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Sister Troubles

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Location: Florida, US My Age: 17
I've been living with my sister coming up on 2 years now, my mother passed in September of 2024 and said sister has a temporary custody order placed (assuming under Chapter 751 of Florida Statues) there was tensions and other issues in the past but in August, we got into an altercation (she took my phone from me and her fingernails had scratched me pretty bad because I was holding it to my chest and she was trying to pry it from me, when she got the phone from me I firmly grabbed her wrist no harm or marks we're done to her, after realizing what I was doing I let go and left the residence) which resulted in me feeling like it was better for me to leave for the night, I did so and went to someone I've stayed with before who's an adult and she's met before, she had taken my phone so I didn't have a way to contact her and tell her where I was, around 10:30pm that night I used the vehicle to pick up friend's aunt from work about 2 minutes down the road, and when there a deputy pulled behind my vehicle and came up to the window and told me that I was reported missing, he spoke with another deputy and when the second deputy arrived he was very rude and confrontational, after speaking with him about the situation he went back to his car and I'm assuming he called said sister, after about 10 minutes he came back and arrested me for domestic violence and theft of a motor vehicle, when we got to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice I noticed that he had only charged me for theft of a motor vehicle, I was released around 7am the next day to said sister from DJJ, after that there has been tension, more then what we had before, I went to court on the 24th, I was not assigned a public defender, I had filled out an application to get a public defender beforehand and turned it into the clerk of court and they sent it back saying it had to be filled out by a guardian, said sister refused to fill it out stating she made to much, and on the 24th at court the prosecution pulled her aside and now they're trying to get me to do some type of program, I'm unsure what it is, my next court date is on the 8th of October, I'd also like to include that I receive survivors benefits from Social Security which was used to fund the vehicle in question, she put $5,000 down from the benefits and has been paying around $300 a month on the payment and $150 for insurance out of the benefits since September of 2025, she has also been keeping a large lumpsum of cash from my benefits ($10,000+) in her personal safe which I don't have access to, I paid for gas and maintence through what I earned at my previous job which is around $2,000 (I live in a rural area so long commute), I'm currently unemployed and she will give me very little of the benefits to pay for gas and I have been postponing getting the car maintenanced due to the on-going criminal case and lack of funds, I have been looking for a way to get out of the custodianship with my sister because I have someone who can take over that's an adult that I trust (sister of the friend mentioned earlier, who I have a very strong relationship with), said adult also is in a very strong position to take me in, and when looking for the document I found a notebook containing a statement that I'm assuming is supposed to go to the prosecution written by my sister, essentially stating that she "no longer wants me to live in my home", she noticed that I had found it, and I calmly mentioned that we can organize a transfer of custodianship or find an arrangement where I can live with the adult I mentioned earlier, that was today and I've already spoken with the adult and she has agreed to take me in and I made it clear we would need to organize something with said sister, and I'm now waiting to speak to said sister, I am in fear that if said sister doesn't agree to the arrangement I proposed and the prosecution respects her wishes I will be placed in a residential facility by the DJJ or similar government organization, which I will do just about anything to avoid. Does anyone have advice on how to handle this and what I should do? I tried to go to the public defender's office myself and they re-directed me to the clerk which already denied my application. Sorry for the poor formatting in advance.

submitted by /u/Dry_Counter663
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