As part of America’s 250th celebration, Ron DeSantis is placing statues of great American leaders across Florida. It’s a worthy effort—honoring the people who shaped this country and reminding us of the principles that built it.
We applaud these efforts.
But one statue, in particular, should do more than inspire admiration. It should stir action.
The unveiling of Calvin Coolidge at Bok Tower Gardens isn’t just a tribute—it should be a jolt into the hearts of any in power today who have the ability to confront a system that is quietly harming families across this state.
Because here’s the truth most people don’t understand until it’s too late:
Florida’s probate and guardianship system can become a very scary place to land your loved one.
You can have everything in place—trusts, wills, healthcare directives—documents created with care, intention, and legal guidance. And yet, in a moment, a family court judge can set those aside and appoint a professional guardian.
From there, control shifts to the guardian and the judge – and the family is sent on their way.
The guardian can decide where your loved one lives.
Who they see.
Who they don’t see.
Whether they can call you.
Families have found themselves locked out—cut off from the very people they were trying to protect—while a paid guardian assumes full authority “for their own good.”
If that sounds hard to believe, it shouldn’t. We’ve seen this story before.
Many Americans were introduced to it through Killers of the Flower Moon, which chronicled what happened to the Osage people in the 1920s.
Deemed “incompetent,” they were placed under guardianship— controlled by someone else who managed their wealth and decisions.
Too often, that system didn’t protect them—it exploited them. Money was withheld. Assets were taken. And in the most chilling cases, those who resisted paid with their lives.
It was a system that had gone off the rails.
And when Calvin Coolidge understood what was happening, he didn’t dismiss it as a “family matter.” He didn’t look the other way. He didn’t pretend it wasn’t a problem.
He acted.
He brought in federal investigators—what would become the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s first major case—to expose the truth and dismantle the abuse.
https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/osage-murders-case
He became more than a president in that moment.
He became a hero to families who had nowhere else to turn.
And here is what we want to say to Governor DeSantis:
Governor DeSantis, this is happening again—right here in Florida.
Not in the exact same way. Not with the same headlines. But the core issue—the power imbalance, the lack of oversight, the ability for a system to override families and control lives—is real. And families who come forward to share their stories are too often met with closed doors and quiet dismissal.
They’re told it’s a family dispute. It’s not.
It’s a system problem.
And systems—when they go unchecked—don’t fix themselves.
Florida is often called “The Free State of Florida.” But for families who have watched a loved one disappear into a guardianship they cannot penetrate, that freedom is nowhere to be found.
So yes—we applaud the statues. They are meaningful. They are deserved.
But this one comes with a message from us at Eye:
Governor DeSantis: Put on the Coolidge hat.
Take a hard, honest look at the probate and guardianship system in Florida. Listen to the families. Give these families a chance to be heard by you. Ask the uncomfortable questions. Shine the light where others have refused to look. Be willing to believe there is a problem. And be willing to fix it.
There is still time to do something that matters before you leave office.
Be remembered not just for honoring history— but for stepping into it.
Be a hero to Florida families. Be a Coolidge.
