New Florida Law Allows for Guardianship Petitions for Abused Children in More Circumstances

New Florida Law Allows for Guardianship Petitions for Abused Children in More Circumstances

A bill recently signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will give abused and neglected children additional protections and opportunities, according to state officials with the Guardian ad Litem for Children program.

The purpose of Senate Bill 124/House Bill 115 is to make the legal process for kids involved in multiple court cases easier. This will currently affect about 1,000 or so children whose cases are taking place in multiple counties and court circuits.

What exactly does the law do?

Under the new law, there can now be guardianship petitions for a child filed either where the child resides or in the county that has jurisdiction over the child’s dependency case. For children going through these dependency and delinquency cases, the Florida Department of Justice must notify the court and parties in the dependency case of certain events, such as transfer from one juvenile facility to another. The measure removes some red tape from these guardianship proceedings.

The legislation also allows judges in delinquency courts to consider information provided by the Guardian ad Litem Program and the child’s attorney ad litem in cases where the child is under the dependency court’s jurisdiction.

For more information on the effect these changes will have on Florida guardianship petitions and the steps you should take related to your guardianship petition, meet with a trusted Tampa guardianship attorney at BaumannKangas Estate Law.