Guardianship reform has been an issue growing in prominence due to the many abuses found in systems across the nation. Now Florida looks to join the reform movement and take a step in the right direction as the state Senate is set to have a final vote on a bill that would create a team to oversee the state guardianship system. Scandals have rocked Florida in recent years including one case where a judge was appointing his wife who would then initiate lawsuits on behalf of the ward which family members saw as unnecessary and intended as a vehicle to increase the fees paid to the supposed protector. However, this is not the first attempt at reformation after a bill was passed in recent years which supposedly ended judicial favoritism towards specific guardians although advocacy groups argue that it did little to deter judges. Let us hope this new bill does the trick since guardianship abuse undermines public confidence in the legal system and harms the most vulnerable members of our society.
See John Pacenti, Vote on Florida guardianship reform expected next week, The Palm Beach Post, February 2, 2016.
Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.
