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ABC Action News is staying on top of an effort to protect our state's most vulnerable citizens. State lawmakers are working to reform Florida's Guardianship Program. The measure comes after wards and their family members have reported numerous incidents of abuse and exploitation by professional guardians in court districts throughout the Sunshine State.
One opponent of the new bill was at the center of an I-Team investigation.
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In 2013, Willi Berchau told the I-Team that his court-appointed guardian, Patricia Johnson, had wrongly placed him in an Alzheimer's unit. After our stories, doctors and a judge determined Berchau was not incapacitated and freed him from guardianship.
At that time, Johnson declined to speak on camera, and has refused to make any public comments about the issue until now. “I get monitored by everybody, every day, seven days a week,” Johnson testified before the Children, Family and Seniors Subcommittee of the Florida House of Representatives.
Johnson told legislators there's no need to reform the state's guardianship system.
Full Article, Source, and Video:
I-Team: Patricia Johnson fights more regulation for Florida's Guardianship Program![]()
ABC Action News is staying on top of an effort to protect our state's most vulnerable citizens. State lawmakers are working to reform Florida's Guardianship Program. The measure comes after wards and their family members have reported numerous incidents of abuse and exploitation by professional guardians in court districts throughout the Sunshine State.
One opponent of the new bill was at the center of an I-Team investigation.
At that time, Johnson declined to speak on camera, and has refused to make any public comments about the issue until now. “I get monitored by everybody, every day, seven days a week,” Johnson testified before the Children, Family and Seniors Subcommittee of the Florida House of Representatives.
Johnson told legislators there's no need to reform the state's guardianship system.
Full Article, Source, and Video:
I-Team: Patricia Johnson fights more regulation for Florida's Guardianship Program