Issue Position: Safeguarding Our Seniors

Issue Position

Kathleen has been an effective and tireless advocate for Florida's seniors. Florida is home to 5.2 million residents over age 60, and five percent of Florida residents are aged 80 or older, and elder exploitation is often called the "Crime of the 21st Century." Kathleen has been an effective and tireless advocate for Florida's seniors. She has successfully sponsored legislation cracking down on fraud against seniors and holding their guardians accountable (2014, HB 409). Because of Kathleen's efforts, scammers can no longer hide behind loopholes in the law, and Clerks of Court may audit adult guardianship accounts to ensure that legal guardians do not take advantage of those they've sworn to protect (2014, HB 635). For many seniors, transitioning into a retirement community isn't as simple as selling their home and moving.

In 2018, Kathleen sponsored and passed legislation in the State Senate to further improve protections against elder abuse by providing a quick, inexpensive mechanism for the temporary freezing of the assets of a vulnerable adult to prevent exploiters from emptying the bank accounts of our most vulnerable citizens (2018, SB 1562). Kathleen also advocated for legislation to require nursing homes to acquire an alternative power source to ensure safe temperatures are maintained for all of the facility's residents and to require facilities to implement policies to ensure residents do not suffer from heat exposure (2018, HB 7099).

For her work on protecting our most vulnerable citizens Kathleen received the Florida Agencies Serving the Blind, Legislative Appreciation Award and theFamily Law Section of The Florida Bar, Legislative Appreciation Award in 2018; the AARP Capitol Caregiver Award in 2017; the Elder Law Section of The Florida Bar, Legislator of the Year in 2014 and 2015 and the Florida Council on Aging, Advocacy Award in 2014

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