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The system failed one 9 year-old Florida girl and today, the state began to make it up to her. When Marissa Amora was still a baby, social workers at a Miami hospital reported signs of abuse. Despite the reports, Marissa was released to her biological mother. The Department of Children and Families didn’t take action. A month later, Marissa was readmitted to the hospital suffering from broken bones and head injuries. Marissa was adopted by Dawn Amora. Tuesday, after a long battle with the state, Governor Charlie Crist signed a bill to pay the family 1.2 million dollars. Dawn Amora says the money will help meet Marissa’s medical needs.

“Now I can breath. I can breathe now. I don’t have to worry about no nurses or no medication or no diapers. It’s my role as a parent to be a mother,” said Amora.

The family is eligible for 18 million dollars. The bill makes provisions for lawmakers to take up the claims bill every year, until the family is totally compensated.