San Bernardino Deputy District Attorney Kurt Rowley says Faustino Utrera, the father of the boy and girl, took off with them in 1995 when they were ages 2 and 3.
Rowley says recently the mother typed one of the children's names into Facebook and a listing for her daughter, now a teenager, came up.
The mom contacted authorities, who tracked the Facebook profile to Orlando, Florida.
Utrera was arrested and charged with kidnapping and violating child custody orders.
The Florida Department of Children & Families says the mum is trying to build a new relationship with the children.
