Florida to Consider Establishment of “Office of Public and Professional Guardians”
As we have tracked recently on this Blog, in a number of states, including Florida and Nevada, serious questions have been raised about the roles of guardians for disabled and elderly persons, and the extent to which there should be public oversight of guardians, especially “paid” guardians, including public guardians, “professional” guardians or “private” guardians.
In Florida, newly proposed legislation, Senate Bill 232 (filed in September 2015) would seek to clarify state oversight of all guardians, following on the heels of amendments to Florida state law enacted in mid-2015. Florida’s legislature may take up the latest bill early in 2016, according to media reports. Key provisions in the bill include:
- renaming of the current office of “public guardianships,” with expanded duties and responsibilities, to create the “Office of Public and Professional Guardians;”
- addition of findings about the potential need for a “public guardian” where there is “no willing and responsible family member or friend, other person, bank, or corporation available to serve;”
- a requirement that “professional” guardians “shall” register with the state;
- directions to establish a comprehensive system for receipt and state action on complaints made about professional guardians.
From reading SB 232, it seems to me there may be some attempt to appease the concerns about the potential for overregulation of so-called “professional” guardians, as new language in Section 744.2001 requires development and implementation of a new “monitoring tool to ensure compliance of professional guardians with standards” set by the Office, but this “monitoring tool may not include a financial audit ” as specified in another section of the law (emphasis added).
Funding will be needed to make expanded oversight effective.
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune has reacted favorably to the latest proposal.