(1) A professional guardian must register with the Office of Public and Professional Guardians established in part II of this chapter.

(2) Annual registration shall be made on forms furnished by the Office of Public and Professional Guardians and accompanied by the applicable registration fee as determined by rule. The fee may not exceed $100.

(3) Registration must include the following:

(a) Sufficient information to identify the professional guardian, as follows:

1. If the professional guardian is a natural person, the name, address, date of birth, and employer identification or social security number of the person.

2. If the professional guardian is a partnership or association, the name, address, and employer identification number of the entity.

(b) Documentation that the bonding and educational requirements of s. 744.2003 have been met.

(c) Sufficient information to distinguish a guardian providing guardianship services as a public guardian, individually, through partnership, corporation, or any other business organization.

(4) Prior to registering a professional guardian, the Office of Public and Professional Guardians must receive and review copies of the credit and criminal investigations conducted under s. 744.3135. The credit and criminal investigations must have been completed within the previous 2 years.

(5) The executive director of the office may deny registration to a professional guardian if the executive director determines that the guardian’s proposed registration, including the guardian’s credit or criminal investigations, indicates that registering the professional guardian would violate any provision of this chapter. If a guardian’s proposed registration is denied, the guardian has standing to seek judicial review of the denial pursuant to chapter 120.

(6) The Department of Elderly Affairs may adopt rules necessary to administer this section.

(7) A trust company, a state banking corporation or state savings association authorized and qualified to exercise fiduciary powers in this state, or a national banking association or federal savings and loan association authorized and qualified to exercise fiduciary powers in this state, may, but is not required to, register as a professional guardian under this section. If a trust company, state banking corporation, state savings association, national banking association, or federal savings and loan association described in this subsection elects to register as a professional guardian under this subsection, the requirements of subsections (3) and (4) do not apply and the registration must include only the name, address, and employer identification number of the registrant, the name and address of its registered agent, if any, and the documentation described in paragraph (3)(b).

(8) The Department of Elderly Affairs may contract with the Florida Guardianship Foundation or other not-for-profit entity to register professional guardians.

(9) The department or its contractor shall ensure that the clerks of the court and the chief judge of each judicial circuit receive information about each registered professional guardian.

(10) A state college or university or an independent college or university that is located and chartered in Florida, that is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, and that confers degrees as defined in s. 1005.02(7) may, but is not required to, register as a professional guardian under this section. If a state college or university or independent college or university elects to register as a professional guardian under this subsection, the requirements of subsections (3) and (4) do not apply and the registration must include only the name, address, and employer identification number of the registrant.

History.—s. 3, ch. 2002-195; s. 8, ch. 2003-57; s. 10, ch. 2004-260; s. 2, ch. 2006-178; s. 2, ch. 2009-175; s. 9, ch. 2016-40.

Note.—Former s. 744.1083.