Florida State Guardianship Association

FSGA Mission Statement - The Florida State Guardianship Association is dedicated to the protection of the dignity and

rights of incapacitated persons and to increasing the professionalism of guardianship through education, networking

and legislative action.

JOIN OUR NEWEST CHAPTER TRICOUNTY HEARTLAND page 7

The Florida State Guardianship Association, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, an affiliate of the National Guardianship Association.

floridaguardians.com | (800) 718-0207 | eFax (877) 896-0464 | PO Box 1185, Palm City, Florida 34991

Volume 3 Edition #1

FSGA BULLETIN

MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT:

First and foremost, I want to thank you for the very warm

welcome I received as incoming President of the Florida State

Guardianship Association for this next term. We have really hit

the ground running at FSGA. We have just come away from our

32nd Annual Conference that was held at Marriott Biscayne Bay

in the art district of Miami. This, like previous conferences, was

successful on so many levels. We had phenomenal speakers

supporting “The Art of Guardianship” that provided education on

ethical principles, legislative updates, case law, practical solu-

tions for dementias, conflict resolution, restoration of rights, de-

velopmental disabilities and so much more.

Once again, our sponsors turned out in great numbers exposing

their expertise and services and we can’t thank them enough for

their support. It was invigorating to see so many people gather

to learn, network and educate all in support of serving

those that are most vulnerable in our communities.

Robin Phemister, FSGA President

Guardianship Resources

Florida Statute – Chapter 744

FSGA's Recommended

Practice & Protocol Manual

FSGA Standards of Practice

Manual

NGA Ethical Principles

OPPG – Rule

The Florida State Guardianship Association, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, an affiliate of the National Guardianship Association.

floridaguardians.com | (800) 718-0207 | eFax (877) 896-0464 | PO Box 1185, Palm City, Florida 34991

It was great to see everyone in July! It’s hard believe that our 32nd

annual conference is now just a fond memory. We are always so

grateful to our amazing speakers who donate their time and

expertise to the education of guardians and attorneys in Florida.

Over the coming year our conference and education committees will

work together to bring you the most pertinent, comprehensive

education. As our profession rolls on the tidal waves of change we

can give you the tools and the guidance you need to chart your

course through guardianship. →

If you would like to join the conference committee please contact

Sherri Graham. I would like to encourage all of our speakers and ex-

hibitors to consider joining our Association for continued infor-

mation , education and networking though one of our 16 local chap-

ters.

For conferees, speakers’ presentations are located in a shared file on dropbox. Not all presenters have supplied us

with their presentations. As we receive them we update the drop box. Please email Gina for the link.

Getting your feedback is so important to us Please be candid and thorough in your

evaluation so we can make the experience even better next year!

CONFERENCE 2019 SURVEY

Speaking of FEEDBACK, Id like to

extend a heartfelt apology to the

vegetarians at our conference, we did not provide enough options

for you. We would in no way, want to exclude our herbivore friends.

This will not happen again, thanks to your COMMENTS.

CONFERENCE 2019

The Florida State Guardianship Association, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, an affiliate of the National Guardianship Association.

floridaguardians.com | (800) 718-0207 | eFax (877) 896-0464 | PO Box 1185, Palm City, Florida 34991

OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS

THANK YOU EXHIBITORS AND SUPPORTERS

The Florida State Guardianship Association, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, an affiliate of the National Guardianship Association.

floridaguardians.com | (800) 718-0207 | eFax (877) 896-0464 | PO Box 1185, Palm City, Florida 34991

Cornerstone Hospice

Eisenhower Jacksonville Center

Ginsberg, Shulman, PL

Strive Recreational Therapy

AGED, Inc.

Secured Alliance

Guardian Trust

Florida Institute for Neurological Rehabilitation

Custom Telehealth

Senior Nannies

Accessible Home Health Care of Aventura

Champion Home Health Care

Alpert Jweish Family Services

Sheridan Dental

Zamora Hillman & Villavicencio

NeuroInternational

Barbra A. Reiser and Company

Comforcare Home Care

The Arc of South Florida

RJR Management

Young At Heart Elderly Services

Coastal Income Properties

Southwest Florida Guardianship

Association

Personal Response Corporation

Bid Gray– The Lighthouse Group

Keller Law Office PA

The Florida State Guardianship Association, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, an affiliate of the National Guardianship Association.

floridaguardians.com | (800) 718-0207 | eFax (877) 896-0464 | PO Box 1185, Palm City, Florida 34991

Trulieve

Sunshine Health

Clerks Statewide

Investigations

SEM Applications

Aging Life Care Association

Exact

Grannie Nannies

TrustCo Bank

ABLE United

Cypress Cove at Health Park

Dominion Insurance Services

VITAS Healthcare

Feinberg Consulting

TMS Cleaning & Maintenance

Bank OZK Trust and Wealth

Management

Elder Law Associates PA

Palm Beach Guardianship

Association

THANK YOU EXHIBITORS AND SUPPORTERS

True Link Financial

Oppidan

Forget Me Not Joy Box

Elite Care at Home

South Florida Guardianship

Association

Al Rothstein Media Services

KR Laurence Real Estate

Consulting

Investors Security Trust

Housing and Assistive Technology

Florida Telecommunications Relay

Gail Lampert Attorney At Law

Mullins Memorial Funeral Home

A positive Approach to Care

CR World & Mobile Help

Elite Care At Home Inc

Your Life of Coconut Creek

Your Attorney Gretchen Elizabeth

The Florida State Guardianship Association, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, an affiliate of the National Guardianship Association.

floridaguardians.com | (800) 718-0207 | eFax (877) 896-0464 | PO Box 1185, Palm City, Florida 34991

THANK YOU !

The Florida State Guardianship Association, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, an affiliate of the National Guardianship Association.

floridaguardians.com | (800) 718-0207 | eFax (877) 896-0464 | PO Box 1185, Palm City, Florida 34991

Guardian Karen Greene accepts the flag at

the Veterans Cemetery in Palm Beach. Her

ward was buried with a military funeral

honors ceremony.

“He and his wife were my first wards and will

always hold a special place in my heart and

be forever missed.

It’s an honor to make sure that our clients are

treated with dignity and respect.”

A GUARDIANS

HONOR

FSGA welcomes our newest chapter

Tri County Heartland !!

This chapter covers Polk, Highlands and Hardee

Counties. The chapter is planning regular meetings

and offer training and information to members and

the local community. Their mission includes

promoting education to further the exchange of

professional knowledge for the benefit of guardians

and wards, advocating for policies that benefit

wards and the practice of guardianship, and

promoting a broader understanding and

acceptance of the qualified guardian as an integral

part of the judicial system.

Join today!!

CLICK HERE FOR THE FORM

TRI COUNTY HEARTLAND

CLICK FOR VID-

EO The Florida State Guardianship Association, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, an affiliate of the National Guardianship Association.

floridaguardians.com | (800) 718-0207 | eFax (877) 896-0464 | PO Box 1185, Palm City, Florida 34991

GUARDIANSHIP YOUTUBE

Have you thought of becoming an

examiner? The FSGA is now

offering the INITIAL 4– hour

statutorily required examining

committee training in a

convenient online format. This

comprehensive course includes a

video and materials,

and a certificate of

completion. Please

order online. Instructor, Lance

McKinney of Osterhout and

Mc Kinney, P.A.

4-HOUR INITIAL

EXAMINING

COMMITTEE

TRAINING

INITIAL 4- HOUR

EXAMINING

COMMITTEE

TRAINING (CLICK)

Our Chapter Boards and our members are encouraged to reach out to their local

elected officials and take a few minutes to educate them on guardianship. It’s

important for our elected officials to hear about guardianship from their

constituents, and those who are practicing guardianship and not through the

media. You can send the correct message. Please contact FSGA for a list of

talking points, our legislative platform, and printed information about FSGA that

you can hand out.

FSGA President Elect Heather Hasandras, met with State Senator

Lori Berman. Heather used FSGA’s talking points to educate the

Senator emphasizing that FSGA supports high ethical standards

for guardians and that our members look forward to working

together with state agencies and officials to improve the

guardianship system in our state.

WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR LEGISLATORS ?

Contact Pam Keller , Legislative Committee Chair

We have recorded some very interesting interviews for our YouTube channel

coming up! Please subscribe to the channel and ask your colleagues to do so as

well. Also, we would like to know about your chapter activities to publicize for

Guardianship Awareness month in October. Donations, community outreach,

individual promotions are examples of what we can use! We will post them on

Facebook and some of your activities may even

be good, positive material for the local media.

Please let the Public Relations Committee know

if you would like FSGA to do a training on

guardianship in your local community.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY

The Florida State Guardianship Association, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, an affiliate of the National Guardianship Association.

floridaguardians.com | (800) 718-0207 | eFax (877) 896-0464 | PO Box 1185, Palm City, Florida 34991

MAGNETIZED

PERSONALIZED

FSGA NAME BADGES WITH

THE FSGA LOGO SOLD BY THE HEART OF

FLORIDA CHAPTER

DOWNLOAD THE FORM

OUR FSGA SW FLROIDA CHAPTERS SELLS

GUARDIAN NO LIABILITY STAMPS

GUARDIAN ACTION

NO PERSONAL LIABILITY. . .

PURSUANT TO: F.S. 744.358

DOWNLOAD THE FORM

GUARDIANSHIP SPOTLIGHT

Tom Jones, Big Bend Chapter President

“I became Executive Director of the Statewide Public Guardianship

Office. It was in this role that my passion for serving persons under

guardianship developed. I saw first-hand how professional guardians

and the guardianship community work together to ensure that the most

appropriate care is provided (Click here to read more)

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS LINKS

5 Best Hurricane Tracker Apps

https://www.brevardfl.gov//emergencymanagement/preparedness

Know your evacuation routes

https://www.floridadisaster.org/planprepare/disaster-preparedness-maps/

Florida Disaster - Division of Emergency Management

https://www.floridadisaster.org/

Department of Elder Affairs - Disaster Preparedness

http://elderaffairs.state.fl.us/doea/disaster.php

American Red Cross

https://www.redcross.org/

AFEMA - Emergency Supply List

https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1390846764394-dc08e309debe561d866b05ac84daf1ee/checklist_2014.pdf

AARP - Hurricane Preparedness, Response & Resources

https://states.aarp.org/florida/fldisasterhelp

Preparedness and Safety Messaging

https://www.cdc.gov/cpr/readiness/00_docs/CDC_Hurricanes_PreparednessSafetyMessaging_June2018_508.pdf

The Florida State Guardianship Association, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, an affiliate of the National Guardianship Association.

floridaguardians.com | (800) 718-0207 | eFax (877) 896-0464 | PO Box 1185, Palm City, Florida 34991

The Education Committee is working very closely with the Conference Committee for the 2020 Conference to

provide additional support in obtaining and selecting educational presentations that will benefit members and

attendees. Education Committee meets via phone the second Thursday of the Month at 9AM. For more infor-

mation please contact Ellie Himes

FSGA COMMITTEES

LEGISLATIVE The Legislative Committee works to identify, prioritize and advocate legislative issues affecting professionals

in the practice of guardianship . The committee meets the third Wednesday of the month at 4 PM via phone

conference. For more information contact Pam Keller.

EDUCATION

MEMBERSHIP The Membership Committee reviews facets of FSGA membership. This committee also focuses on recruit-

ment and member benefit. The committee meets via phone the second Wednesday of the month at 8AM or

more information please contact Sherri Graham.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

The PR Committee is working on a variety of issues, guardianship spotlights, developing our YouTube chan-

nel, and keeping our speakers bureau active with presentations. Please send local news to the PR committee

for inclusion on the Facebook page. The committee meets the second Tuesday of each month at 4 PM.

Please contact Al Rothstein for more information.

BYLAWS AND POLICY & PROCEDURE

The bylaws committee meets regularly over the phone and in person to develop and maintain policy and

procedure and to make recommendations to the board concerning changes in the FSGA bylaws. For more

information please contact Jetta Getty or David Hook.

TECHNOLOGY

The purpose of the Technology Committee is to ensure that the FSGA’s technology programs and platforms

support the FSGA’s Mission Statement and FSGA’s Strategic Plan. The committee is working on website devel-

opment and content. The committee meets the 2nd Friday of the month at noon by phone. Please contact

Anthony Palmieri for more information.

The Florida State Guardianship Association, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, an affiliate of the National Guardianship Association.

floridaguardians.com | (800) 718-0207 | eFax (877) 896-0464 | PO Box 1185, Palm City, Florida 34991

CHAPTER REPORTS

PALM BEACH

The Palm Beach Guardianship Association held their first meeting, after FSGA’s highly successful annual

meeting in Miami, at Grand Villa of Delray Beach West. What a wonderful host! We had a record turnout

and our guest speaker was Kelly Wilson.

Our next meeting will be the highly anticipated Lunch and Learn with Judges from the Delray Beach Court in

Palm Beach County. Seating is limited, and an RSVP is required. The meeting with the judges is scheduled to

begin at 12 noon. We hosted such an event two years ago, which was well received by our membership and

by the court. All are welcome to join us at our monthly meetings which are held the second Thursday of the

month, at 8:30 am, at rotating locations. Penny Maitner, MA, NCG President, PBGA

HILLSBOROUGH

The regular general membership meeting of the Hillsborough Chapter was held on August 8 at Tessera (ALF) of

Westchase. The speaker was Debbie Coleman of FINR, an agency which deals with victims of brain injuries. (FINR

was an exhibitor at the FSGA conference last month.)

Some 25 persons attended. The next meeting will be September 12, location TBA, where the speaker will be Mr.

Dale Smrekar, a member of our chapter, who is also a certified appraiser of personal property (furniture, jewelry,

etc.).

Southwest Florida Chapter held a chapter meeting on July 9, 2019.

There were 46 in attendance with 9 being guardians and 1 new member.

The Department of Elder Affairs presented for the chapter on the Dementia Care and Cure Initiative.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

USEFUL

LINKS

FSGA SUPPORTERS

FSGA COMMITTEES

FSGA BOARD

FSGA CALENDAR

FSGA MEMBERSHIP

FSGA CHAPTERS

MEMBER DIRECTORY

NGA

OPPG

FLORIDA BAR

COURT FORMS

SILVER

Rebecca, Vaccariello,

Salvatori, Wood, Buckel, Carmichael & Lottes

Alex Cuello, Law Office of Alex Cuello, P.A.

BRONZE

Michael Haase , 1776 Moving and Storage Inc

Anthony Ford, Plan Life Care

Andre Santamaria, A Banyan Residence

Gina Rossi Scheiman, Treasure Coast Guardianship and Advocacy

Jetta Getty, Young at Heart Elderly Services

Jesse Peck, Peck Bulgin Wealth Management of Raymond James

Joseph Santiago, Health Insurance Options LLC

Ken Patton, Arne Carlson Insurance Agency, Inc.

Matthew Matechik, Professional Guardian Golf Coast

Nicki Decker, Guardianship Services of Central Florida, LLC

Nancy Starr, Professional Guardian Southwest Florida

Robert McWhirter, TrustREPS, LC

Teresa Moore, Safe and Secure Home Care

The Florida State Guardianship Association, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation, an affiliate of the National Guardianship Association.

floridaguardians.com | (800) 718-0207 | eFax (877) 896-0464 | PO Box 1185, Palm City, Florida 34991