FRUITLAND PARK, Fla. — A Fruitland Park daycare that came under fire after a child wandered out of the facility and was found on a busy highway had previously been cited for noncompliance by state inspectors.
The Florida Department of Families and Children visited Luv-N-Hugs fourteen times, dating back to June 1, 2023. They found the facility was non-compliant five times, either for failing to provide adequate supervision of the children in its care or for not having records proving the caregivers were adequately trained.
Halee Russo, 27, who works as a caregiver at the
East Fountain Street daycare, was arrested June 12 after a child in her career wandered off the premises and onto Highway 441.
Drivers spotted the child and returned him to the daycare.
According to the police report, Russo told investigators she was distracted by another child when the toddler wandered off. She faces one felony count of child neglect.
“There was a little kid standing in the middle of the highway, and by the grace of God, there were no cars around,” said Rick Mouery, a driver who called 911. “We literally freaked out.”
DCF had visited Luv-N-Hugs that same day for a routine inspection and found violations in an area near the playground that posed a minor safety risk to children and in an area inside the daycare that was unclean.
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