the courtroom.
Judge Steven Levin discussed dependency court. Dependency Court cases involve the protection of children that have been abused, neglected, or abandoned. The law provides for standards of protections that are in the best interest of the child. Participants asked questions about family law matters and the procedures involved in removing children from the home.
The Humane Society presented a fun and energetic program about their Pet Therapy Program. Chief Judge Elizabeth Metzger treated the participants to an interactive session with the four emotional support animals that are part of the pet therapy program.
Additionally, Chief Judge Metzger spoke about how the Florida courts are organized from the local, District Court of Appeals and to the Supreme Court level.