HOMOSASSA, Fla. — They were two of the most infamous institutions in the state, and Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation that makes it possible for men confined as children to the Dozier School for Boys and the Florida School for Boys at Okeechobee to receive compensation.
“You know, 65 years of living each day remembering what happened – there’s no amount that would ever take that away from you,” said Charles Fudge, who spent nine months in Dozier in 1960. “That no other children get abused the way we were is probably the more important thing than money.”
Fudge said he was 12 years old when he and his 13-year-old brother, George, were sent to Dozier for skipping school and smoking. Then, it was called the Florida School for Boys. Fudge said he can still remember the first time he saw the Marianna facility.
“Walking down, I thought, ‘Gosh, I’m gonna enjoy it here. It’s a beautiful place.’ The third day changed my mind,” he said.
His third day at the reform school is when Fudge said a staff member beat him for breaking a rule.
“He was, like, 6’2” and 200 lbs. He gave me 31 licks with a leather strap that had a piece of metal in between it to give the extra snap,” Fudge said.
Fudge said he lived in fear after that, doing everything he could to avoid another beating.
“I knew I couldn’t do anything that would cause me to go back down there,” he said. “I just knew there was no way I could endure another beating like that.”
Dozier is notorious for the physical and sexual abuse that happened there for decades. Nearly 100 boys died there from 1900 to 1973, and remains were exhumed from 55 unmarked graves.
For 16 years, Fudge and fellow White House Boys – a name that refers to the building on Dozier’s campus where abuse was carried out – have sought compensation from the state.
“It was very frustrating,” Fudge said of efforts to get a compensation bill passed by the legislature that fell flat for several years. “The State of Florida is responsible, and they should recognize that, and they have finally done that.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation for the men confined as children to the Dozier School for Boys and the Florida School for Boys at Okeechobee to receive compensation. (Photo Courtesy: Diane Fudge)
This year, the legislature passed a bill that creates the Dozier School for Boys and Okeechobee School Victim Compensation Program within the Department of Legal Affairs. Men who were at the school any time between 1940 to 1975 who were subjected to mental, physical, or sexual abuse are eligible for compensation. The legislation says notice must be given that compensation is available, and any relevant forms to apply will be made available on the department’s website. Applications will be due by Dec. 31. The program is funded by $20 million from the general revenue fund. Fudge was there Friday as the governor signed the bill.
“Probably one of the greatest days of the 16 years that we have been representing the abuse that was given to us children,” Fudge said.
When asked about his hope for the White House Boys’ legacy, Fudge said, “That no institution ever treats children in a harmful way.”
Fudge said it’s unclear right now how much money each person could receive.
Sarah Blazonis
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