We’re not conspiracy writers. We’re truth watchers. And the truth is — Florida’s probate and guardianship system continues to fail the very people it was designed to protect.
Every so often, the Florida Bar or the courts drag a few bad cases into the light, but those are just the ones that make headlines. For every one they publish, there are dozens — maybe hundreds — that never see daylight, quietly supported by the lackluster oversight of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. It’s a Political Sin Against the People that just keeps getting worse. Here are the few cases brought to light this week by The Florida Bar. They aren’t even the tip of the iceberg my friends.
E. Cheryl Culberson — Islamorada, FL
Suspended for 90 days.
In probate proceedings, Culberson petitioned the court to sell property from an estate — and then, two years later, petitioned again to determine the property’s homestead status as if it hadn’t already been sold. Her omission created a cloud on the title and confusion for the heirs.
Michelle Lee Farkas — Gainesville, FL
Disciplinary revocation (tantamount to disbarment).
Farkas was hired for a trust matter and accepted a $5,580 retainer. For three and a half years, she misled her client about the case’s progress — though she never filed a single action. She refunded the money only after the Bar got involved.
Richard Gonzalez — Delray Beach, FL
Disciplinary revocation with leave to reapply in five years.
Gonzalez misappropriated a client’s trust funds and failed to reimburse the client. The Bar revoked his license, effectively ending his law career for at least half a decade — but how many other trust accounts are still quietly misused without discovery?
These are not isolated events. They are symptoms of a probate and guardianship system that too often runs on autopilot — a system where families lose control, heirs lose assets, and elders lose their voices AND …
Attorneys win large payouts, corrupt judges do too and bad guardians become rich.
Prove me wrong.
Eye will continue to keep watch on Florida’s Guardianship issues and stories because someone must. The courts may publicize a few token cases, but the true scale of abuse and neglect inside Florida’s probate courts is far larger than officials care to admit. And the question of the day is this:
Why don’t they care?
What’s in it for them to “not care?”
Until the Governor, the Florida Attorney General’s office, the Department of Elder Affairs, the Florida Bar, and the judiciary commit to full transparency and meaningful oversight, the largest population of Florida’s voters and taxpayers will remain at risk — and the public trust in justice will continue to erode.
Let this serve as a warning to those who can do something about this and refuse to do so:
We’re watching.
And we won’t stop.
Eventually the light will be too bright
and those involved in stealing a person’s freedoms, assets and their very life will be judged by the true Judge of this world.
For more insights into how corrupt the Florida probate system is, read these articles below:
Betrayal of Trust: Exposing Legal and Political Corruption Against Florida’s Baby Boomers
Exposing Florida’s Broken Guardianship System Where Seniors Become Prey
“STOP BEFORE YOU ENTER FLORIDA”: The Wealth Migration No One Warned You About
NOTE: There are many more stories and you can go to eyeonjacksonville.com and put in the search bar “guardianship.”
