Action News Jax reporter Emily Turner has pulled back the curtain on Florida’s broken guardianship system — and what she uncovered is a disgrace. A recent state audit found the Office of Public and Professional Guardians (OPPG) all but useless, logging 174 complaints against professional guardians from 2023–2025 and doing almost nothing to act on them. Seniors aren’t protected. Their assets aren’t safe. And the agency in charge appears to prefer it that way. The state legislature did nothing to fix it. The Governor did nothing. And the one in charge, Michelle Branham of OPPG has done nothing either and she’s the one in charge!
Turner’s report spotlights the heartbreaking case of Rey Contreras from Ponte Vedra, whose multimillionaire stepfather was placed under a court-appointed guardian’s control against his wishes. Rey and his mother were barred from contact — even denied the right to attend his funeral!! Years later, Rey’s stepfather – a multimillionaire – still lies in an unmarked grave while those who took his freedom count his money and dissolve his assets. If this doesn’t scream “systemic abuse,” what will?
Ken Burke, Chair of the State Guardianship Task Force, didn’t mince words, calling Florida’s guardianship program the “wild, wild west.” No real rules. No real accountability. Meanwhile, Deputy Auditor Matt Tracy told a Senate committee that the situation has worsened since previous audits — audits that have been quietly shelved, ignored, and forgotten. Which begs the obvious question: Why even bother auditing a system no one intends to fix?
Legislators like State Representative Clay Yarborough have tried to clean up the mess, working with families to push much-needed reforms, including a statewide guardian registry and stronger safeguards. Yet despite four separate bills introduced this session, not one made it across the finish line. The reason? Well-funded lobbyists and lawyers who profit from the current broken system apparently convinced legislators that nothing needs fixing.
Florida’s 2025 legislative session ends with our most vulnerable citizens still at risk — and a broken and corrupt system left exactly as it was. How do these legislators sleep at night knowing they have left the biggest voter bloc in Florida in harms way by the miserable guardianship system in Florida?
For a full look at the investigation — and to watch Emily Turner’s excellent report — visit Action News Jax.
