Bill undergoing final readings in Florida House, expected to go to vote Wednesday
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A news conference is
scheduled for Thursday morning at the state capitol with the bill
co-authors, Rep. Colleen Burton of Lakeland and Senator Kathleen
Passidomo of Naples, along with Richard Prudom, the Secretary of Elder
Affairs.
The bill passed unanimously in the Florida
Senate last week and is expected to go up for a House vote tomorrow.
Should it pass as expected, the bill will go to Governor DeSantis’
office to be signed into law. Last summer, DeSantis ordered a statewide
probe into the guardianship program after state investigators launched a
criminal investigation into Rebecca Fierle and the hundreds of
guardianship cases she had across the state.
The measure
entered as HB 709 and SB 994, would clamp down on what guardians would
be allowed to do -- and create more supervision on cases involving
vulnerable and elderly patients entrusted with their care. The bills
come right on the heels of a court date being set for Rebecca Fierle.
She is a former guardian based out of Orlando who just last month was
arrested on two felony counts of abuse and aggravated neglect. Body
camera video from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office shows the arrest at
her Ocala home. Fierle is scheduled for a court hearing on arraignment
in Hillsborough County to face two felony counts on March 23rd.
Fierle was under a state criminal investigation for months over how she
handled the case of Stephen Stryker, a Brevard County man who died at a
Tampa hospital while under her care. State investigators allege she
ordered his feeding tube to be capped and a DNR order to remain in place
against the recommendations of doctors, and against Stryker's wishes.
She is also being investigated for how she handled her clients'
finances.
As a result of this case, Senator Kathleen Passidomo of
Naples and Representative Colleen Burton of Lakeland have recommended
stricter guidelines and more court supervision over what state guardians
can and can't do. Fierle's former attorneys contend she acted within
the current guidelines set forth by Florida law and did nothing wrong
when she placed DNR orders on hundreds of clients without their
permission, and without notifying the court.
The attorneys representing her in her criminal case have not responded to multiple requests for comment.
Full Article & Source:
Florida Guardianship bill moves on to final vote
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