#greyrights — Public Fediverse posts

“You have your nail techs and tennis pros — their business is not so good and they want something more lucrative and they’re jumping into guardianship,” Palmieri said.


But adding an independent monitor from outside the court, a frequent recommendation, is expensive.

“The system would be cured, in my opinion, by the Department of Elder Affairs taking responsibility for guardianship” said Burke, the Pinellas clerk.


In Florida, even funding a statewide guardianship database was a battle. 👉Currently, there isn’t an official number of how many people are in them; best estimates are around 50,000.

Each county keeps its own records, and some do that better than others. When the database goes online, it will give the first statistical snapshot of the system.


Critics have called for a uniform system with more oversight. But several Florida officials said those who benefit from the current, complex system, including lawyers, impede reform.

👉Efforts to make attorneys’ fees in these cases more publicly visible have also failed.


“There are a lot of great attorneys out there,” Burke said. But the court clerk said there has been pushback from the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law section of the Florida Bar Association, adding, ♦️“It’s a trade union for all practical purposes, and it protects their members and the fees they receive.”♦️


These attorneys are influential in the state house where their expertise is often sought to draft laws related to guardianships and estates.
#guardianship #elderabuse #greyrights