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The vote comes after a former
Central Florida guardian was caught placing do not resuscitate orders
on clients without their permission.
This
week, Florida lawmakers went through the final readings of the State
Senate version of the Guardianship bill before the final vote. The bill
passed unanimously in the Florida Senate last week and went to House
vote Wednesday.
A news conference is scheduled for Thursday morning at the
state capitol with the bill co-authors, Rep. Colleen Burton, of Lakeland
and Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, of Naples, along with Richard Prudom, the
secretary of Elder Affairs.
The bill will now go to 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
former Orlando-based guardian 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 Fierle.
Fierle is a former guardian
who was arrested in February on two felony counts of abuse and
aggravated neglect. Fierle is scheduled for a court hearing on
arraignment in Hillsborough County to face two felony counts on March
23.
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, Passidomo and Burton 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.
Full Article & Source:
Florida lawmakers pass Guardianship bill, send it to governor’s desk for signing
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