Page 4 - The Shores of Jupiter - May '21

Page 4, The Shores

in investigating guardianship fraud Association and is a board member for the Florida State
throughout Florida, as part of the Guardianship Association.
Statewide Investigation Alliance. This Movies like Framing Britney Spears and I Care A Lot can
partnership with the Florida Department bring important issues like guardianship into focus for a short
of Elder Affairs’ Office of Public and time, but our team’s vital work in preventing guardianship
Clerk’s Office Guardianship Professional Guardians (OPPG) allows accredited IG divisions fraud, waste and abuse will continue long after these movies are
within clerk’s offices to investigate legally sufficient complaints
forgotten. They also will shine a light on the good work being
Investigations Making A about the conduct of professional guardians statewide. done by guardians in Palm Beach County and statewide.
This partnership took full effect in 2017 and has resulted in
This September, our IG team will celebrate the 10-year
Difference high-profile arrests of professional guardians throughout Florida. anniversary of the office’s Guardianship Integrity Assurance
Our team also serves as subject-matter experts, providing Hotline. I look forward to building on this success for years to
Guardianship has made national headlines in recent weeks, testimony on best practices in guardianship fraud investigations come.
thanks to two movies – one documentary, one fictional – that and giving presentations on prevention of guardianship fraud Joseph Abruzzo,
place court-appointed guardianship squarely in the spotlight. throughout Florida and the country. Our Deputy Inspector Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller
Both the documentary Framing Britney Spears, about pop star General and Chief Guardianship Investigator, Anthony Palmieri, Learn more about the clerk’s guardianship fraud investigations
Britney Spears, and the fictional film I Care A Lot examine also serves as the president-elect for the National Guardianship at www.mypalmbeachclerk.com/fraud.
court-appointed guardianships and the issues that can arise in
At the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller in Palm Town Of Jupiter News
those cases.

Beach County, our work on guardianship has made headlines for
years, thanks to our investigations into allegations of fraud, waste By Ilan Kaufer, that was passed by the council during the April 20 meeting.
and abuse by court-appointed guardians and anyone willing to Jupiter Vice Mayor Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends,
exploit vulnerable people. I hope you are having a church and community.
The clerk’s office has a proud history of leadership on great May and are getting Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
guardianship issues. In my tenure as clerk, I plan to shine a bright ready for a fun summer. A majority of Council voted to discuss the current ban on
spotlight on the guardianship expertise we have here in Palm Please find below some medical marijuana dispensaries in Jupiter at an upcoming
Beach County, and the work our office does to protect people recent updates. meeting. It is expected that discussion will occur at one of
under guardianship in our community. Vice Mayor Appointment the meetings in May.
Our office’s Division of Inspector General (IG) is responsible – Councilor May Brightline Fencing And Landscaping
for conducting audits and investigations of guardianship cases March marked the end of The Town received a report from staff on the status
filed in the 15th Judicial Circuit and works in conjunction with my rotation as vice mayor of proposed safety measures as the Town prepares for
our Court Operations team to ensure reports are submitted timely, and at our meeting in early Brightline operations. The presentation reviewed and
completely and accurately. Should any “red flags” appear during April I nominated Councilor May to serve in that role for considered fencing and landscape buffers at certain
those reviews, it triggers a more extensive review of the case by the upcoming year. The council voted unanimously to select locations along the corridor. I will continue to be an
the IG. Councilor May and I have great confidence he will do well advocate for increased safety measures along our corridor
These reviews by our IG team can mean a world of difference in that role. and at intersections to ensure public safety.
for the victims of fraud. Consider the case of Lynrod Douglas, Ida Simmons Proclamation Thank you for keeping up to date on these activities. Please
who has six separate felony cases pending in Palm Beach County, On March 29, we lost a pillar in our community. Ida make sure to follow me on social media on Facebook at www.
with the most recent arrest in February. The arrest reports in Simmons, whose family is one of the oldest African- facebook.com/kauferfl and on Twitter @CouncilorKaufer for
four of those six felony cases specifically credit our IG team for American families in the Jupiter area, was born in more frequent updates. Please reach out with any questions
discovering a total of $79,210.07 that Douglas allegedly stole Jupiter and lived here for over a century. Her enormous or comments. If you have any comments, questions, or
from his clients. Thanks to our IG team, Douglas is no longer contributions to our local community will not be forgotten, concerns about these initiatives or any other Town matters,
registered in Florida as a professional guardian. and I was honored to propose a resolution in her memory please email me at ilank@jupiter.fl.us.
The investigators from our IG team also play a key role

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