744.344 Order of appointment.—
(1) The court may hear testimony on the question of who is entitled to preference in the appointment of a guardian. Any interested person may intervene in the proceedings. The order appointing a guardian must state the nature of the guardianship as either plenary or limited. If limited, the order must state that the guardian may exercise only those delegable rights which have been removed from the incapacitated person and specifically delegated to the guardian. The order shall state the specific powers and duties of the guardian.
(2) The order appointing a guardian must be consistent with the incapacitated person’s welfare and safety, must be the least restrictive appropriate alternative, and must reserve to the incapacitated person the right to make decisions in all matters commensurate with the person’s ability to do so.
(3) If a petition for appointment of guardian has been filed, an order appointing a guardian must be issued contemporaneously with the order adjudicating the person incapacitated. The order must specify the amount of the bond to be given by the guardian and must state specifically whether the guardian must place all, or part, of the property of the ward in a restricted account in a financial institution designated pursuant to s. 69.031.
1(4) If a petition for the appointment of a guardian has not been filed or ruled upon at the time of the hearing on the petition to determine capacity, the court may appoint an emergency temporary guardian in the manner and for the purposes specified in s. 744.3031.
(5) A plenary guardian shall exercise all delegable rights and powers of the incapacitated person.
(6) A person for whom a limited guardian has been appointed retains all legal rights except those which have been specifically granted to the guardian in the court’s written order.
History.—s. 1, ch. 74-106; ss. 12, 26, ch. 75-222; s. 39, ch. 89-96; s. 24, ch. 90-271; s. 1081, ch. 97-102; s. 12, ch. 2015-83.
1Note.—Section 20, ch. 2015-83, provides that “[s]ections 709.2109 and 744.3203, Florida Statutes, as created by this act, apply to all proceedings filed on or after July 1, 2015. The amendments made by this act to ss. 744.107, 744.1075, 744.108, 744.3025, 744.3031, 744.309, 744.3115, 744.312, 744.331, 744.344, 744.345, 744.359, 744.361, 744.367, 744.369, 744.3715, and 744.464, Florida Statutes, apply to all proceedings pending on July 1, 2015.”
Note.—Created from former s. 744.34.
Section: Previous 744.3203 744.3215 744.331 744.334 744.3371 744.341 744.342 744.344 744.345 744.347 744.351 744.354 744.357 744.358 744.359 NextLast modified: September 23, 2016