TAMPA, Fla. — A Hillsborough County Department of Juvenile Justice facility was shut down last month over safety concerns for the second time in two years, with a father now filing a lawsuit alleging his daughter was overmedicated and assaulted while housed there.
Tampa Bay Girls Academy, a 62-bed residential facility that houses maximum-risk girls between ages 12 and 21, closed in December 2024 after what the Department of Juvenile Justice called "incidents that jeopardize the safety of the youth."
The facility houses violent felons, including murderers, with some residents diagnosed with mental illness or substance abuse problems.
Father alleges daughter was over-medicated
Volodymyr Koval, a Ukrainian immigrant from Fort Lauderdale, says his daughter was sent to Tampa Bay Girls Academy in May 2024.
Within days, she was hospitalized at All Children's Hospital.
"She was for days been paralyzed. Motionless, no eating, no drinking, no speaking. No sleeping... with open eyes," Koval said.
After his daughter returned from the hospital to the facility, Koval says her health deteriorated, and she was hospitalized two more times after what he believes was excessive medication.
On July 14, Koval filed an emergency petition in Hillsborough County Circuit Court alleging his daughter was being "forcibly medicated" and asking a judge to intervene.
"It was the last resort I had in my possession to protect my daughter's life and well-being," Koval said.
In court documents, Koval alleged his daughter's medication caused her to become "mute, incontinent, and cognitively impaired."
He also alleged his daughter's psychiatrist threatened to use electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or "shock treatment," if he didn't approve higher levels of drugs.
“The staff was there watching... they do nothing.”
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and Wayne Halfway House Inc., the Tennessee-based private company that operated the facility, fought Koval in court over the release of video and other information.
Koval filed additional motions after he says his daughter was assaulted by two other residents.
"She'd been beaten by two inmates at night," Koval said.
Koval provided photos to the judge showing his daughter with bruised, swollen, and scratched eyes, plus stains on her shirt from a bloody nose.
"The staff was there watching. You know, they do nothing," Koval said.
This marks the second closure for the facility in two years.
Facility previously closed after 15-year-old girl died there
Previously operating as Lake Academy under contractor True Core, the facility was shut down in 2024 following the suicide death of a 15-year-old girl.
An Inspector General report found that "youth care workers and mental health staff did not provide proper supervision, mental health services, or provide immediate medical assistance to the youth victim."
Three former teachers at Lake Academy told the I-Team they left because staff failed to protect them from violent incidents, including being punched, jumped on from behind, and stabbed with car keys.
The facility reopened as Tampa Bay Girls Academy in November 2024 under Wayne Halfway House Inc., which was paid up to $499 per bed per day under state contracts.
Juveniles reportedly “running naked.”
Koval described the chaos that led to the December closure, saying his daughter told him children were "running naked" and breaking through security while she hid in a closet with two other girls for five hours.
"It looked like they were searching for her," Koval said.
A judge signed an order in December requiring the Department of Juvenile Justice and Wayne Halfway House to preserve video and records, but court documents don't indicate they've been turned over.
A Wayne Halfway House spokesperson said in an email that "Tampa Bay Girls Academy has a difficult population that presents distinct challenges to daily operations. We wish the State and the new provider the best for success at the Tampa facility."
Latest operator lost its license to run girl's facility in Colorado
Nevada-based Rite of Passage Inc. took over as the facility's operator last month. The company already operates two other Department of Juvenile Justice facilities on the Hillsborough County DJJ campus.
However, Colorado suspended Rite of Passage's license to run a girls' residential facility in 2018 after staff lost control.
A state report documented girls removing their shirts and sexually fondling each other, plus breaking lights to use glass for self-harm.
Melissa Marcellus, whose daughter was sent to the Colorado facility, said her daughter "was bitten by another girl 13 times" and had "bite marks up and down her arms" during a visit.
Koval's daughter is currently at another facility in South Florida, where he says her health has improved.
Rite of Passage said in an email, "We look forward to providing high-quality treatment services for Florida's court-placed youth."
Share Your Story with Adam
Adam Walser has spent more than a decade fighting for what’s right in Tampa Bay as part of the I-Team. He’s helped expose flaws in Florida’s eldercare system and held leaders accountable for how they use your tax dollars. Reach out to Adam with any issue you think he needs to investigate.
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